A group trip to the aquarium was not a particularly adventurous birthday but at least someone was enthralled. It had been Inuyasha's idea to bring Rin to see the enormous tanks of fish. The girl had never seen dolphins or otters. Inuyasha hung back but his inner child had him rolling up his sleeves to touch the creatures swimming freely in the children's pool. Rin squealed when she followed his example.

"Look, Kagome-sama!"

Like any tired mother, Kagome sat on a bench while her three charges went from tank to tank. It was sweet to watch her brother ask Inuyasha for money to buy Rin a stuffed animal from the cart. She did look rather cute in knee socks and a long-sleeved dress.

The baby put pressure on her ribs. She winced.

The ring of her phone earned her nasty glances but she flipped it open anyway. Mama had forced Inuyasha to promise that she would keep it charged at all times. The woman had already called her twice during their outing.

"Hi Mama."

"Kagome, how are you? Are you being safe? Is Inuyasha with you?"

"Yes, Mama. I am sitting down. I am drinking plenty of water. Baby is fine." How dangerous could looking at tanks of fish with three watchdogs be? I've had scarier school field trips. The sound of wood breaking on the other end startled her. "What is going on? Are you being attacked? Mama?"

The line clicked. Dead.

"Inuyasha!" It took her a moment to identify him in the crowd. Thankfully people were very willing to part for a heavily pregnant girl. She pulled him back from a crowd of children ooing over a tank filled with jellyfish.

"Humans trap these demons for show?"

"They're not – never you mind the demons. I think Mama's in danger. You have to get to the Shrine." It only took a moment for her husband to refocus his thoughts. His eyes sharpened. Hands tipped with deadly claws gripped her elbows. "I was on the phone with her, the phone went dead. I think I heard the door splinter. There's no time to waste!"

"Stay here with your brother and the other humans." Inuyasha dipped down to kiss her forehead. Before she could blink he was moving through the crowd towards the exit. Once he was outside she searched the room for the dynamic duo. Other than a girl with blue tresses, everyone in the room had black or brown hair. How am I supposed to find them?

"Souta? Souta?" Kagome redialed the number for her home. The busy signal droning in her ear scared her. She closed her eyes to pray for her mother and grandfather. What would she do if anything happened to her family?

Biology intervened. She grumbled to herself before looking for a public toilet. One unfortunate symptom of the third trimester was a near constant feeling of urination. Thankfully there was an unoccupied stall in the women's. The intercom announced that the dolphin show would begin shortly. The other guests were polite enough to let her supersede their place in line when they noted she was alone. No matter their pitying looks, it allowed her into the stage area.

"Souta? Rin?" Kagome scanned the metal bleachers. "Souta!"

"Miss?" An usher approached her. "Are you in need of medical assistance?"

"I'm looking for my little brother. Higurashi Souta. I don't know where he went. He is a teenager in tan slacks with a blue shirt. There's a girl with him in pink socks." Perhaps he sensed her anxiety. The man used a radio on his hip to make a call to the security office. Together they took the shortest path through the crowd to reach an exit to the coldest section of the show. Penguins slid around in an arctic-themed environment with igloos. Sure enough, her brother was reading the information plaque to the illiterate Feudal girl.

We promised Sesshomaru to stay together!

"Kagome-sama, look at the funny little birds! Can we buy one for Sesshomaru-sama?" Rin clasped her palms together in prayer.

"This isn't a market, the birds are not for sale. This is their home. We can't take them from their homes, can we?" Kagome used her most calming voice. Rin nodded. There was wonder in her soulful brown eyes that melted her heart. Rin was born in a poor village in the Feudal Era. She has never seen a place as grand as this aquarium.

"Can we pet them?"

"Yeah, Sis! Can we get some backstage passes? Maybe we could feed the dolphins or the otters. They're harmless, right?"

"The otters are my favorite," Rin confessed. She hugged the cute brown toy to her stomach. Surging maternal affection made it hard to disappoint their childlike adoration for the animals. "I don't like the sharks."

"The sharks can't get out of their tanks, but I promise we don't have to see them. Maybe we can get backstage passes another day." The phone in her hand lit up. Home. Kagome extended the antenna and pressed the flipped speaker to her ear.

"Mama?"

"Hi Kagome, it is Inuyasha. Your husband. I'm at the Shrine." Inuyasha's voice was raised but he wasn't upset. I swear it's like calling Grandpa over the phone. "Kagome?"

"I'm here, Inuyasha."

"No one is hurt. Your mom and grandfather are fine but I would rather not leave. Can Souta get you home safely?" There was more wood splintering. She heard the pounding of a hammer. "Kagome?"

"What is that sound?"

"...just come home. It would be easier to show you. Watch out for metal carriages!" Kagome could practically see him standing in her kitchen. "Look before you cross the street and don't fall down."

"Yes, Motherrr."

"I love you, Kagome. Come home."

It took promises of a second visit to coax Rin and Souta to leave the aquarium. She hustled forward down the sidewalk with her purse firmly adhered to her shoulder. It was impossible to get home fast enough. The sound of construction had her worried. All of the repairs from the Christmas stampede had been resolved. Souta nearly crashed into her. Inuyasha ripped another plank from the interior of her family shrine. Her mother was wearing an apron and wielding a hammer. There was a sizable pile of boards in the courtyard.

"Inuyasha, are you CRAZY?"

"I didn't start it, your mother did!" Inuyasha gestured. She stood in the door frame. A dozen ancient boards had been removed as carefully as possible. There was a gap in the floor. Between the supports, a massive trapdoor had been built into the ground underneath.

"What the hell is that?!"

"Your Grandfather is trying to figure it out. The lock is unbreakable. Wanna see?" Inuyasha dusted off his hands. Kagome was careful to avoid loose nails when she followed his lead. She used the old stepladder sunk into the soil to follow Inuyasha down. She had to duck under the supports and sit on her knees to get a good look. The double metal doors were secured with a keyhole in the center with writing in a circle. Grandpa grumbled when he tried yet another option from the Higurashi key ring. None of the old-fashioned hand-smelted keys worked.

"I told him they won't work. It looks like something Totosai would build...which means it is too powerful for humans to break." Inuyasha scowled as the old man tried another two-pronged key. A demon claw pushed into the lock with no success. It wouldn't turn.

"Why would Totosai build a giant safe underneath my family's shrine?"

"Kagome, what are you thinking? Climb out of that hole this instant. Inuyasha." Her mother's disappointed voice was the worst. The three-stepped ladder was easy enough to ascend. She was instantly enveloped in a worried bear hug. It was ridiculous to fight. Gentle fingers combed her hair back into a single tail. "Let's go inside and have some pudding. Doesn't that sound nice? You can keep me company while I finish making your birthday dinner. Twenty years old! Where does the time go? It seems like only yesterday you were my sweet little girl."

"Pudding?"

"You loved pudding when you were little!"

"But Mama - " The matron gave her no choice. She was placed in her chair in the kitchen. A bowl of homemade vanilla pudding was placed in her hands with a comment about the high calcium content. Her mother completely ignored the sawdust on her own dress. The cute pink apron went over her head. Mama hummed while she checked on the status of her birthday cake.

"Mama, did you take a hammer to the shrine floor?"

The woman completely ignored her. Water filled a pot to be heated. Vegetables needed to be chopped. Rin was drafted to put on her own little dotted apron to knead dough for the dumplings while she filled the void in conversation with all her thoughts about the giant fish.

"Mom!" The woman turned in shock with a towel in her hands. "How did you know that safe was there?"

"Kagome...you scared me."

"You know something! What's down there? Why does it require a magic lock?"

"Oh, Kagome. There is no such thing as magic. I'm sure it's only an old root cellar." Mama dismissed her to stir with a wooden spoon. She seemed completely unconcerned about the secret. "Rin-chan. Did you know a baby is considered a kami for the first thirty days?"

"Really, Higurashi-san?"

"Indeed! It is because like the kami they emerge from a spiritual dimension unto the earth. They have the ultimate potential to be either good or bad. Isn't that something?"

Pure has become impure, Impure has now become pure. Good has now become bad, Bad has become evil. For one to live is to die, for one to die is to live.

Harmony and disharmony.

The Jewel in the Lotus.


Using shovels in the limited space were inefficient but demon claws were good for digging. It took a couple of hours for the entire door to be revealed. It was an old wooden door set on molten metal that went deep into the ground. By the time Inuyasha returned to the house for birthday dinner, he was tired. Higurashi practically ordered him up the stairs to take a bath. He was second-in-line to use the facilities behind the kid. When his hair was dry, he went to their bedroom. The door was open.

Kagome was sitting at her desk idly doodling. The beautiful girl pouted. Two slender legs were tucked together under her chair, ankles crossed. The Bisei-cho glittered on a pile of her books. The stubborn girl was trying miserably to copy its shine on paper. It was only a little thing, hardly the size of a coin, but the cut refracted every fraction of light. If it was only a trinket, it was a valuable one.

The girl is on maternity leave from nursing school. Is she trying to become an artist?

"What do you think?" Kagome swiveled to show him her scribbles.

"It's better than I could do?"

Inuyasha sat in her floor. His wife happily extended her socked heels into his lap. He pulled the fabric down. The mother of his child sighed when he pushed his thumbs against the sole in an upright sweeping motion. Kagome flexed her toes. Even the muscles beneath the soft skin of her calves were tight. Demon strength and temperature gave him a natural advantage.

"That feels great."

The skin covering her ankles was smooth and young with no scars. Perfect.

"So what do you think is down there?"

"Hmm...secret treasure? A murderous demon? A crypt?" The girl leaned back in her chair. Relaxed. "Maybe there are secret tunnels going into Tokyo! Or just an old collection of useless nick-knacks. Oh, aaah..." There was tension in her foot. He kissed the sensitive little spot below her knee. "But it's probably just an old storm shelter. People used to make bunkers to hide from fighting or bad weather."

Wordlessly Kagome pushed her other foot against his forearm. He switched. Sneaky wench.

"Tomorrow you and I can take a better look without Mama hovering." The exhausted girl touched her abdomen again. Below the sweater was the extended curve of her baby. My daughter. How could he raise a girl? It was his duty to keep them both safe. Kagome attracted every danger in the province. Of course their daughter would bring trouble. He could still remember Goshenki, the carnivorous mind-reader. Instead of those kids, he could picture a miniature version of his beloved wife cowering in the hay, terrified of being eaten like her parents. His ears couldn't move. He lifted his head to meet her piercing blue gaze. Two sets of fingers tweaked his ears.

"Everything is going to be just fine, Inuyasha."

"Are you a mind-reader too?" She rolled her eyes. His knuckles rested in her lap while she reached for a handkerchief. His claws were red with blood from his own palm. Fuck. I didn't even feel it. By the time the sink in the toilet was red with blood, the wound had already stitched closed. It passed inspection.

Dinner was quiet. The most exciting part was the white cake covered with candles. Kagome happily put her hands together to make a wish before blowing out the tiny flames. It was so childlike. Regardless of the horrors she had witnessed, she had retained that innocence. The other members of the Higurashi family ignored the hint of reiki on her fingertips.

The most powerful miko in the realms is growing my child in her body with her own blood and energy. Of course our daughter will be powerful. A threat. A target.

The courtyard was in shadow when Kagome led him towards the Shrine. It was her birthday wish. She held onto the lantern while he moved the ladder in place. He kept his hands on her hips while she descended. They both kneeled to investigate the formidable keyhole. Demon strength was useless. Reiki flowed easily out of Kagome's hands to make the lock's interior glow. They both watched the strange metal absorb the light.

"Whoa. Wicked cool!"

"I wanna see!"

"Who invited you?" Souta and Rin were climbing down the ladder. The limited space beneath the beams rapidly became too small for his liking. The dirt was cold. The longer they spent staring at the trapdoor, the colder Kagome would become. "Fine, whatever! Just keep your mouths shut. Any ideas, Kagome?"

"The lock says, 'Property of the Heir of Higurashi'. That's totally me! It could be blocked by a barrier spell."

"Maybe it can only be opened in sunlight. Higurashi means 'sun' right? I bet this thing hasn't seen the sky in ages." Souta blew ancient crypt dust directly into Kagome's pretty face. He forced the kid's head into the dirt. How dare he make Kagome cough?

"Inuyasha, let my brother go!"

The ring on Souta's hand glowed in tandem with the lock.

"Of course! Dad was the last shrine-keeper. You have his ring. Pass it over." Kagome outstretched her palm. The teenager made a stubborn fist. Shit. Here we go. Stubborn humans!

"Why do you get to open it?"

"Because it's a magic lock and you can't do magic?" It amazed him how easily she could summon the light from her soul. The little lantern was easily outshone in the crawlspace. It made his skin itch but it was harmless. "Hello...magic baby?"

"Kagome-sama is very powerful but I have faith in Souta-san!" Rin pumped her closed fists. He palmed his face. Now the kid is never letting that ring off his finger.

"Give it, twerp!"

Souta covered the lock with his hand. The circle around the lock reacted to the ring's light. There was metallic clunking when the outer circle turned clockwise which turned the outer square. Clunk-clunk, clunk-clunk. It took a moment for the mechanisms to finish. Inuyasha moved the mortals to the upper level before attempting to slide the door into the newly opened gap. Markings appeared in the wood. Reiki burned his fingers but it slid.

"Inuyasha, your hands!"

Stale air rushed out of the pit with a variety of scents. He brought his sleeve up to cover his nose. On the edge of the opening he sat with Tetsusaiga over his lap prepared to fight any kasha ready to kill. A stone dropped into the blackness confirmed the pit was not bottomless.

"Kagome, stay there until I say!"

The stone floor at the bottom was freezing cold. He held up the lantern to pierce the shadows. Trunks. Crates. Pottery? The little cabinet by the corner looked familiar. He crouched to get a good look at the bureau. The dark wood opened to reveal shelving. Why the fuck do I know this piece of junk? The lantern revealed a slight mark on the door.

It's...it's ours! From the house. Our butsudan.

"Inuyashaaa?" Kagome's voice echoed. "You had better not be dead!"

Souta was in the courtyard with Rin. The kid complained when he grabbed hold of his wrist to look at that ring. Everything was silent despite his wife's moving lips. Hadn't he closed the fist that wore the fucking thing? Thick gold stamped with little lines.

You fucking bastard.

Bastard!

"LOOK at the fucking ring, Kagome!" Inuyasha ignored his brother-in-law and pulled him forward like a doll. "That door is blood-locked to keep your family's treasures safe. Don't you recognize it?"

"Of course I do. It is our father's ring. Put Souta down!"

"Not until you see." Something in his demeanor convinced her to take his side. The gold reflected the light from their lantern. Silence. Kagome slid the ring off his longest finger easily. It was a grown man's piece.

She saw.

"No way!"

The first time that the Tetsusaiga had transformed. Miroku had run off on his own like always after trying to seduce a caterpillar demon possessing a deceased princess. The taste of Sango's smoke poisons had coated his throat for hours. The poisoned monk had been hunkered down in his own father's grave preparing to be eaten by a horde of demons with an enlarged Wind Scar.

"Oh, Miroku." Kagome clutched the ring to her chest. Tears leaked from her closed eyes.

"Kagome, it's a vault. The khakkhara is down there. Hiraikotsu. Kohaku's kusari-gama. The butsudan from our house. Buried under your feet for years." The world shrank. He touched her shoulders.

"But it's Dad's ring, passed from father-to-son."

"For how long?" The sweet girl couldn't answer. But he knew. He wanted to punch the ridiculous monk in his stupid face. As if anyone else had a claim on his family.

"Inuyasha, there is no possible way that...no! Because if he were, that would mean Sango…" The green bracelet on her wrist slid low when she cradled their baby.

"Kaede always said you returned to the Feudal Era for a reason. But the Bone Eater's Well stayed open after you purified the Jewel with the One True Wish. What if we were wrong about why?"

"So you think I'm carrying Miroku's great-great-something grandchild?" Kagome laughed. The sound was hollow. Two hands covered her face in near-panic. The idea of a baby born with the Wind Tunnel was terrifying but the curse was long broken. Naraku was dead.

What are the odds that a different family of fornicating priests moved to Musashi?

"That would make Miyatsu MY grandfather...which means if we hadn't defeated Naraku, I wouldn't have been born? Ohhh, time-loop. Inuyasha, I'm dizzy." Wobbly legs trembled. It only took a moment to carry Kagome inside to the couch to get her feet elevated. Knitted blanket tucked around her ankles and hips. Something with sugar.

Hot cocoa with little colorful marshmallows soothed her shock and brought color back into her cheeks. Inuyasha sat on the floor towards her until he was sure the danger had passed. It was good to feel movement under his palm from her abdomen.

"Is Kagome-sama sick?"

"Nothing serious. Can you run upstairs for another pillow? Hey, Buyo." The feline poked his head out from underneath the low table. Souta sat with his back to the television. His patient was drinking her medicine. Kagome's pulse was recovering. This nursing crap isn't so hard. Why is that school so expensive? Rin's steps thundered down the stairs. An extra pillow behind Kagome supported her spine.

"Who's Miroku?"

Inuyasha played with the ring while Souta watched.

"The Houshi-sama is a friend. But he is too young to be a grandfather. Kagome-sama should not be concerned." Rin patted her lap to invite the family feline. The fat sociopath happily claimed her soft thighs. A tail whipped back-and-forth to warn him off, presenting him with a chubby backside.

Could five hundred years of reproducing monks be enough to create a miracle like Kagome?