Author's Note: A long, long time ago, in a galaxy far away... Tassana actually posted a new chapter! Seriously. Been going through a motivation lag. Sorry, guys. Although, I will say we're getting close to the end here. Hope y'all enjoy this chapter.

Kagome stared at the target in the backyard. Her eyes narrowed as she lifted her bow and pointed it at the target. It may have been years since she had really used a bow, but she was confident that she could hit her mark.

She took a deep breath and pulled the string back. As she released her breath, she released the arrow. It was a perfect bull's eye. She raised an eyebrow as she took another arrow out of her quiver and did it again.

She approached the target and stared at the two arrows for a moment. The second arrow had split the first arrow in two. Kagome pinched her lips together.

She pulled the arrows out of the target and walked back to her practice spot. Taking another arrow from her quiver, she lined it up and shot the arrow. It was another bull's eye. "Hm," she mumbled.

She turned and walked back into the house.

Koga watched as his wife played with her food. He raised an eyebrow. "Everything all right, babe?" he asked.

She glanced up at him in surprise. "What?" she asked. "Oh, yes. The dinner is great."

He chuckled. "It should be. You cooked it," he pointed out. "But that's not what I was talking about. You looked as though you were in another place. And you've barely touched your meal. You ok?"

Kagome sighed as she glanced at her food. "I don't know," she answered honestly. "I was practicing with my bow and arrows earlier and something strange happened."

He felt a cold shiver down his spine. Koga knew his wife was a powerful miko and oftentimes, though he knew she'd never do anything to him, he felt a twinge of fear at this information. He hesitated before asking, "What happened?"

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "I'm not sure," she told him.

She stood up from the table and brought her plate to the sink. Koga immediately protested, "Wait! If you're not going to eat that, I'll take it. No point in wasting food."

Kagome gave a soft snort as she brought the plate to him. Taking Yusha out of his high chair, she began walking to the baby's room. Koga stared at the food in front of him forlornly for a moment before getting up and following his wife.

He leaned against the door frame and folded his arms as he watched her change the baby's clothes and clean the food off of his face. Koga did not like seeing his wife so troubled.

"Do you think your powers might be waning?" he asked.

She shrugged. "Maybe," she said as she placed a clean Yusha in Koga's arms. "But I don't think so. I feel… stronger."

At the tilt of Koga's head, Kagome waved him to the back door. "Come. I'll show you what I mean."

Koga held his cooing son as he followed his wife to the backyard. He kept a safe distance from her as he watched her pick up her bow and arrow. Her miko powers glowed a bright pink around her. His eyes widened as she released the arrow and hit the target at a perfect bull's eye.

She turned and looked at him. "See?" she asked.

He nodded. "You have gotten stronger," he whispered. "I've never seen miko powers that great before."

She sighed. "What does it mean?" she asked.

He shook his head. "I wish I could tell you, babe, but… I have no idea."

As they reentered the house, they heard the front door open and shut. "Koga?" called Kizoku.

"Back here!" Koga shouted.

Kagome met her brother-in-law midway. Her eyes widened at his frazzled appearance. "Are you ok?" she asked, placing a hand on his arm.

He ran a hand through his unkempt hair. "I could really use a beer. Ya got any?"

She led him into the kitchen and as he sat on one of the barstools, Koga handed him a beer. "What's goin' on?" the wolf chief asked in concern.

Kizoku shook his head as he opened his beer and took a long pull. "Found out why Yuka's been avoiding me."

The married couple shared a look before turning their attentions back to the disheveled wolf. Kizoku took a deep breath before revealing what he had feared, "She's pregnant."

It took a moment for the news to sink in. Koga's lips widened in a cocky smirk. "So, you're gonna be a father, huh?" he chuckled.

"Congratulations," Kagome whispered, though no smile broke over her face.

Kizoku wrinkled his nose as he glanced at Koga. "This cannot be happening to me. We used protection! I don't get it."

Koga shrugged. "That stuff ain't foolproof, ya know. And with you two goin' at it like rabbits, she was bound to get knocked up."

"Koga!" Kagome hissed. "Don't be so crude."

Kizoku looked miserable as he stared at his beer. "I'm not ready to be a father."

"I didn't think I was either," the chief admitted. "But then, Yusha was born. Fatherhood is hard, I'll admit, but it's got its rewards."

Yusha squirmed in his father's arms as he tried to reach over the counter to Kizoku. Koga shifted the young wolf, but Yusha continued to squirm. Finally, the chief gave up and tried to hand Yusha to Kagome. The child burst out in tears.

Kizoku glanced up. "What's wrong with him?" he asked.

Kagome shook her head as she took her son, who was now fighting her to get back to Koga. "He does this sometimes," she informed the wolf.

Koga took the child and Yusha immediately began to try and get to Kizoku. When Koga pulled him away, Yusha cried again. Koga sniffed. "I think he wants you, Kizoku," he stated as he placed the child on the counter.

Yusha crawled over to Kizoku and grabbed a handful of Kizoku's hair. As soon as he took Kizoku's hair, he tried to stuff it into his own mouth.

"Yusha!" Kagome reprimanded as Kizoku fought to get his hair back. She popped the child's hand. "You do not put people's hair in your mouth!"

The baby started crying as Kagome picked him up. "I think it's time for your nap," she told him.

As Kagome left the room, Koga went to the refrigerator and grabbed himself a beer. He popped it open, took a swig, and glanced at his brother. "You're really nervous about this, huh?" he asked.

Kizoku sighed and swept his hand through his hair. "I just don't know what I'm going to do," he admitted. "I don't know how to be a father. What if I screw it up?"

Koga pinched his lips together. Shaking his head, he said, "I'll be honest. I thought the same thing when Kagome was pregnant. But I don't think either of us will screw up. I mean, our parents were good. Taught us the right stuff. And we'll teach our kids the right stuff."

Kizoku glanced at his brother. "How do we know what's right anymore?" he questioned. "Our parents taught us that humans were supposed to be a source of food. Not potential mates."

"So, times change," the chief said with a shrug. "And we've evolved. We'll teach our kids that humans aren't food. We'll teach them to look for other sources of food and to coexist with humans."

The wolf shook his head. "I'm gonna be a horrible father," he said as he buried his face in his hands.

Koga's eyes narrowed and he pulled his brother's arm out from under his head. "Stop that," he growled. "Kid's not even born yet and you're acting like a pussy. Wolf up and take some responsibility. You got the bitch pregnant, now deal with it. Stop actin' like it's the end of the world."

The older wolf glared at his sibling. He knew the chief was right, and he hated it. Whether he wanted it or not, Kizoku was going to be a father. There was no point in beating himself up over it.

They sat in silence as they both thought about their own problems. Finally, Koga spoke up, "Kagome's powers have grown."

Kizoku looked at the chief curiously and waited for him to continue. Instead, Koga stared at his older brother in askance. Kizoku tilted his head. "What does that mean?"

Koga shook his head and his face crinkled in confusion. "I don't know. I've never seen anything like that before. I was hoping you could give me some advice or information or… something."

"I don't know anything about miko powers," Kizoku stated. "Maybe you should talk to that hanyou she hangs out with? Didn't he date a miko? He might know something about it."

Koga sneered at his beer bottle. "I hate asking that mutt anything," he growled.

"Regardless," the wolf said, "you might have to. Like I said, I don't know anything about miko powers and I doubt you'll find anyone in this pack who does."

Koga snapped his fingers. "Shippo might," he said. "He used to live with that priestess in Edo. Maybe she told him something."

Kizoku shrugged. "Maybe," he agreed.

Shippo laid the cards out across the table. "Read 'em and weep," he said with a smirk.

The three wolves that sat with him at the table stared at the cards in shock and dismay. Hakkaku's bottom lip trembled as he stammered, "H-h-how did you do that?"

The fox shrugged as Eri placed another beer in front of him and took his empty bottle. "Years of playin' against Americans can teach ya a few things," he said.

Eri smiled. "Shippo was a Poker champion out in Las Vegas," she told the wolves proudly. "He won a lot of money that way."

Katsu threw his cards on the table. "Well, that's it for me," he said. "I'm outta money and outta patience with this fox."

"Aw, don't be like that, Katsu. Here, I'll lend ya some money," Shippo offered as he handed the wolf the money he had won from him.

The wolf's eyes narrowed. "I think you're having too much fun with this, kit," he growled.

Shippo laughed as he reclined in his chair and folded his hands behind his head. "Can't help it. When you're good, you're good," he said smugly.

The front door opened at that moment and Koga walked in. Shippo immediately stood up, knocking chips and money all over the table. The three wolves sat up as well.

"Shippo, I need to talk to you," Koga stated.

The fox held his hands up in surrender. "I didn't cheat," he assured the wolf. "I played fair and square."

Koga raised an eyebrow as he approached the fox. "That's not why I'm here," he said. "But, now that you mention it…"

The chief grabbed the fox's arms and pulled the sleeve down. A small stash of aces of spades fell out of his sleeve. The three wolves began to protest in anger before Koga silenced them with a wave of his hand.

"Take your money back and get out," the chief growled.

The wolves were quick to do his bidding as Shippo watched in despair. He didn't know what was going on, but he knew Koga was angry. Or… no. Shippo had seen that look in Koga's eyes before. The wolf was worried about something.

Once the other wolves were gone, Koga released Shippo's arm. His expression softened. "Sorry about that," he said to the fox. "I didn't want those guys freaking out."

Shippo's eyebrows furrowed. "About what?"

Koga glanced up to the woman standing in the kitchen. "You got any more beer left?" he asked.

She nodded and quickly went to grab him a beer in the refrigerator. As the chief sat at the table, Shippo followed his movements. Eri joined the men.

Koga sighed. "You used to live with a priestess, right?" he asked.

Shippo shrugged. "I used to live in a village with a priestess."

"Yeah, but you were around her a lot," Koga said. "So, you learned a lot about the ways of a priestess and such, right?"

The fox glanced at his mate and then back at the wolf. "What's going on?" he asked. "Is Kagome ok?"

"She was practicing her bow today and her powers became stronger. Know anything about that?" the chief asked before taking a swig of his drink.

Shippo cocked his head to the side. "Wait," he questioned. "Her powers grew stronger as she was practicing?"

Koga shook his head. "No, they were already stronger. Like, she had become stronger or something."

"Hm," the fox thought as he rubbed his chin. "I've heard of a miko's powers growing with practice, but never before practice. Maybe they've been growing and she didn't notice?"

"No, you don't understand," Koga said. "Even before she shot the arrow, her powers engulfed her. It was like this huge sphere of pink light surrounded her. It was… strange."

Shippo thought about this some more before shaking his head. "I really don't know what to tell you."

"Think Inuyasha would know? He dated that other priestess, right?" Koga asked.

"He did date Kikyo," Shippo confirmed. "But he won't know the answer to your question. Kikyo was losing her powers when they were together, not gaining them. The only one I can think of who might know died a long time ago."

Koga leaned back in his chair. "It's got her scared," he whispered. "Hell, it's got me scared. She was barely trained back then. If she's unable to control these new powers…"

Shippo nodded. He hated the thought of Kagome accidentally hurting someone. He knew that if it was a fear of his, it would definitely be a fear of hers.

"What about Sesshomaru?" Eri piped in. The two men looked at her, so she continued, "Everyone around here likes to talk about how he's so powerful and so knowledgeable. Maybe he would know something? Or, if not, he might know someone who would know something. It wouldn't hurt to ask."

Though he hated to admit it, Shippo knew Eri was right. It seemed like Sesshomaru was their only option.

Another Note: I promise I will try to not take so long this time.