Characters of Inuyasha (manga and anime) belong to Takahashi Rumiko

The Journey Home – Chapter Fifty Seven

Shippou stood in the darkness of the secret room below the house, his hand over his mouth to stop himself from making any sounds which would alert the people above him.

At first, he had been furious when Inuyasha had quite unexpectedly, pushed him into the room, and somehow sealed it by some magic, spiritual, but Shippou could not put his mind around that fact. Whatever it was, it had prevented him from using even his demonic strength to open the trapdoor. Even his shouts were ignored, and his heart began to beat faster in panic, his thoughts racing as to why the hanyou wanted him locked out.

His answer came as soon as he heard the heavy footsteps enter through the doorway. The kitsune’s nose twitched, recognising the faint smell of the old man they had recently encountered, except now, it was overpowered by an aura saturated with jyaki, flooding the whole house and seeping easily through every crack and opening like a poisonous gas. It took all of his will power not to gag at the smell, and he was somehow thankful that the floorboards protected him from the first surging wave of demonic power. However, the floorboards were the only protection he had against whoever was above him, with Inuyasha.

“Naraku?” the man said, his tone like a spider crawling on his skin. “That is a name I haven’t heard in a long time. But, why must you constantly compare me with that horrid hanyou? We both know he’s dead. And I have you to thank, for all of your efforts.”

Hugging the wall behind him, the kitsune was stricken with terror as he listened in on their conversation, each word burning into his memory, though the meaning of what was said, he could not quite comprehend.

“I have no need for your thanks,” Inuyasha replied, his tone eerily subdued. “I just did what Midoriko-san asked me to do, nothing more.”

“Ah, yes, she didn’t give you much of a choice in the beginning, did she? Then again, I could say she came at the perfect time.” He paced across the room, his dark red eyes never leaving the hanyou, while the hanyou sat still on the floor, still refusing to stand up and acknowledge his presence. His defiant behaviour irritated him, slightly. Even with the dark influence from the jewel, somehow Inuyasha always managed to not be overcome by its power, despite his tragic history. What had happened to him to make him so... dead to everything and everyone around him?

The old man grinned, he knew the answer.

“You do realise that Midoriko is using you. Just like your friends, who made you falsely believe that you could call them such a name? And yet, you still watch over them. Why, Inuyasha? Aren’t you angry, angry that they chased you away, called you a traitor, a liar? You and I know that they are in the wrong. Why don’t you take your revenge on them? Kill them? Show them how grateful you are for showing you, how much they trusted you.”

The hanyou laughed coldly. “You know very well, Naraku, that I cannot kill people I know.”

“You are a strange one.” He said, his thin eyebrows arching up in surprise. Then, frowning suddenly, he raised a clawed hand, waiting to strike. But the feeling subsided quickly when he gave out a heavy sigh. “Please, do not make me lose my concentration by annoying me. You should be more civil to those who you are working for. Or have you conveniently forgotten again, about our deal? That girl certainly does make you forget your promises, doesn’t she? First with Kikyou, and now this... I hope I don’t have to do something drastic to that girl if you continue to—” The rest of the words were choked down when two hands clamped down on his throat, viciously forcing him to the wall.

“Don’t you dare touch her,” Inuyasha growled from under his breath, his eyes glowing with growing fury, the want to crush his neck more appealing than wanting to look at his evil face.

“Oh, so she does mean something to you.” The man remarked snidely despite the feeling of the hanyou’s claws digging deeper into his neck.

“Don’t you dare...” his voice now lower, threatening, “Don’t you dare.”

Shippou’s anxiety grew when he heard their conversation stall abruptly, leaving a pause, which only made the beatings of his heart and his ragged breaths seem even louder and more painful to his acute senses. His body trembled, the fear which would have told his instincts to escape to the safety of the tunnel behind him, were replaced by a horrid curiosity to simply wait, wondering what was conspiring between them, right above him.

And then in a blink, he heard it: a sound ripping through his ears, a scream in agony, followed by nails clawing and flailing at the wood in intense pain. Without thinking, Shippou desperately called out the hanyou’s name when the odour of blood filled into his nostrils. Pounding frantically at the trapdoor, he called out again, pleading for Inuyasha to let him out. The strong smell of blood, though by no means a lethal amount, was enough for Shippou’s mind to focus on that one smell, one scent.

A scent he could not recognise, and that was what frightened him the most. More than being confined in the dark, not really knowing what was happening above him, and the fact that he thought he heard Inuyasha mention Naraku, a name for the Hells itself, made the kitsune shiver uncontrollably.

The old man held a hand to his face, half torn, the skin hanging as a trickle of blood continued to drip down his face and chin. Despite the stinging pain of the ripped flesh, his lips thinned into a smirk, while his dark eyes trailed to the floor.

“Looks like we have some rats down there; get rid of them, would you?”

Inuyasha shifted his stance, turning around to face the trapdoor below him. He clutched at the handle of his katana, drawing it out from its scabbard with ease, before swiftly stabbing it through the small gap of the floorboards.

“You must be hearing things.” Inuyasha said, after the dust settled from the impact, relieved that he did not hear any noises below.

“Yes, how unfortunate. Never mind. It’s not as if your ‘friends’ can stop you now, eh? Incidentally,” he chuckled, his aura glowing darkly around him. “How are you holding up with the Shikon no Tama around your neck? It must be hard for you. What with all that spiritual power from Midoriko, and the dark influences from within the jewel... It’s a nasty combination.”

Inuyasha’s eyes began to change, the amber hues turning completely black. He could feel the man’s aura growing maliciously, surrounding him like a heavy blanket, preventing his limbs of free movement. The smells of jyaki which still assaulted his nose were making his thoughts foggy, and so he gritted his teeth tightly together, trying to focus on his surroundings, and to not be succumbed by his evil influence.

No! I will not let you!

“You always were a fighter, weren’t you, Inuyasha? There is something mildly... admirable about that.”

His words were lost to the hanyou as he shut his eyes and clenched at his hands, the prickling sensations of spiritual power increasing at an alarming rate from within his body, fighting off the youki which now permeated the interior of the house. Stop it!

The colliding powers lashed around him, fighting for dominance, crushing him in its grip, unrelentingly. The throbbing pain in his heart was excruciating, no matter how much he pleaded for it to end, pleading for the blackness to overtake his consciousness. Even as his claws dug into his palms, causing the cuts to bleed and sting, he took little notice, as his mind could only concentrate on power rushing rapidly through his body, and through his soul.

“STOP IT!!”

Abruptly, everything did stop, and Inuyasha slowly opened his eyes, blinking rapidly until his vision readjusted to the dimness of the room. Scanning the small area, he realised the man who had been standing before him a few moments ago, was gone, though the stench of his blood and skin were still there, still strong...

All was quiet, from what Shippou could tell of the situation. All too quiet, and yet, the atmosphere felt tense.

“Looks like they’re both gone.” A voice said from behind him.

The kitsune spun around, finding Kohaku standing there with a slight smirk on his face. It was he who had managed to sneak up behind him, pushing him to the ground when the katana sliced through the floorboards – though he would admit he was thankful that Kohaku had saved him in that split second.

“Are you always this slow when you get scared, Shippou?” He asked, said without any mocking tone, which so surprised the young youkai, that he could not find any plausible answer to his question.

The boy just smiled, shaking his head, “Never mind. Let’s go after them... unless you want to stay here, where it’s safe.”

The youkai frowned, catching the slayer’s implications from his words. He stalked after him, mumbling under his breath, “As if I would be scared.”

It was a short walk before they reached the end of the tunnel, opening the door to find Sango and the others waiting for them.

“What happened? Is he there?” Kagome asked anxiously.

“He was,” Shippou replied, looking down at the mouth of the tunnel, shuddering, “and so was that man. Kami, his voice... But it didn’t sound like him.”

“What do you mean?” asked Miroku. The pale look on the kitsune’s face told him Shippou had seen something, or at least heard something, and it clearly had him spooked.

“He... he... Inuyasha called him Naraku. I don’t understand it. Didn’t you say that he was killed? Why would he call him by that name? I thought he was just an old man, looking for trouble.”

Everyone looked at Kagome, waiting to see if she had any explanation on the matter, to which she looked back at them, the expression on her face just as perplexed. Inuyasha had told her that Naraku had died; there was such conviction in his tone. It was unnerving. The young woman knew it wasn’t in his nature to lie about such things, especially when it involved their biggest enemy.

“What happened afterwards, Shippou-chan?”

“T-the old guy got angry... there was a fight. I smelt the blood, and then there was this..., scream. I couldn’t help him, Kagome. I couldn’t... I was there, under the house, right below them. Somehow he blocked the trapdoor, and when that houshi and Inuyasha started talking... I... I—” He shook his head rapidly, trying to focus, and trying to calm his shaken nerves. Not that he had been or was afraid. It was more of a feeling of helplessness while standing still in that small and dark room, knowing to escape, yet finding his legs refusing to agree, knowing that he should have done something, anything, to help him, and yet, he could not.

No, it had nothing to do with being frightened. At least, that was what he reasoned with himself.

While Shippou was talking with Kagome, Sango and Miroku decided to look inside their house to find any possible clues for their next move. The smell of something burning inside had piqued their interest, and it grew stronger as Miroku opened the door.

The youkai slayer’s face contorted at the odour, the smell ominously reminding her of burnt flesh. She heard Miroku gasp, then curse out loud, stepping back while stopping her from taking a peek.

“You had better not.”

“Houshi-sama,” she warned, but immediately regretted her words when her eyes cast down upon the sight before her.

Shit. On the floor lay, in a strange and muddled heap, black clothing, and...

“Th-that’s not... skin, is it? Kami, the stench,” quickly she shut her eyes from the sight, swallowing back the acid tasting liquid that was forming at the back of her throat. It couldn’t be him...

“It’s not him,” Miroku confirmed, the sounds of relief evident in his voice.

“Thank goodness.” Her fear subsided somewhat, and her attentions now focussed on the heap of skin and black kimono, which suspiciously had dark fumes slowly rising from it, gradually evaporating when it touched the sunlight streaming from the window. Who was it, she wondered, that lay there, skin and blood, and yet, no body? The image of the elderly man came into mind, as he was the only one who seemed genuinely interested in capturing Inuyasha, referring to him – if her gut feeling told her anything – as if he knew him more than just another enemy. And Shippou’s mentioning of Naraku did not help. Sango did not know just how glad and relieved she felt when she heard Miroku say that it was not his...

“It is fortunate, is it not, Sango?”

“Yes... well... it’s not like he could easily be done in...”

Miroku eyed her curiously, but the woman was hesitant to meet his gaze. Reaching out to touch her, he stopped midway when he heard a loud scream.

“Kagome-chan!” the slayer exclaimed, dashing out of their house, to find Kohaku’s kusari-gama blade pointed at her face.

“No, don’t come any closer. I might accidentally hit you if you’re not careful.”

“What are you doing, Kohaku?” Sango asked, surprised by the boy’s display of confidence – and a little arrogance – different from his usual timid quietness. “What is this all about?”

“You don’t have to worry. I was only taking back the shards that Shippou had.” He made a casual gesture towards the kitsune, who was on the ground, his kimono stained with blood. “These things can be dangerous if the wrong person were to possess them.”

“Then, what are you going to do with them?” The houshi replied, noticing that the jewel shard embedded into his back was emitting a strange glow, the same shard that kept Kohaku alive.

“You have no business in knowing that, houshi-sama. Why should you, or anyone else, take an interest, now, after what you’ve done?”

“What...?” Sango breathed out, blinking, “Wait, come back here!” Attempting to make a grab for his right hand, she missed when the boy slayer turned abruptly, which would have caused her to lose her balance if not for her fast reflexes. For a brief moment, she thought of the possibility of her brother having been taken over by some black influence. Like Naraku? However, she saw that there was no blank expression to indicate that he was under his control.

So why am I feeling so uneasy?

“You’d have to do better than that, ane-ue.” Kohaku said, before sprinting out through the enormous gates of the youkai-taijiya village, much to Sango’s disbelief, and annoyance.

“I don’t see why he had to stab me, that idiot.” Shippou said, clutching his shoulder, while watching Sango and Miroku chase after the boy.

“Are you alright, Shippou-chan?” Kagome asked. “I’m sorry; he was too fast for me to do anything.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he grinned lopsidedly, “it’ll take more than that to hurt me. I am a youkai, after all.”

“And yet, you allowed a human toget close and stab you with a knife.” Kouga remarked snidely.

The kitsune huffed, sticking his tongue out at the ookami. “Are you still here?”

Kagome sighed, not knowing whether to roll her eyes or to give them a sharp twist on the ears to stop them from arguing. Deciding against both options, because now was not the time for such things, and the fact that she had never been successful in quelling such disputes whenever Kouga was talking, she went to catch up to the others.

Through the long grass she ran, her feet refusing to slow down – the consideration of being careful and cautious of the enemy were not a high priority. The adrenalin in her body forced her legs to pump faster, while her breaths kept a frantic pace with each running stride. Or was it the dread of not knowing where or what happened to Inuyasha after he had disappeared, which gave her the energy to run?

A small wave of relief washed over her when she saw the figures of Miroku and Sango, from what she could see from where she was, trying to fend off attacks made by Kohaku. The shock caused her to slow down, finally stopping at a safe distance away from the flying weapons clashing against each other.

“Kohaku, stop this right now!” Sango shouted, blocking the kusari-gama with her Hiraikotsu, and then grabbing the chain to prevent her brother from launching it again at them. “I don’t want to fight you. And I know you don’t want to as well. So why are you doing this?”

He hesitated, his hands shaking slightly despite the strong grip he had on his weapon. “I-I can’t tell you.”

“Don’t be stubborn!” she stared at him, furiously, forcing him to look at her, whether he liked it or not.

“No!” he retorted, the hold on his kusari-gama, determined, unmerciful. The look in his sister’s eyes pained him, and as much as he wanted to tell her everything, he could not.

“If worse comes to worse, Kohaku-kun. You will help me, will you not?”

“Of course, Inuyasha-san; but aren’t you exaggerating just a little? Nothing bad is going to happen to you. I mean you defeated Naraku. Everything else must be easy, like dealing with some troublesome kitsune.”

“I guess you’re right.” He said smiling a little, though the boy wouldn’t call it an actual smile.

Back then, he had been confused by his meaning. Surely the hanyou was more than capable with handling anything life threw at him. From what tales he gathered about his life, Kohaku couldn’t begin to imagine, how he had managed to live through it all. It was nothing short from incredible. Even so, he was pretty sure it was a feat that Inuyasha would not be proud of, especially when one of his misfortunes involved his friends deserting him. And now they were here, wanting answers from him. If only he knew the answers himself, perhaps then he wouldn’t be standing here, because of blind friendship, trying to distract them from discovering whatever Inuyasha was hiding. Instead, perhaps he should have allowed them to pass. Only then would the growing dread in his heart lessen if they found out what he was planning, and help him, or stop him from doing something he was going to regret.

“Ane-ue,” the strength in his arms weakened as he lowered his sickle. “Help him... please. He didn’t want me to tell you, but—”

His words were cut short when an arrow whistled by, and would have hit him in the shoulder if he had not dodged out of the way.

Everyone turned their eyes to where the arrow had originated, and were collectively surprised when they saw Kikyou, with her stance as steadfast as the bow and arrow she expertly held, the metal sharp tip of the arrow aimed at Sango’s brother.

“Kohaku,” and without another word, she let the arrow loose.

No! Something in Sango’s mind snapped, and in the next second she was running towards her brother, grabbing his legs, and pulling him to the ground so the arrow missed them by inches.

“Sango, Kohaku, are you all right?” Miroku asked worriedly, helping them to their feet.

“Kikyou, what do you think you’re doing?” Kagome ran to face the miko, shielding the others in case she decided to take another shot at them.

“Why, do you not trust me?” she answered, walking closer to the young woman, her lips smiling, cold. “Look behind you and see for yourself, and then tell me what you think.”

They looked behind them, and saw where the arrow had landed, and the remains of a youkai, its snake-like body still writhing, before it stopped, dead.

“They still want your shard, Kohaku.” Kikyou continued, “The Shikon no Tama is near completion. You are aware of this?” she saw his eyes fall to the ground. “I see. Next time, do not be so reckless. We do not have the luxury to have trivial squabbles with siblings and their... friends.”

“Just what are you trying to get at?” Kagome asked, somewhat put off by her icy demeanour.

“Kagome, where is Inuyasha, or have you lost him again? You certainly are unreliable.”

The young miko seethed, and would have said something along the lines of an argument, if it weren’t for the tense expression she saw on her face. She was right, Kagome supposed, time was being wasted, but that exactly didn’t make her feel any better. And who was she to tell her that she was unreliable? It was not as if she kept Inuyasha on a leash like a dog...

She blinked, and shook her head, after having a fleeting thought about the hanyou’s rosary, a thought which made her involuntarily flinch. Yet the image was brief, as Kagome felt an aura from just behind her, like a breath of cold air down her bare neck, sending chills throughout her body.

“Why, Kikyou-san, you shouldn’t call Kagome unreliable. Here I am, like a good little obedient puppy.” He laughed. “What’s the matter, Kagome? Is something wrong? I thought you’d be happy to see me.”

Kagome stepped back, startled by his sudden and silent appearance. It was almost... creepy.

“No...,” she whispered, although she did not know why she had said it. It seemed her mouth had decided to voice what, and why her mind was being so prickly about this person.

“What?” He replied smoothly, smiling his strange smile.

“No,” she repeated, more certain now. “You can’t be him. Inuyasha doesn’t talk like that.”

This time his laughter rang out loud, much to the uneasiness of everyone present. “Is that so? How observant of you. But how can you be sure? I could be him. Your mind could be only playing tricks on you. You believe me, don’t you, Miroku-san, Sango-san, Shippou-san? Yes, I remember all those times we spent, don’t you? Whenever I held you in my arms, the little promises we made, and those tiny pink flowers that I liked to decorate into your hair...”

He neared closer towards her, causing her face to redden as she backed away, though her eyes were still trained on his, watching his slow, predatory movements. The features on his face gradually changed into something sinister and terrifying, fuelling the miko’s disbelief that someone would be sick enough to imitate her hanyou’s face, and turning him into some form of a monster. What was worse was that this person had even dared to tell her, and everyone else for that matter, the most intimate moments between Inuyasha and herself. The nerve of him!

Nevertheless, she chose to remain, for all appearances, composed, lest he found out she was actually nervous with him being so dangerously close. The thought of her bow and arrows came to mind, and she wondered if she would have enough time to draw them out. Of course time was never forgiving in such situations, and she wasn’t exactly in the position where she could swiftly draw out her bow and arrow, without him catching on what she was attempting to do.

Kikyou on the other hand, was simply unforgiving as she let loose the string that kept the arrow taut in her grasp. It flew, narrowly missing Kagome’s cheek, and hitting straight to his awaiting hand, where he caught it, only to release it when the miko’s power reacted to his skin, partially melting it. His eyes fell to the deformed limb, his response oddly calm, even if his frown was showing signs of mild irritation.

“Enough.” Kikyou commanded, her patience wearing thin. “You will tell me where he is, now.”

Looking at her with piercing eyes, the frown on his face turned into a smirk, morphing his features into something different, someone different. “And ruin the ending, Kikyou-san?” The flesh on his limb began to blacken, bubbling as it shrivelled, releasing poisonous jyaki from the wound. And from the wound, whip-like structures flailed out, striking the miko in the shoulder and stomach. With satisfaction he watched her recoil in pain, and the fumes which had penetrated through, infecting her.

Then from out of nowhere, he heard an enraged shout, and the feeling of the wind picking up erratically around him. Turning his head, he barely caught a glimpse of the blur of Sango’s Hiraikotsu before it sliced through his body, causing the jyaki to spew out onto the ground, burning the grass underneath their feet.

“I’ve got you!” Sango retrieved her incoming weapon, fairly pleased that she had been able to stop him from doing anymore damage. Just like Miroku and Shippou, she had been taken aback by the hanyou’s appearance, and his horrid voice threatening their friend. But as soon as his mask was unveiled, it felt much easier to get rid of him. A bit too easy—

“Sango, I don’t like this,” Miroku murmured.

“I know.”

“You don’t know?” The man asked cruelly, his form quickly disintegrating into billows of murky, dense demonic power, and rising above them in dark shadows. “Shall I tell you? Look behind you. No, no, I’m not joking this time. Do you see? I don’t lie.”

“Inuyasha-san, wh-what are you doing here? I thought you were—” The boy gasped loudly when he felt an unexpected, sharp pain shooting from his neck. And in that same instant, he saw the hanyou’s black eyes staring at him, unemotionally, his hand dotted with red, and holding a bloodied jewel shard in his fingertips. Kohaku’s vision then became blurred, then dark, and then, nothing at all.

All was silent.

Kohaku... Sango’s body felt numb, having dropped the large boomerang when she saw her brother fall to the ground, and he remained unmoving even as she quietly walked up to him, touching his face and hands, and finding them cool to the touch. Tentatively, she picked him up, hugging him close to her body, in vain hopes that she could warm him up. But the tears running down her face betrayed her hopes, and she ended up crying his name over and over again.

“Inuyasha...” Kagome could feel her own tears tickling at the corners of her eyes. Raising her blue-gray eyes to meet his, unbelieving of how quick, and how brutal he had been for the sake of one shard; she saw how black his own eyes were, as if he had no life behind them. She didn’t even notice Kouga stepping in front of her, speaking to her in hushed tones.

“Don’t you see now, Kagome? He’s dangerous. Whatever you think, he’s not the same person, anymore.” Cracking his knuckles, and summoning the power of his Goraishi, he sprinted forward for the attack. He was pissed, he was certain of that. If the half-dog killed the boy off so easily with his claws, how easily he could go on to attack everyone else, especially Kagome. Snarling in anger, he leapt, and then used his momentum falling to slash in front of him. Not waiting for the dust to settle, he ran after Inuyasha, who had somehow jumped away from his assault and was escaping from his grasp.

Just then Kirara arrived, landing gracefully on the grass. Growling in distress, she picked Kagome up by her collar, and prepared to lift off again, but not before Miroku used his chance to catch a ride with the neko.

“Where are we going, Kirara?” Miroku asked, using his shakujou to help Kagome climb onto the youkai. She roared in response, gliding above the trees, the long grass, and finally to the front of a large cave, where Kouga stood outside, wariness in his posture.

“This is the cave where Midoriko lies, isn’t it?” the houshi looked into the mouth of the cave, finding nothing usual about it, besides from the spiritual barrier blocking their way, crackling with power as they neared it.

“I tried to get through, but as you can see,” Kouga showed them the burn marks on his arm. “Inukkoro ran in there. The bastard just ran in, without noticing I was attacking him. ”

“He did? I have to go in after him!” Hurriedly, Kagome jumped off the neko, and against the warnings from Kouga and Miroku, she ran inside, disappearing from sight.

The young woman slowed down to a walk, carefully making steps across the dirt floor. She didn’t like how noiseless it was inside the walls of the cave, which made the breeze sound more eerie as it whistled against the rocky surface. Gulping as she went further into the cave, her fear became more palpable when the realisation hit upon her that she was in Midoriko’s cave, the one who made the Shikon no Tama come into existence, someone who was as mysterious as her intentions, whatever they were.

A dangerous woman...

At least she was sure of one thing: Inuyasha had run into this cave.

Taking a glance behind her, she saw Miroku and Kouga calling for her to come back, and wondering why they could not go in like she had done.

Suddenly, a bright flash of light erupted, covering the inside of the cave with its brightness, blinding Kagome’s vision. Wincing as she held her arms up to shield herself from the light, she also heard a scream, just as intense, if not more.

And from that scream, came one thought to her—

“Inuyasha!” the light started to fade away, yet the miko was already in the spot where she had heard his voice. In front of her, amongst the piles of youkai long passed, stood a tall being, his hair of white, similar to the hanyou, only it was tinted with bluish highlights.

“Well, finally we meet, Kagome. Though I must say, you went through that barrier quite easily.” He turned, showing his face. “Oh come now, don’t be afraid. You do not have to shy away from me. Is my face that scary?”

“I didn’t come here to talk about your face.” Kagome answered, feeling a little braver. “Inuyasha ran in here. Where is he now?”

“He had to leave. But he did leave something very special for you. Here. Please, do enjoy it.” He moved his position to fully face her, throwing what appeared to be a large object at the girl. It hit her in the stomach, but because of how unexpectedly heavy it was, Kagome fell backwards, landing on her bottom with a thump.

Cold laughter filled the cave, echoing around them. “A bit heavy, isn’t he?”

Kagome shook her head to regain her bearings, trying to ignore the stinging of her muscles when she had fallen over, and the weight that was on her legs. Shifting a little, she caught a glimpse of the grey hakama, the black cloth and the sleeves. She then saw the snow white hair lying carelessly behind him, his canine ears drooping sideways, and then lastly, his face.

“Inuyasha...? Inuyasha, wake up! Wake up!!” The colour drained from her face, the rising dread making it harder for her to breathe. No matter how many times she patted his cheek, how many times she called out his name, how many times she kept checking for any signs of breathing, a heartbeat, he did not respond. Please, please, wake up! Desperately, she clutched at his shoulders with her small hands, shaking him, until she felt so weak inside, that she could not do anything else but cry.

“There, there,” said an oddly sympathetic voice. “Don’t cry. He wanted to end it this way.”

“Wh-what?” she looked at him through teary eyes, too distraught to think coherently.

“He made his wish. And every wish has its price. Why don’t you join him, Kagome? Then he wouldn’t have to feel so lonely. Think about it. Two souls, intertwined, forever,” he grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him.

The miko was unable to look away, helpless, as his blood red eyes seemed to penetrate through her like a knife through her heart. Breaking out into a cold sweat, Kagome felt something drain away from her, ripping her apart, but she was too frozen to scream. She was paralysed, and she could not do anything to stop it, let alone fight the monster that killed—

“He’s... he’s...?” she whispered, her world turning a brilliant white with flashes of pink. Why...?

“Aren’t you happy that I am willing to let you join him?” his voice halted, apparently angry with someone. Kagome wasn’t sure. She was so dizzy. She heard him curse Midoriko’s name. Inuyasha, I’m frightened... Then she heard other voices, calling out her name, but she was so tired.

Tired...

...And alone.

Inuyasha...

“Kagome...? Is she...?”

“Look, she’s opening her eyes.”

“Oh, thank Kami-sama.”

“Nee-chan...”

Kagome woke up, seeing her family looking back at her with mixed expressions of worry and relief.

“Where am I?” she asked, confused.

“We were so worried about you, dear. After Miroku-san did that incantation, you both fainted. It was horrible; we had to take the both of you to the hospital. I was so scared that I would lose you.”

“I’m... in the hospital? I... I don’t understand.”

“Yes, dear, it’s alright. You were in a coma for about a month.”

Until next time...

You thought I would never update, did you?