Everyone's eyes widened at Natsume's outburst. Natsume knew once she uttered those words; there was no going back. There was silence as Natsume played the hem of her kimono. Kagome walked over to her daughter. Before she said anything, she looked at Inuyasha, who just shrugged.
"Natsume, why would...," she was interrupted by her daughter's soft voice.

"I've been having a lot of nightmares for a long while now and..." now her mother interrupted her.

"Natsume, those were just nightmares." Her daughter shook her head furiously.

"No, they weren't just nightmares, mother! I saw everything! I saw the lives that we live now! It will be no more! I saw the end of all of us! No survivors! No one!"

"Natsume..." Kagome said as she tried to comfort her distraught daughter. She shook her head more.

"No mother," she growled as her frustration shown clearly in her eyes, which earned her a warning growl from her father. Natsume looked down to play with the hem of her kimono. "I am... sorry, mother, but please let me speak." She looked up into her mother's concerned eyes. Kagome's eyes soften and gave her a curt nod. The pup hugged her mother tightly. She snuggled into her mother's kimono like she was seeking warmth. Kagome had no problem giving it either. She'd never saw her pup so distraught. She knew then and there that this was indeed when the end of youkai began.

Everyone, including the pups/children, looked at the mother and pup. Kagome lifted her daughter's chin and said gently, "Alright, Natsume, tell us what these nightmares showed."

Natsume wiped the free-flowing tears off of her red, tear-stained face. "I'd seen a man disguised himself as a youkai. He seduces the red-headed inu with his undeniable confidence in succeeding this female's wishes. She and him mated. She's currently carrying his pup. The pup will be born soon. This pup is only the beginning. This war has just barely started. There would be years and years of endless battle until HE, SHE, and IT finally shown themselves on the battle scene..." She continued on describing each death of her family until she alone was sitting mourning over her last family member.

As she was telling them about her nightmares, they were shocked to hear how she described each of their deaths in the order in her dream... premonition. The one was more shocked was Sesshomaru. He really didn't couldn't fathomed his own death that his daughter described. It wasn't his death that he was shocked the most about though. It was his mate's death that really set his blood on fire. The atmosphere in the room was so excruciating that the young had to leave the room. All, except for, the adults. Natsume was so exhausted from the tense air in the room and from the telling of her nightmares that she collapsed. Inuhime checked on her niece.

"She'll be fine after she caught up on her rest. Poor girl..." Inuhime knew how it felt to have those kinds of dreams. She'd always have them before a life altering event happened. Kagome was going to take her daughter back to her room, but it was Inuyasha who said as softly and gently as he could, "No, I'll take her. I believe you should tell them Kagome." He picked her up. She instinctively placed her arms around his neck and her legs around his torso. Before he left, he gave her a look. It wasn't condescending one, but more sympathetic. He knew that she didn't want to tell them, but now seemed to be a best time under the circumstances. She ever so gently gave a short nod to Inuyasha just in the nick of time before he turned and leave the study.

It was so silent now. They waited for Kagome to say something. Sesshomaru couldn't take the silence from his mate. It was deafening. He walked to her and embraced her. "Omae, tell us what Inuyasha meant." He couldn't believe it could be possibly be true. He wanted her to say that it wasn't. It was just a joke. A horrible joke. He couldn't fathom a life without his mate. He couldn't... he wouldn't.

After that seemed like an eternity, Kagome sighed and finally said, "When I was still in my birth era, before we defeated Naraku, I couldn't ever sense any youkai nearby. Inuyasha confirmed that when he said he couldn't smell or sensed any of them."

Hikaru said, "A thousand pardons, mi-lords and mi-ladies and with all due respect, Lady Kagome, Inuyasha is only a half-breed. Also, to my understanding that you weren't at all a trained miko." A warning growl came from InuTaisho and Sesshomaru. Hikaru knew what he'd said would displeased both lords, however...

"He has a point." All daiyoukai males looked at the one who said it; almost an unbelievable way. Kagome looked at them. "What?! He does. At the time, I was a novice of a miko; regardless of the fact that I was raised on the shrine. My grandpa told me stories about youkai all my life. I thought they were just fairy tales from the Feudal Era."

All present youkai thought, "Ouch, that hurt."

"Of course, that was before the Mistress Centipede pulled me down the well, my first time meeting with Inuyasha,' she paused as the thought about the past. She giggled at those first memories with her best friend. "Actually, that was the first time believing in my grandpa's fairy tales of the past. Who could deny that after meeting one a youkai who cut out the Shikon Jewel from my side." She paused and looked at her handsome mate. "Also the first time meeting my mate." Sesshomaru flushed. She giggled and then shook her head. "I guess after Inuyasha and myself realized that we couldn't sense any youkai and then I made a realization that if there were youkai in my birth era, one would have thought that at least one of them would try to get the Shikon before a resurrected youkai from the well came and try to take the jewel away from me. I came into a conclusion that all youkai got extincted. Just thinking about that pulls my heartstrings. I can't imagine my life without either of you, especially, you Sesshomaru."

She did have a point there. If there's youkai in her birth era, they would definitely gone after the jewel. Unless one was like Sesshomaru, Inukimi, Hikaru, Zokushi, Inuhime, and the great general himself, who desires no power but their own.

Sesshomaru looked at his sister's best friend. She looked worried. "What's the matter, Zokushi," his twin asked.

Zokushi was rubbing the back of her adopted pup before Inuhime had asked her that dreaded question. She knew that she couldn't lie to them.

"I know who 'the disguise youkai' is. His name is Orochi. One day, he came to Ichiko and asked her for a transformation spell to disguise himself as a youkai... more specifically an inuyoukai. A red inuyoukai. Ichiko came to me for help and I complied after she told me her reasons."

"What were those reasons," Sesshomaru asked as he was growling.

"She told me that he was planning to kill all youkai-kind by having them turned against each other. Yes, she admitted that she had done bad things before, but Orochi was so such worst than her. He blames the youkai for their parents' death. She didn't want to help him, but she had no excuses she could used then. He wouldn't accept them even if there was one. He would have kept on pestering her until she complies to his wishes. Also if she hadn't done it, he would have gone to another dark miko to perform the spell. However, the spell has a time limit. Once the time is out, he would revert to himself... his human self. She explained to me that if we did it then we would have known when he would to revert back to himself."

Inuhime nodded in understanding, "So it's a trap, then."

"So to speak, yes. When Akira finds him being a human... a monk at that, she would definitely kill him. Unless, of course, she finds that she doesn't care if he's human or not. She would use anyone to get what she wants. However, as far as Akira mated to Orochi, she wasn't. We need to summon the other three Cardinal Lords, because she's also has allies, who wished to dethrone them."

Sesshomaru said, "Yes, we shall summon the other Lords."

Kagome said, "I wonder who are those who want to dethrone the other Lords, too. I don't understand why she would dethrone them."

"Because the other Lords supported you and Sesshomaru when they should had supported her... being a youkai and all. It's rare for them to support such a mating. The royal court and counsel was the only ones who supported her, however, after seeing that you defeated her fair and square at the ball. They are still questioning the legitimacy of her highness. Of course, your mother and I countered it," InuTaisho replied.

Sesshomaru quirked an eye brow, "When did this happened, father?"

"When you were away."

"Which time?"

"Both."

"Why you didn't dealt with them?"

"Because you are 'lord'. You and/or Lady Kagome could do what you wish with them. Your mother and I were only acting as 'lord and lady' in your stead."

Sesshomaru nodded. "Well, they could question her legitimacy all they want."

"Speaking of your daughter and the counsel, when will you let them see her? She's almost a year old. Traditionally, an heir would have been presented after eight days one was born," his mother said.

"Hn. We have bigger problems than the counsel wish to see Natsume."

"Yes, you are right, my son. What's the plan?"

"First, I will send my fastest messengers to give them a summons meeting. Hikaru, I want you have the army at the ready. We will meet them before they set their filthy feet in these lands. I still have spies keeping an eye on them. They should report in soon... very soon."

"Whoa, what about me," Kagome asked. "I am no longer pregnant. I can fight now."

"Kagome, you will stay here with Inuhime, mother, and the other Cardinal Ladies. You will hold down the home front."

"Now, wait a minute, Sesshou! Who do you think you are to tell me to stay?"

"Inuki, you are heavy with pup. Do you wish to loose this one?"

Inuhime looked away and whispered, "No, I won't risk my pup again."

Hikaru added, "Even if you could have gone, I would have said 'no' anyway." Hikaru knew he was in hot water when Inuhime gave him a freezing cold glare.

InuTaisho also made it clear that Inukimi would stay at the palace, too. They'd argued about it, but he won in the end. Zokushi cleared her voice and sternly said, "Since I have no mate to tell me what to do or where to stay. I will come with you, mi-lords. Kahōmono will stay with Ichiko. Hana will also stay with her."

"I will go and be with Natsume."

"Mate, will you tell Inuyasha to come back to the study?"

Kagome smiled and nodded, then she left the room. "I will go with her," Inuhime said as Hikaru nodded in acknowledgement. Inukimi said, "I am coming, too."

As soon as the women left and Inuyasha arrived, they began making preparations. They, even, summoned Miroku to the study before they started their plotting.

Inuyasha (c) Rumiko Takahashi
Fanfiction & OCs (c) ladytari