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Chapter Text

Part I: The Herbalist Institute

Prelude I: The Journal

Unknown time period

Unknown location

“Shhh, be quiet otherwise she’ll hear.”

“Spffff, you know, Tōga, for being the eldest, you’re remarkably dumb. She can’t hear us like we can hear her.”

The elder boy turned to face the girl to his left dumbly. She merely snickered at the boy’s astounded face. He huffed, blowing a stray lock of silver hair out of his eyes, quite obviously annoyed that they were trying to still do this mock mission of theirs. The rustling of dried papers and bound books seemed to ricochet around the dimly lit room, not that the two who were in the midst of searching for something needed any light. Their eyes were more than powerful enough to see through the mere dark.

“Onī-chan, onē-chan, can you keep it down.” A younger, more timid voice came from behind, their form small against the wall, almost fully hidden next to the towering bookshelves.

“Shhh, Katsuki-chan, just keep watch okay.” Towa whispered towards Katsuki’s direction. Compared to Katsuki’s untrained eyes due to her youth, Towa (and by default, Tōga’s as well) had been training for years to be accustomed to the differing light levels.

“Ahh, I think I’ve found something!” An excited whisper broke the silence of the three. Two pairs of eyes turned immediately to Towa’s elated voice.

In the darkness, Tōga could make out a thick bound book in his sister’s hands, worn down by the years. Lacking any decoration of any sort besides the simple title of “The Journal of Higurashi Kagome” on the front cover.

“Onē-chan, what does it say?” Came the intrigued voice of Katsuki. She had inched forward, crawling on her hands and knees to her two elder siblings to avoid knocking into anything.

“Mmh, it looks like her journal but from a long time ago. Like maybe a hundred years or so? It definitely doesn’t have a recent scent of hers.” Towa sniffed again, trying to analyze the scents further but to no avail. She handed to book to her brother next to her. Tōga was none too please but accepted it anyways, filtering through the pages.

A large majority of the characters were unfamiliar to their young minds, their eyes glazing over in confusion. Even the dates listed at the tops of the pages didn’t seem to make sense, seemingly taking place hundreds of years into the future.

The trio were hunched over the hefty volume, trying to piece together the unknown characters and unfamiliar words. Over the course of a few hours, Katsuki crept back to her post by the shoji screen and fell asleep waiting for her elder siblings to finish.

* * *

Hours later, the shoji screen slid open with a bang. “Hey, what’s with all of this ruckus? What are you three doing in here?” The intruder stood tall in the doorway, palm facing up with a small ball of blue fox fire illuminating his features and green eyes twinkling with mischief. The small girl closest to the door squealed in fright, her untrained, delicate ears not picking up on the light footed kitsune during his approach.

“Ani-ue,” Katsuki jumped up and ran to the figure in the doorframe, quickly hugging his legs. “Onī-chan, and onē-chan, dragged me here. I wanted to stay back with Mikoto-sensei.” The girl wrapped around the much taller kitsune’s legs. The kitsune hunched over to Katsuki’s shaking head and ruffled her dark hair. He straightened and looked back at the two still huddled over the book, their wide eyes quivering in fear.

“Ani-ue,” The silver haired boy said, closing the book sharply and putting it back on the lower shelf. “Please don’t tell Mama, we were snooping in her stuff.”

Shippō in all of his years wanted to laugh and praise his younger siblings for their tact and burgeoning ability to deftly sneak around under their mother’s weak nose. However, that would have to wait as the Lady of the house had demanded to know the whereabouts of her three youngest children prior to the family’s evening meal. And thus, Shippō, the only child currently home (besides previously mentioned troublemakers, of course), was tasked with the arduous task of locating them.

(Of course, the trio’s father or mother could both very easily locate them but at the time they were attending other more serious matters of state.)

Taking Katsuki into his arms, Shippō sent a flare of youki to the elder twins and motioned to fall into line. The two begrudgingly followed after, heads down and auras naturally stifled and brimming with the feeling of disappointment. Shippō led the sibling trio out of the storeroom building and out into one of the many courtyards of the House of the West.

Chapter Text

- The Letter -

Tokyo, 2002, late Fall

Higurashi Shrine

The sun was shining through the leafy branches of the Goshinboku, with a light breeze fluttering through the canopy. Bearing the indents of thousands of tiny arrowheads and one large groove that dominated over the others in size.  The tree stood majestically in the shrine yard, towering over the other, much younger trees and greenery. Even despite the loss of a majority of its leaves, the tree still retained its imposing and almost regal presence.

A young woman, wearing the old style white hakui and red hibakama shrine uniform, was sweeping dead leaves from under the sacred tree and into a small pile of varying reds and yellows.  The hard sound of clacking wood against stone echoed across the courtyard. The woman jumped and spun around quickly, her wide hibakama catching on her geta causing her to stumble a bit before she caught her balance on the broomstick.

“Jī-chan, you can’t just appear out of nowhere like that,” the woman reprimanded the old man, who was running as though he were not as old as he was. The short statured man paused a few paces before the woman, now standing at her full height and glaring at the old man.

“Ah, Kagome, I have wonderful news.” The old man said, waving a pristine envelope rapidly. The woman, Kagome, finally took notice of what was held in the clutches of her grandfather’s hands.

“Jī-chan, what’s in your hand?” She asked, her fierce glare softening. He merely smiled up at her, presenting the opened envelope to her. She readily took it with two outstretched hands, the broom now in the crook of her arm so as to not drop it. Pulling the letter from within, she glanced at the page, perusing the fast-written script.

Higurashi Hideo- haikei,

            As the weather cools, I do hope you’ve been taking care of yourself.

            I’ve looked over the qualifications of your granddaughter, Higurashi Kagome, and she seems to be a great addition to the training class at the Shimizu Shrine. We await her arrival with great anticipation.

            Please give my regards to your family and please take care of yourself as the air continues to cool.

            Shimizu Toshimi-keigu

Kagome looked at her grandfather in shock. “Jī-chan, when did you ask about this?” She ran forward towards him forgetting the broomstick completely, arms surrounding her grandfather’s warm form in an excited hug.

(For once, Hideo felt appreciated since he knew his darling granddaughter didn’t take too kindly to all of the precious artefacts that he gave her. Especially the ones he had scrounged up from supposedly traditional medicine shops in back alleys.)

“Ahh, jī-chan, when do I start? Did you mention a time or something? It didn’t seem-“  Her grandfather cut her off with another toothy smile.

“As soon as you can pack a bag and we can buy a train ticket for you.”

Kagome paled, taking a step back. “What do you mean, ‘buy a train ticket’? Jī-chan, how far away is your friend’s shrine?”

“It’s a few hours train to Shimane-ken,” he replied. “We’ll be a mere phone call away, but I’m sure you’ll be put right to work once you arrive and too busy or too tired to call home.” He looked a little solemn at the notion.

“Oh, jī-chan, you know I would call without a moment’s hesitation. I assume I’ll be training there for a year or more, right?” She paused, lost in thought. “What about Inuyasha? What if he comes through the well, and I’m not there to see him?” Her mind ran through multiple possibilities. It had only been a couple of months since she had last seen Inuyasha and the gang back in the Sengoku era.

The past few months since she had returned had been mostly spent studying in the library just a few blocks from her home. Pouring over numerous books on Kanpō medicine, she had spent hours there. But not just Kanpō ideology, there she also read about Chinese medicine and Korean medicine. And much to her grandfather’s joy, she read more about shrine duties.

The time spent away from the Sengoku era was both good for her soul and self-discovery. It helped her realize a lot of things but the most important was that she wanted to go back for sure and probably stay there if the well allowed.

(In the off chance that the well would let her stay, she was going to study and hopefully accelerate the modern world’s medical knowledge but that was just a wild goal for her. Kagome knew she probably wouldn’t live to see the fruits of her labors but a girl could wish regardless.)

“Kagome –,“ a distant voice rang out.

“Mnmh?” She shook her head, very obviously lost in thought but tried to hide the fact. She was still clutching her grandfather’s letter, fearing that if she let go, it would just evaporate into dust and fly in the wind.

“Kagome, your mother has been calling you for the past fifteen minutes.” Her grandfather chuckled, having hopelessly tried to nudge his obstinate granddaughter back into the warmth of their house on the shrine property.

For obvious reasons, Kagome didn’t believe a word her grandfather said. How on earth was I completely still for fifteen minutes? Oh, jī-chan, you silly old man. In spite of her thinking, Kagome leaned down to grab the broom that she dropped earlier and turned swiftly to put it back in the shrine shed just a few paces from the Bone Eater Well house.

She pulled on the rusting handle, the door creaking from lack of use over the years. Though not for the fact that the tool shed hadn’t been used for years, the Higurashi’s merely forgot to close the door and thus the joints fell into disrepair.

Kagome stepped into the dimly lit shed, her hand searching for the light switch on the wall because despite it being midday, the shed was pitch black, having no windows except for the currently open door. Her hand made contact, and she was temporarily blinded by the solitary light bulb suspended on a thin cable off the eaves. The shelves lining the walls were covered in various tools, some the typical handyman’s tools for renovations such as hammers, shovels, various sizes of planks and wood boards. But on the other side of the shed there were also specific shrine cleaning tools, bags of salt, and delicate cloths for cleaning the various religious artefacts littered around the shrine grounds.

Kagome looked around, checking that everything was in its designated place before returning outside and locking up. Everything seemed to be in order, so she swiftly departed, making sure she turned the light off.

Escaping the dimly light shed and walking back outside caused Kagome’s eyes to water a bit as they adjusted to the brightness of the fall weather. She made her way back through the shrine to the Higurashi’s home on the property, tucked away from the general shrine area to give a sense of privacy to its occupants.

She strolled underneath the changing canopy of leaves above, contemplating her near future. And of course, it was logical that thinking of her future would dwell back to the past or rather the time period that her friends were from. The Sengoku period.

She hadn’t seen them in over a month, having told them that she was going to do some self-training for a bit and return even stronger.

It had barely been a year since she wished the Shikon no Tama away, but honestly Kagome had still felt the jewel’s presence even without the physical jewel. She theorized that the jewel had become one with herself and melding with her to become stronger. Inuyasha had deftly denied that, adamantly saying that he didn’t sense anything different about Kagome. Miroku echoed the hanyō’s thoughts, even going as offering Kagome a full search of the jewel on her person. She, and Sango, denied heavily and said it would be fine without such a disturbing suggestion.

* * *

The next morning, Kagome awoke with a new goal and mindset. She was going to spend the next year or so training with uncharacteristic motivation. Not to say that she had never been motivated before. Her adventures with Inuyasha, Miroku, Sango, Kirara, and Shippō and their quest to defeat Naraku was motivation enough to survive to see the end of the wretched hanyō.

However, getting out of bed seemed to be harder than her new aspirations. Bundled up tightly underneath her blankets in the cooling fall air that was still blowing in because Kagome had forgotten to close her window the night before after she did meditation at the advice of Miroku to help strengthen her holy powers.

The sun, hiding behind dark clouds, also didn’t help much with the getting out of bed factor. The chance for rain seemed very high much to Kagome’s chagrin, as she had to run errands before the journey south (hopefully to somewhat more mild weather than the temperamental Tokyo weather she grew up with).  

(It was going to be a long day, that’s for sure.)

Kagome wormed herself out of her delectably warm blankets and braced herself for the oncoming cold. She quickly dressed, bundling as much as she could without overheating, knowing she was probably going to work a sweat gathering her much needed supplies for the journey.

Chapter Text

-The Departure-

The bustling station was nearly jam packed with office workers and students heading to school. The Higurashi’s stood at the entrance, helping Kagome keep her things together and organized. It was well after eight in the morning but the rush still hadn’t died down yet.

It was going to be a long day and Kagome wasn’t entirely sure she was up for it. Nearly ten hours of sitting down and watching the countryside pass by. But seeing the pride on both her mother’s and her grandfather’s faces gave her more than enough courage to undertake the long and arduous journey ahead. She was slightly saddened that her brother wasn’t there to see her off at the Tokyo Station but he had given her a tearful goodbye before he left for school earlier that morning.

Higurashi Mayumi was fretting over her daughter, who was now a fully realized woman of twenty. She adjusted her daughters wayward red scarf, worried that Kagome might catch a cold while on the train down south.

(Which was unlikely, but a mother would most definitely try to prevent such a thing from occurring regardless.)

She took a step back and appraised her daughter once more, a sad smile upon her features.

“Mama, don’t be sad,” Kagome tutted. She pulled her mother in for a hug, holding her as close as she could being bundled up in a winter coat and the aforementioned scarf her mother decorated her with. “I’ll be back before you know it.”

“I know, I know, but this is the furthest you’ve been from home.” Her mother sniffled.

“Mama,” Kagome chided. Her smile softened as she remembered that she had spent most of her high school days in the past. “You know that’s not true.”

Her mother laughed quietly. “Mmmh, I suppose you’re right. But then again, you only went down the well and not out into the world.”

Kagome raised an eyebrow. She scoffed, turning her head to the side. “Mama, I did go out into the world.”

“Still it was different,” her mother murmured.

The two stood in a peaceful silence, vastly ignoring the commotion of their station surroundings. Kagome’s grandfather stepped in closer to the two.

“Now, now, Kagome,” he spoke up, his face rather serious, long eyebrows scrunched in an accusatory glare. “Don’t you go forgetting about us like normal.” He waved his hand indifferently before continuing. “Call and send letters as often as you can. Daily, if able. I’m not sure if my old heart could take any less.” At this final comment, Hideo full bellied laughed.

Kagome felt the corners of her lips turn up into an amused smile. “Of course, jī-chan. Once a day.” She promised with a wink and her smile grew bigger.

She took a deep breath, exhaling her current stresses. Kagome beckoned her mother and grandfather in one final time with a hug, squeezing them tightly.

“I’m gonna miss you so much,” she whispered softly in between their heads. They responded with equally strong embraces. She leaned back to look at their faces now brimming with unshed tears. Kagome could feel her own eyes begin to well up with tears but she couldn’t bring herself to say anything so she gave her mother and grandfather a watery smile (or frown, one couldn’t really tell).

She stepped back to grab her solitary suitcase by its handle and hefted her backpack higher on her shoulders. With a small bow to the two other Higurashi’s, Kagome turned and entered the station.

* * *

Subtly woken from a restless slumber by a strange feeling washing over her, Kagome looked across to the set of seats across from her own. The slight form of a child was packing away their things before taking the seat directly in front of her.

“Ah, hello, I hope I’m not disturbing you.” Came the young yet wizened voice, as if they had lived for millennia despite their youthful appearance. They looked over Kagome’s slightly unkempt person (she had just woken from a nap, mind you) with a reserved expression (not unlike Sesshōmaru’s expressionless façade). They had close cropped wavy hair that fell around their face.

“Oh, excuse me,” Kagome mumbled, as she hurriedly tried to fix her appearance. Her new seating companion waved a hand and smiled softly.

“My name is Iwasaki Akena,” they said softly, catching Kagome’s eyes with brilliant vermillion ones. Kagome gasped at the sight, not used to seeing differing eye colors besides her own. Akena seemed to bite back something that they had in mind before gave a closed smile that was probably closer to a smirk.

“I’m so sorry, that was so rude of me. I’m just not used to seeing unusual eye colors where I’m from.” She said, trying to cover up her obvious insult to Akena’s person. She held her hand out. “I’m Higurashi Kagome. It’s nice to meet you.”

Akena took Kagome’s hand into their own and shook it warmly. What Kagome didn’t expect was the tendrils of yōki that exploded from Akena’s hand and curled almost invisibly up her arm. Her own reiki eased to the surface of her exposed hand still clutched tightly in Akena’s hand.

“You know, Kagome-chan, I’ve been waiting a long time to catch you without that aggressive silver haired bastard around to watch your every move.” Akena released her hand swiftly, letting their yōki begin to heal their scorched hand from Kagome’s purifying powers. 

Kagome sat back, puzzled. She immediately thought of Inuyasha and his overprotectiveness. But how had this person known her relationship and ties with the hanyō from five hundred years ago?

“Have we met before?” Kagome asked, her mind running mental laps to try to piece together any sort of resemblance of strange yōkai seated before her.

Akena chuckled. “Oh, you do humor me, Kagome-chan. We’ve met hundreds of years ago. And we tend to have a few skirmishes every few decades or so too.” They dramatically place a hand on their chest and sighed wistfully. “Ah, Kagome-chan, you do wound this poor woman’s soul.”

Kagome’s face scrunched up in confusion. Akena merely smirked, her eyes crinkling up in unknown humor. Humor that was probably directed at Kagome’s lack of understanding of their alleged relationship… if there was an alleged relationship at all. But Kagome had to have understood that maybe there were people (or yōkai, rather; humans that she knew from long ago were unable to live this long anyway) who knew of her. Her mysterious powers given to her from the kami.

“Well, let us see,” she began slowly, savoring every word as if she knew how much weight each word held for Kagome’s puzzled mind. “The last time we met, you had just barely had your first litter. A handsome bunch they are, if I do say so myself. Quite arrogant too, if I may.” At this Kagome’s mouth dropped, her cheeks warming up in shock.

“I’m sorry but I think you might have me confused with someone else,” Kagome prattled hurriedly, shaken to her core. Her having kids? The thought wasn’t completely out of her plans for her future – her potential future with Inuyasha. That’s the only person she could currently envision one with.

“I might be a cat but I still have a decent nose, Kagome-chan. And I don’t forget someone I’ve known for hundreds of years.” Akena sneered, her easy-going façade melting off of her face in a flash. What remained was the well-manicured face of someone who always got want she wanted and more. “In some cases, better than that dog you call a mate.” She trailed on, noting more unbelievable lies and incongruencies with what Kagome knew already.

The only dog-like person Kagome could currently bring to mind was Inuyasha. And it was with that thought that sobered her up. So, she did end up going back and getting back together with the hanyō. Somehow that thought didn’t fully sit right with her but who was she going to complain to at the moment. The only one she really wanted to talk about her life to was currently living with her own husband roughly five hundred years prior to the current time and growing a family with him.

(This line of thinking really made Kagome miss her friends – not that she didn’t stop missing them but it was especially felt during this moment.)

Kagome was even more confused. How had she known this woman for years – sorry, hundreds of years - when she herself was barely twenty years old. Her confoundment probably shone brightly on her face because Akena abruptly stopped talking.

“Wait,” the dark-haired woman murmured. She locked her deep red eyes onto Kagome’s own and stared intently, almost as if studying a new specimen. “Shit.” She exclaimed. Akena hastily pointed a finger at Kagome, her own confusion throwing Kagome in for a mental spin. “You- you are not the Kagome that I know,” the accusation rose haughtily and Kagome almost allowed herself a breath of relief. But now the shock was evident for both.

“What are you implying, Akena-san.” Kagome whispered, her own voice lost as her brain tried to make sense of what was happening. It all had dropped on her so fast. The sudden information drop, new knowledge of what happened in the past, her alleged relationship with this strange woman who Kagome now knew was not human what so ever.

“No, no, I do know you but an older you.” Akena murmured, her shock muffling her words to a bare whisper. “You have a similar but a rather unsullied scent. Like a purer scent.”

“Oh,” Kagome said very eloquently.

Having an Inu-hanyō as a close friend and borderline lover, made Kagome all the more aware what that could mean. But during her mental isolation as Akena kept talking and exposing secrets of the past, Kagome was still reeling and trying to figure what had happened exactly.

She left the Sengoku era on amicable terms. More so with her friends than with other yōkai such as this strange woman seated before her.

.

The train rolled to a subtle stop, Kagome paying no close attention to the overhead announcement. She did, however, note that her seat partner had gathered her things in a rush and left the car with a speed unknown to the modern man. In her flash departure, clearly this yōkai wasn’t the smartest of the bunch as she left without a… kanzashi?

Kagome leaned forward in her seat and picked up the delicate hair accessory, her fingertips could almost feel the yōki pulsating under the cool metal.  The fluttering pink sakura petals glittered ethereally in the harsh interior lighting of the train compartment. She took great care to keep it safe seeing as she apparently knew Akena from her time in the Sengoku era. Might as well return it when she eventually returned.

Mulling over her thoughts of this seemingly chance encounter, Kagome found herself falling asleep again despite the excitement of the chance meeting. Her head hit the train window with a muffled thunk and she was out.

Chapter Text

-The Arrival-

Edo, circa 1500s

            Thud!

            Thud!

The air was rent with the untapped power and aura of one ravenous beast. One delicately pointed ear caught the sound of the creature lurking to its right and a sharp eye immediately tracked the flighty red form seemingly bouncing from one tree trunk to the next.

“Oiii! Sesshōmaru, ya gonna follow or nah?” The creature shouted in anticipation, eager to finally lead the other in a long-winded chase. Which… it wasn’t much of a chase than a boy trying to egg his elder brother on by running circles around him.

“This Sesshōmaru cares not for such fleeting ideologies, such as your ‘chase.’” Came the haughty retort. He stood, glaring at the red form who had decided to return to the unmoving Sesshōmaru… since that he would not give in and follow him. “Inuyasha,” he chastised once the bumbling hanyō stood before him once again.

Inuyasha for all the maturity and learning and reprimanding that Kagome put him through, shrugged with a huge grin and scratched absent-mindedly at his ear. (If Kagome saw that, she more certainly would have commented on the huge likeness of boyish dog.)

“Ehh, Sesshōmaru, you said you wanted to “bestow upon my person, the honor and dignity of the Taishō line.’ Your words not mine.” He huffed, crossing his arms over his chest and turning away from his brother. Sesshōmaru merely stared at the young hanyō’s turned form, his face a practiced emotionless mask (which deftly hid his amusement at the younger’s terrible impression at himself – but Sesshōmaru would never voice those thoughts. Ever.).

“Perhaps this Sesshōmaru did in fact state such important matters at some point, but you,” he then glared even more pointedly at Inuyasha’s cheery face. “Seemed to have taken this One’s comment as an immediate offer of training, which at this One’s vexation, was not.”

“You’re too serious, Sesshōmaru.” Inuyasha huffed after a moment’s consideration.

“And-“ He gave another pointed look towards the hanyō. “- you are not serious enough.”

“Hrmph, you talk too much, Sesshōmaru.” Inuyasha growled, spinning into a wild attack form, sharp claws glinting in the sunlight that was partially obstructed by overhead clouds.

* * *

Shimane-ken, 2002, still late fall

Getting off the bus at what seemed like an abandoned forest road didn’t bode well for Kagome’s frazzled nerves. The conversation on the train seemed to echo endlessly within her mind. So much, so fast, her brain almost couldn’t keep up.

Three facts seemed to clearly stick to the forefront of her thoughts. First, she obviously met with the strange, red-eyed yōkai in the past (but not her past, clearly her future – Akena’s past); second, she eventually has kids (though that could all change, now that she knows about them); and third, she would stay with Inuyasha when she returns.

.

The heavy weight in her right arm that seemed to increase in weight brought her back to the conscious world. With a deep breath, Kagome re-shouldered her backpack and switched her suitcase to her other hand. The walk up the hill took the breath right out of her as it revealed itself to be much more than just a minor hill.

Almost an hour later, she reached a set of torii set before a long staircase. Thankfully, one could see the end several meters ahead. Regardless, Kagome groaned, having felt the effects of her long and draining journey wearing down her spirit. And her muscles. And how out of shape she felt.

(If only she had kept up with Miroku’s suggestion to train her body while away in the future, maybe she wouldn’t be feeling this breathless. However, Kagome did not have a persuasive and persistent [read: stubborn] trainer to keep her in check and thus she was still relatively out of shape.)

Readjusting for the umpteenth time that day, she pushed on, setting one foot in front of the other and trudged on. In less time than it took her to walk up the hill – mountain – she suddenly found herself standing before a marvelous and ornate torii. Much larger than the simple one at the base of the stairs, this one held more awnings and a swooping, arched roof.

Kagome assumed that the layout of the Shimizu shrine was similar to her own and soon made haste to walk to the back of the shrine property to where the house of Shimizu family might be. Though a similar layout to her home back in Tokyo, the Shimizu property was much larger and more spread out.

With the sun setting fast, and the light just barely filtering through the thick foliage, Kagome wished she had better eyesight. Truthfully, she wished she had the ability to see clearer in the dark like Shippō and Inuyasha and though she would like to not think of him, but Sesshōmaru as well. Who was Kagome kidding, Sesshōmaru probably had the best eyesight out of all of her close friends (could she even consider Sesshōmaru a close friend?) who were yōkai descended, half or not. She did rationalize that yes, she did consider Sesshōmaru a close friend. Not one that she’d call up on any random whim and drop her meek drama and troubles on, but still someone she could relatively trust with her life if need be.

Still, she managed to find a building that’s outward appearance indicated that people lived within (or, at the very least, around) the premises.

“Hello?”

Her voice rang around the quickly cooling air and lightly echoed throughout the surrounding forest. She gingerly stepped up onto the engawa, noting the lack of shoes at the stone step. But for Kagome to forgo what she knew was proper, she’d more readily run through the streets naked (not that she would, but still) than ignore social customs of removing her shoes.

She deftly took off both shoes, hooking the backs on her fingers to carry them. Softly padding around the corner of the house, she noted that a light was on towards the back and followed the warm glow. She came to a stop at a door on the back side of the building, the side facing the now dark forest.

Kagome raised a hand to knock on the door when suddenly it opened up to reveal an aging man around the same age as her grandfather.

“Oh! Hello, who might you be?” The aging man asked warmly, his smile holding the same mirth that Kagome had previously seen on her grandfather. Must be an old man kind of thing, she thought to herself.

Kagome bowed, “my name is Higurashi Kagome. I’ve just arrived from Tokyo to study under Shimizu-san.”

The old man’s gaze lit up. “Higurashi Hideo’s granddaughter! Of course, please make yourself at home. Ah, you can place your shoes on the shelf over there.” He said, pointing to a small shelf by edge of the engawa. Kagome shuffled over and delicately placed her shoes inside before returning back to the old man.

“Shimizu-san?” She asked as the old man whisked her inside to the warm interior. Inside she found herself looking at a hallway that stretched out far, screen doors lining the sides at even intervals, possibly denoting separate rooms. Just to her left, Kagome noticed a steep staircase right off the entryway that they walked into that led up to the second floor.

“Ah, yes, I’ll show you to your room and you can join us for dinner. Here, follow me.” Shimizu said, gesturing towards the staircase that she had first seen upon entry. Despite his apparent old age, he nimbly ascended the stairs up, asking Kagome if she needed help carrying her luggage up to which she denied.

“I’m quite alright, thank you for your generosity, Shimizu-san.” Kagome said, hefting her suitcase higher she hoped for the final time that evening and soon followed after the elderly man.

She reached the landing, panting slightly from the exertion and despite the numbness of her arm, gently set down her suitcase on the floor to stretch out her tired muscles. As fast as snake, Shimizu reached out and grabbed her suitcase, carrying it the rest of the way to her room, in spite her vocal protests to not strain himself.

“No worries, Kagome-chan, I am not as feeble and weak as I appear to be. As you’ll soon find out with training, I may be as strong as someone in their forties.” Shimizu commented amusedly, turning back down the hallway and soon disappeared into a room on the left.

Kagome quickly trailed after him, stepping through the same doorway and coming into a simple room. Plaster covered walls encapsulated the decently sized room, a futon was folded up and sat against the left wall, a wide window covered in shutters the opposite side of the door, and a small closet stood against the wall on the right.

Shimizu had placed her suitcase next to the closet. He rubbed his hands together as if to dust off his hands.

She thanked him with a small bow.

“Ah, Kagome-chan, please, no. We’re very happy to have you here.” Shimizu said with a wave of his hands. “It pleased me to hear that your grandfather had a relation who was so keenly interested in shrine keeping, and especially so in the healing arts.”

Kagome gave a small smile. “Yes, during my high school years, I realized that that was something that interested me.” She set her backpack down beside the sliding door, rolling her shoulders out to relax them from the long day of traveling.

They stood in the room in comfortable silence before Shimizu perked up. “Oh, right! Dinner, I completely forgot about that. We can set up your room afterwards but come join us and meet the some of the class that you will be joining.” He strode out of the room and down the stairs, Kagome hot on his feet.

He walked into one of the large rooms on the right side of the building, settling into a cushion on the far end of the long, low table that a group of people were gathered around. Kagome counted six heads seated including Shimizu’s graying hair covered one. Another woman with graying hair sat adjacent to him and Kagome presumed that was Shimizu’s wife.

Kagome bowed in greeting to the room and eventually took a seat across from the older woman in the last open seat which was also adjacent to Shimizu.

“Kagome-chan, allow me to introduce everyone. This right here is my wife, Toshiko,” Shimizu began by holding out his hand towards the woman with the graying hair who gave a warm smile just like her husband had earlier.

“Next to you is Shimizu Ichirō, my grandson and he has been studying here since he was just a little boy. Well-practiced in medicinal arts.” Shimizu remarked with a smile about the young man on Kagome’s left. She turned to face him and smiled in greeting. He smiled back, showing off deep dimples set in both cheeks.

Next to Toshiko and across from Ichirō, Shimizu named next. “Kikuchi Shinobu, she also currently attends high school down in the village.” The girl was very dainty, with long, dark hair that fell past the surface of the table and big dark eyes that contrasted sharply with her fair skin. She gave a small wave when Shimizu introduced her. “To her right is Inunishi Shin, he doesn’t stay at the Shrine very often, but visits many times throughout the year.” Now, Kagome thought this boy was the most peculiar out of the bunch, with his sharp features that reminded Kagome of the yōkai of old. She obviously knew he wasn’t one but maybe further down his ancestral line his family had mixed in perhaps. Though his hair was dark, in the light there was a red undertone that almost made it glow; same with his eyes, despite them being black (or very nearly), she could have sworn there was a flash of green, almost like a cat’s. “And finally, across from Shin-kun is Abarai Yōsai. His family has been working alongside the Shimizu’s for the last century or so.” The final boy seemed around the same age as Shinobu, also with dark hair and dark eyes, though he was a few shades tanner than the other girl at the table.

“Well, that’s everyone at the Institute at the moment. Now that everything is squared away, let us eat.” Shimizu stated, and began to open some of the covered pots on the table before him. “Please dig in, Toshiko prepared a lot for Kagome-chan’s arrival.” And soon the other six seated began to fill up their plates and ate the lovely feast that Toshiko-san had cooked.

Chapter Text

- The Institute -

Shimane-ken

Apparently being bundled up with three different thick covers was not enough to stave of the frigid mountain air. And the more Kagome burrowed deeper underneath, the more the cooler air crept in causing her to shiver violently. The pockets of warmth were surprisingly far and few between, even in spite of Kagome sleeping soundly buried underneath.

A knocked sounded on the thin screen door of her room. “Kagome-chan, are you up yet? Sensei wants to give you a tour of the grounds.” Came the deeper voice of Shin, the enigmatic drifter that Shimizu had briefly introduced the night previously. She heard him softly pad away down the hall and most likely back downstairs.

Her eyes shot open. Unseeing from the darkness underneath the mass of covers over her head, she quickly pushed them off, blinking rapidly at the harsh morning light.

She had… slept in much later than she had anticipated. The open window showed that the sun was almost fully overhead. Or rather over the roof. Semantics.

Kagome stretched, feeling the tension disappear from her muscles. She soon dressed and padded through the hall and eventually down the stairs.

She followed the scent of earthy miso and roasted mackerel towards the same dining room that Tomishi had guided her to the night previous. This morning, rather than everyone that she had met last night, only Shimizu, his wife, Toshiko, and Shin were in the room.

In the daylight, Shin’s strong, pointed features looked even stronger in the brighter conditions. The red of his hair even more prominent, the sharpness to the tilt of his eyes, and even the glint of ethereal green in his irises. Kagome tried not to stare at the boy but the peculiarity of the distinct facets of his face and hair reminded her so much of the small, energetic Shippō she had grown close to back in the Sengoku era.

“Oh, good morning, Kagome-chan! Please take a seat and eat something,” Toshiko greeted, minutely gesturing to a place beside her. Kagome shuffled over and took the seat, softly thanking her for keeping some food left over for her.

“I apologize for rising so late, I’m not much used to traveling for so long.” Kagome tried to clarify despite Shimizu’s wife lack of inquiring. Absentmindedly, she mused to herself, it had been years since she had been forced to ruck for days on end in search of shattered fragments of a jewel. So long that it seemed like a distant dream than something she actually experienced. The scars and memories proved otherwise but the more time spread the distance the more her memory grew fainter.

The elderly woman smiled warmly, humored by the girl’s need to hastily make amends. “Worry not, I’ve known many a person who needed the extra sleep after a long trip.” She reflected for a moment, as if she were reliving the past once more. Toshiko turned back to face Kagome again, offering a kind wink. “Myself included.”

Kagome flushed, feeling her ears warm by the explicit mention of her tardiness mentioned out loud. Shifting uncomfortably on her seat, Kagome began fidgeting with her hands resting her on her lap, fingers knitting in and out of each other.

Toshiko frowned, noticing her new guest becoming uneasy. “Kagome-chan, please eat. I prepared a lot and I know Tomishi will exhaust you just by talking your ears off. Not to mention, the grounds are quite vast. There will be a lot of ground to cover.”

Kagome shook her head, trying to clear the thoughts of the past before tucking into her meal. “Thank you for the food,” she murmured before picking up her hashi, and digging into the roasted fish. Toshiko smiled warmly, watching with subtle pride at the appreciation that Kagome was currently showing towards her cooking.

At Shimizu’s enthusiastic request, Kagome found herself covered head to toe in at least four layers. To be quite honest, she thought it a bit overkill, but she didn’t want to disappoint the old man any more than necessary and subsequently followed his suggestions. Though, in fact, the pressing comments were actually warranted; it was especially needed. The mountain air was piercing and stung her eyes.

It was barely early afternoon at this point and Kagome was growing to appreciate the old man’s concern about the weather as it began to lightly snow as he showed her around the grounds. Despite the numerous layers, Kagome still found herself rubbing her arms to stay warm.

Shimizu chuckled to himself, a warm, genial smile on his face. “Northerners,” he tsked as they kept walking, arms clasped behind his back, meandering through the fenced off portions of the shrine property.

Kagome flushed, though from the cold or the embarrassment, no one could tell, before soon trailing after the older man’s path through the gathering snow-covered path.

* * *

The Western Lands, 1502

“What news of the welp?”

A squeak and a scurrying of webbed feet were the enigmatic Lord’s only answer.

“You deign to answer this One’s question?”

Sesshōmaru turned from the balustrade to stare at the silent youth still in his presence. The knave was barely a couple centuries old, still nothing but a child to one such as Sesshōmaru himself. The otter yōkai was quivering in his boots, eyes turned downwards in respect.

Sesshōmaru tsked, swinging his head around, his hair flourishing behind him in the dramatic movement. Obviously Sesshōmaru was going to need to find someone a bit more competent than this, this, child.

“Jaken!”

“Yes! My Lord!” The imp screeched, scurrying back to stand at his master’s side.

Taking no mind of his wayward steward, Sesshōmaru continued. “Have the whereabouts of Inuyasha located and bring the whelp to me, I have urgent need of his person.”

“Yes, my Lord!” Jaken exclaimed before running off on his errand leaving the astute and enigmatic Lord of the West back in peaceful solitude that he sought and longed for often.

Sesshōmaru shook his head and headed straight for the private training area, separate from where his warriors and guards trained, hoping to relieve some of the tension that was building. There was something on the horizon that was soon approaching that the Daiyōkai was hoping wouldn’t come at all, but he supposed, being prepared over not would be his and his people’s best bet.

It took only a scant minute before Sesshōmaru reached the private training rooms. Of course, there was the bright and clean larger dojo, with some test forms set to the side, just waiting to be pulled into the middle of the room to practice forms.

Within moments the very same practice forms that were once pristine were now covered in scorching marks created by Sesshōmaru’s dokkasō.  

Moving through the katas that were instilled within him as a child, Sesshōmaru was so caught up with making sure his forms were perfect that he closed his other senses off. Thus, the arrival of his retainer, Jaken, after several hours of transitioning through forms came quite a shock, especially so with his hanyō half-brother in the imp retainer’s tow.

“Keh, always a fucking showboat,” the gruff voice of Inuyasha rang through the otherwise silent dojo.

Sesshōmaru froze, now feeling the presence of his younger, half brother and his own retainer enter the room. He straightened, shaking his hair back and putting on a haughty air.

“Yeah, see there he goes, still can’t stand even the thought of me,” Inuyasha brashly continued to Jaken as if both Sesshōmaru and Jaken cared about Inuyasha’s lack of formality and respect.

“Silence!” The deafening tone that Sesshōmaru uttered quieted both Jaken and him, their forms rigid in the rolling waves of strong yōki.

* * *

Shimizu Shrine

The following day went much the same. Kagome rose – albeit she did not wake as late as she did her first day there – and ate with the Shimizu’s, before getting dressed for the day. It was no warmer than the day prior and Kagome bundled up.

Today’s agenda included looking at the greenhouses and the arboretum that surrounded it. Toshiko had offered her two thermoses when she descended after dressing, instructing that she offer one to her husband. She also mentioned it was a specialty blend of tea and spices to keep them warm in the cold air.

Awaiting just outside was Shimizu, back facing the main house and preternaturally dressed in a simple down jacket and work pants, causing Kagome to wonder if he had some weird power to stay warm with the most minimal number of garments. In a typical old man stance, he had his arms clasped behind him as if in deep thought, either about his surroundings or the fate of the world – no in between.

“Shimizu-san, your wife told me to give you this.” Kagome greeted; arm outstretched with the silver thermos.

The elderly man spun on his heel, hands falling to his side. “Ah, you’re here already. Thought I was going to have to wait another hour for you to get ready.” He finished with a chuckle, reaching for the thermos of tea.

Kagome frowned at the dig but knew his humor was just like her grandfather, purely a smartass comment. “Here you go,” she murmured, handing it over gently.

He unscrewed the lid and inhaled the rising steam, the scent causing his features to relax. “Toshi always knew how to make a good tea.” Shimizu opened his eyes and smiled at Kagome knowingly. “You should definitely learn how she blends things together, truly an eighth wonder of the world.”

Kagome smiled softly, offering a nod and quiet agreement to do so.

“-As I said last night, today I’ll show you the greenhouse. It’s where you will take up primary studies and learn how to formulate remedies and salves for whatever reason.” He started, walking off briskly, forcing Kagome to slightly jog to catch up to him. “We will also teach you how to harness your spirituality and utilize it in your work as a miko.”

To his blissful ignorance and the fact that he was facing away from her, Kagome cast a critical eye to that latter statement, having felt her reiki weaken in her time spent away from the Warring States Period.

He continued on, weaving through smaller shrines littered around the grounds, taking her up the hill. At first it just seemed like he was taking her to absolutely nowhere important but once they crested, she soon saw the greenhouse settled in a grove of covered trees and bushes in a small dip. It wasn’t quite near to being termed a basin, though there was a small waterfall that gathered into a pool and flowed into a small stream that ran through the greenhouse.  

“It’s so magical looking,” she murmured in wonder.

“And that’s where you will be conducting your studies.” Shimizu chuckled.

* * *

The Western Lands

“My Lord!”

Several voices shouted from all directions, causing the demon lord to grunt in annoyance. He turned, first coming into contact with the bumbling childlike otter yōkai, who crashed into his leg clumsily.

“My Lord!!” Jaken screeched, bumbling forward, his Nintōjō arched high over the imp to clobber the boy’s head. Sesshōmaru huffed, stepping away from the scene unfolding before him.

“Jaken.” The Daiyōkai noted with curt tone, his sharp gaze dropping to the imp and otter yōkai fumbling around the floor.

“Cease this at once.”

The two froze at the stern command, the otter yōkai child in the middle of being strangled by the much smaller form of Jaken. They untangled from each other and promptly bowed before Sesshōmaru in obedient apology.

“My apologies, Sesshōmaru-sama.” The two echoed.

He scoffed but nodded at the two, subtly gesturing them to calmly state their concerns.

The otter yōkai began speaking. “Apologies, Sesshōmaru-sama, I am Michiyo’s eldest son, Moroe. My mother sent me to inform you that there have been cases of yōkai from the south infecting both human- and- and yōkai kind…. Er, uh-“

“- What the boy is trying to get to, is that the reports indicate that the infectious army is northbound and headed for this very fortress.” Jaken supplied when the boy faltered.

“My Lord!”

The Daiyōkai’s head swiveled to face the onslaught of warriors headed towards his person who clamored for his attention. “Hn.”

The warrior yōkai under the House of the West

“Enough of this, This Sesshōmaru will investigate the situation. Return to your posts and stand guard, lest we let this infection break into our defenses and weaken our forces.”

* * *

Shimizu Shrine

“- there was a book that once spoke of an elixir that would heal any ailment that befell a man. Supposedly it was ridiculously easy to put together but the methodology and order you had to put the ingredients was the hardest part. It took shamans over ten years to master in the past.” Shimizu continued, bringing Kagome out of her reverie.

She perked up at the mention of a potion that could cure all ailments. Turning to Shimizu, she hesitated, trying to form her words. “Is- er, would you know where I might be able to research about that? I’ve always found the traditional remedies interesting.”

Shimizu waved her off, shaking his head in the process. “No, no, my dear, it was said that the monks in the late Meiji period had confiscated all preternatural remedies designed for cures against yōkai terrors and curses.”  

“Ah, I see.” She hummed, mind already drifting off to a time far away and if she was granted a trip back, would search for these missing remedies.