Last Time

And if they were already planning to leave Japan? His eyes narrowed dangerously at the implication that thought brought. Kagome belonged in Japan, with him, and would not be forced to dally in the affairs of others. She was only human after all, and though she was an intensely powerful priestess, her body could only endure so much and that is what concerned him now. She could die from exhausting herself, had already nearly done so. Her life was not worth aiding anyone beyond those who she had been connected to here in Japan. And even then he did not approve of that.

She was his now and Sesshoumaru would see to it that she did not put herself in harms way.

Inutashio was standing beside Miren, overlooking the village and all of its inhabitants as the day wore on. "Tell me," he began. "How did you come to know of the details mother imparted to me in death?"

"Most I had listened to without your knowledge of my presence." Miren admitted, Inutashio laughing at that. It was a very human like laugh in its abruptness and clear enjoyment of Miren's honest spoken words. "However, your mother and father had imparted to me the tale of what occurred between he and the council with the Gods. Your mother hadn't been present for this, of course, or she would have never permitted such from Si-eshomaru."

"I would imagine not." Inutashio agreed. "Mother was very outspoken with father, from what I recall."

"Not a typical human female trait of that time, I assure you." Miren said, his odd gaze taking in Sango's form as the monk once again aided her in walking out of their own hut. "She did not approve Si-eshomaru's aligning his blood with a particular human line as he did. She had thought it would only bring ill fortune to the house of Tashio, sensing great calamity in the works."

Souren was not gifted with foresight as Kagome had been, Inutashio knew, and she herself had certainly never spoken with the Gods. "Had she thought Ocrasceous had anything to do with her foreboding instincts when he came for her, or no?"

"She had believed it was part of some sort of curse, if you will. She wouldn't have been entirely wrong in saying so, as when one has opened themselves and their blood to the Gods use, they then are literal playthings. Of course, had it not been for Raiden wishing to protect his son, much would not have fallen through as it had. Your own death is a part of this, Inutashio. Did she not tell you such?"

"She did, but you were assuming that, were you not?" He asked the older youkai, a curious glint in his eyes.

"Yes and no." Miren admitted freely. "When I had heard you'd nearly lost the battle with Ryukotsusei and died battling a mortal to protect your beloved and your son, it was strange to me. Tenseiga would have saved your own life as you had not been so close to death before. It was then that I deemed it necessary to look to the dragon scales, the ash of the place you'd been and Inuyasha's young blood." Inutahsio's eyebrows rose at this admittance from his sensei and caregiver. "It was upon bringing all of these forces together that I found Tenseiga had a dark meddling upon it. It was a Godly meddling and felt of electricity and great rain, as well as war and strife."

"Raiden." Inutashio chuckled darkly at that.

"Indeed." Miren agreed, his yellow gaze following Shippo as he and Rin ran about Jaken, laughing when the toad became so dizzy he fell, squawking the whole way down. "I thought perhaps that Raiden would toy with the rest of Izayoi's line, as well as your own. I was right to say then, as Souren has confirmed much of that."

"Tell me, sensei, if you know..." Inutashio paused, the question harder for him to ask than he thought. "I have grown quite fond of the young priestess, Kagome, and I worry for her future." His eyes grew dark. "The Shinigami Kami had indicated that she would die quite soon, and I would assume he knows his timeline well enough to be accurate. Yet Akin has imparted to me that she reaches the modern age and that she and Sesshoumaru are mated, having even had children. Could there be a mistake? She has already been killed once and revived by tenseiga. To my understanding, there is no way to revive her if she died once more."

Miren smiled a little, his eyes now moving to the dying rays of light, nearly gone from the far horizon. "Kagome's existence has been told even before your father came into being, and it is one that promises the acquirement of greater power than she even has now. It also acknowledges that she will be a part of greater things than this battle against the hanyou."

Inutashio felt some relief at that, standing quietly beside his sensei for sometime. Stars dotted the sky above them and the village was settling down for the night now. "You have lived so long, sensei, and seen a great many things change in your time. I can not help but wonder if there is more you know than perhaps you are willing to tell."

Miren smirked. "The reasons for which I do not battle are the same for which I do not give all of what knowledge I possess."

"Ah," Inutashio said softly. "I had thought as much." His teacher had too great a knowledge and power, and should he so desire, he could perhaps defeat even a dragon King, let alone this hanyou called Naraku. There was a point where you reached a certain power and you stepped away so as not to change the world so irrevocably. "Will the girl someday rival your power?" He finally asked in the darkness.

Miren's eyes glowed a little more brightly and a smirk played about his features. "You're going to have to stick around and find out, pup."

Inutashio laughed again. It'd been a long time since anyone had called him a pup. Gods, what a strange feeling that brought to the surface. "Heh, pup." Shaking his head, Inutashio asked. "That must make you dust, eh? Or would there be some semblance of bone left?"

"These old bones are strong enough that they may remind you of your age, Inutashio." Miren warned him, though the dog demon knew it was done more in jest than seriousness.

"Do you think Kagome is more powerful than you and is unaware of the fact?" Inutashio wondered, truly curious, considering Miren's blood line.

Miren smiled just a little. "Some of her power remains locked. She rattles the door, but she has not truly grasped her ultimate spiritual power."

Inutashio had to consider that heavily for a moment. She literally disintegrated Ryukotsusei from the sheer force her miko abilities brought and that was her simply rattling the door? Could his teacher be mistaken somehow? She had that much power inside that she traveled between the layers of the world to work through the demon priestess Tara and then also came from her and reconnected the unborn children to their mother and still she was only rattling a door... Did his sensei truly understand what he was saying about the young woman? Then to think his sensei could possibly be more powerful than that was shocking.

It was perhaps that his power was in a different manner than hers, as he was a type of youkai and she was a miko. Yet even then, her destruction of the phoenix and Ryukotsusei was not exactly the type of power Inutashio had ever expected from her, nor could he imagine Miren doing the same as she had. Though he had never seen Miren battle to his full potential a few hundred years after his mother and father had been killed, Inutashio couldn't imagine the youkai beside him being that powerful. Even if he understood that Miren's power would be massive at his particular age and breeding, the Inuyoukai simply couldn't fathom him being more powerful than Kagome right now.

Perhaps when Miren was before her directly he would reassess the miko, for surely he was wrong. She could not have merely brushed her truest power, she had to have meddled with it at the least, and if she hadn't, she was surely more powerful than Miren.

Kagura had been almost completely free the last few days. The wind felt wonderful and uplifting, and she was thankful for it, but she also knew stranger things were occurring in the air about Japan. Such knowledge brought about an uncertainty and it irked her.

Naraku had practically vanished one night not long ago. The air around the area had been practically wiped clean, if you didn't account for the smoldering of dragon fire. She was sure that had to do with the scale he'd absorbed, but the disappearance was not unlike something he'd done before. It wasn't the same ability he'd gained from devouring Hiso, either. This was akin to when he would vanish and be molding himself into something more powerful behind a veil somewhere that not even she was privy to knowledge of.

It meant all of this was coming to an end soon, didn't it? The miko, Kagome, was reaching her full potential now, or so Kagura herself assumed, and the jewel was now in her possession. Before Kagome could somehow purify it out of existence, Naraku would need to strike her down. If he wanted to assume ultimate power and become the most powerful creature in all of Japan, or even the world over, he would be forced to destroy her. So whatever Naraku was doing by himself concerned Kagura as she floated atop her feather.

Surely he would devour her heart, the last of his incarnations that remained alive. Fingers gripping the feather more tightly, Kagura tried to control the shiver that raced down her spine. "I do not want to die." She thought to herself. "Must I be tied to that miserable wretch and his fate?"

Looking up to the waxing moon, Kagura closed her red eyes and tried to let the fear fall from her mind. If she had a limited amount of time left, she didn't want to spend it thinking about her end. She'd rather spend it in the air and pretend that she was free.

End Chapter

A/N (Important)

This has been a terribly short chapter and I'm sorry. In the last few days, I have worked over fifty hours at my store (Publix) helping our associates and customers prepare for hurricane Irma. In case something happens to our home (as it is a modular home) I wanted to let you all know I may not update for sometime. If something happens to me, God forbid, then I hope somehow someone can let you all know. It may seem silly to fear this storm this way, but there's something very unsettling about a catergory 5 hurricane wider than your state.

Keep Florida in your prayers please and for those of you who live here, you are in mine.

Best regards, tearsofacrescent (Andrea)