Disclaimer: I don't own anything on Inuyasha!

Chapter 1: Standing still

The swirling dust and smoke is beginning to settle down, allowing the rays of the rising sun through, lighting the devastating effects. The final battle has been fought, ridding this
world of the vile existence of Naraku, but the expense was too great. It's a wonder how this time-traveling miko can stand staring at it…

She forced herself to look around at the deaths surrounding her. She felt her stomach painfully clenching at the sight of Shippou, her poor son with a huge gapping gut
through his entire abdomen. She went to him in hope that by all the miracles in this world he might still be alive, but no, he's dead and when she touched her son's tiny hand
it was already stiff. "Forgive me, my son." She said very softly afraid that she might cause more pain to him though she very well knows that he won't feel anymore. She tried
to seal his gut with his divine powers, though no large amount of it would bring him back to the living. "I'll come back later my son, I'll just look for the others…"

It's so obvious that no one can still be alive in that mess. The land is covered with pools of blood, the stench of blood and death is thick, even her human nose can pick that up but
still, she wishes that someone else survived. She filled her mind with arduous hope that her friends are still alive, she refused to accept that they're all gone except she sees it
with her own eyes. Wrong move. She saw Miroku's bloody body in the ground his stuff broken into two pieces. She approached him,felt for his pulse but there was nothing.
This time her eyes begun to water but she won't let them fall…

They died a noble death, it's not like they died for nothing. In crying…. I- I'll give that vile creature the satisfaction he so want wherever his cursed soul might be.

She looked at his right hand and saw the tunnel was no longer there. "I see, you have finally been freed from the curse, in the price of your life… At least you are no longer
bound in your death… Sleep ell my friend." She said ruefully as she smoothen his fringes.

As she finished sealing the open wounds, something in her right caught her attention. The Hiraikotsu firmly planted in front of a fallen youkai and in the tree in front, Sango is
pinned standing by a spear through her chest. She wished it didn't pierce her heart, not just because it would be too bloody when she removed the spear but that was such a
painful way to die and certainly Sango didn't deserve such a painful death. She began talking as she approached her, Sango, the girl who had been like a sister to her.
"Fighting until the very end, my friend? Fighting still even in the face of death, how valiant and I wish I could ever be as valiant as you are…" Then she reached her side she
touched the spear and examined where exactly it pierced through. That was close The spear was just a centimeter or two from her heart. The spear is tainted
with ill will
She started gathering her purification power in her hand touching the spear and allowed it to flow through it, evaporating the spear completely. "There,
does it still hurt?"she said softly to her as she catch her lifeless form, laying it gently to the ground. She placed her hand over the wound. "Miroku and you would
probably be happy in heaven, can you take care of Shippou for me?" Then the wound was completely sealed. She stayed there for a awhile, bracing herself to what may
come later on. She cuddled herself in her knees. She just sit there, void of anything, thinking of nothing. She just wished the emptiness would leave her alone.

Be brave Kagome, you can't sit here forever. He's waiting for you to find him…

"Inuyasha…" there came her small voice. "Sango, I'll just leave you for awhile, I'll just go look for Inuyasha." She then walk and let her heart guide her way to him. The tug on
her heart is drawing her near to him, she just know it.

She saw him sitting against a tree with a far way look in his eyes, she knew what those eyes meant. It wasn't just a far away gaze, it was eyes with no soul nor life with them.
She was infront of him now, no more than a foot away. She saw his silver hair drenched in blood, she held on his hands and saw how bloodied they were. Sudden
realization hit her hard, he's gone, he won't come back an-and our chance to be together is gone… that's when the tears fell. She crushed him in her and held on to
him fast. She wept and sobbed uncontrollably. She wept for the early demise of her son, the cruel fate that befall them, all the suffering that she feels right now and most all the pain that they endured upon dying, the knowledge she wasn't there to help them
and that there's nothing she can do bring them back.

Why, does it have to end like this?!!!

Unknown to her all this time she has a spectator, quietly watching her every move. He must admit he was quite amused with her. Sealing wounds is hard to do and not all miko
is capable of it, and in fact this is the first time he saw it himself, he had only heard this kind of skill being executed by Midoriko from his father. Her words were also
enchanting, they are full sorrowful yet laced with wisdom, understanding and compassion. He was awed when he saw her vaporized the spear piercing the tajihaya. He
didn't know that she'll notice that it was actually a low class youkai camouflaging as a mere spear. He didn't know why, but his amusement vanished when she started
weeping. He had always and will always dislike the smell of human tears and all kind of tears, plus, her sorrow and what he presumed to be self-pity is starting to evoke her
untamed and raw miko powers leaking it around the air and he don't like the feel of it though his resistance to purification power is very strong. Her weeping doesn't seem to
subside, it's like she's planning to weep there for all eternity, so he decided to do something.

"Pathetic woman get-up now." He said in his usual stoic cold voice, demanding abidance. She jumped-up a bit obviously startled with him and he smirked at this, she then looked-
up to him.

She looked up to the source of that voice. She knew very well, who it belonged to, yet, she couldn't help her eyes to widen as she saw him standing there with all his regal glory
and elegance. He didn't even have a single cut on him or maybe it had already healed… But what puzzled her most is why he is actually right here, in front of her.
Based on how she knows this guy, she assumed that after the battle and he's unharmed and still alive, he would make his graceful exit, but no! He's here! He heard a
growl from him. That's when she realized that she's still staring at him and he dangerously narrowed his eyes to her, she immediately pushed aside her question.

He knows of her unsaid question, she's as readable as an open book. He can almost hear her say 'why are you here?' or something like that.

Damn, youkai honor and societal laws.

He narrowed his eyes to her daring her. He saw the look of resignation in her eyes and he was satisfied with himself. "Get-up and do what you must." He ordered her.

She processed it for awhile and understood what he meant. She must put to rest her fallen comrades. She nod to him. She then turned to Inuyasha and sealed all open wound. From
her peripheral vision, she swear that she saw a look of amusement in Sesshomaru's eyes. She wanted to cry, why was he amused? Because Inuyasha's dead?!
By the gods they're brothers. He smell tears in her again. He almost groaned in annoyance, almost. She did the unthinkable. She quickly whipped around and founded her fist in his chest. "You pathetic
excuse for a brother! What the hell is inside your mind?! Why are you so damn amused?! There's nothing amusing in this whole damn thing! Your brother's dead, my
friends are dead and we're surrounded in a suffocating untimely death around us!" She said while banging on him as hard as she can. His patience is growing thin, yet, he feels
strangely amused with the whole ordeal. He wasn't amused with his brother's demise neither does he feel sorry for him. He grabbed her hands with his two hands, yes,
thankfully his arm had finished the regeneration process. "Listen wench, be thankful I do believe that you're under unstable emotions right now because if you weren't you're
as good as dead right now." He said dangerously low to her. She gulped but shortly afterward, she look-up defiantly to him. "Do as you wish! Kill me!" she spat at him. He
smirked at her and she felt herself shudder. "Why would I give you your satisfaction? If you really honor your friends' and my brother's death that much, I
suggest you strive to stay alive, I do believe it's one of their dying wishes for you. In addition, you insolent woman, those words that you just said doesn't fit the lips of a
miko. I believe a miko preserves life and not throw them away at all cost." She then lowered her head, her eyes now overshadowed with her bangs.

He then walked to his brother and picked him up and throw him by his shoulder.

"What do you think are you doing?! Leave him alone, he's dead already!"

"Woman, I do not desecrate the dead. I do believe you don't possess the necessary strength to carry them all back to your village…"

My village? Oh, he doesn't know about me.

I saw some hint of distress about that notion in her but I opted to leave it be for now. I focused myself in the task at hand.

After every single body of her fallen comrade are in the village, she and Kaede prepared for the parting ritual for the dead. It's her duty as a miko, and after the prayers for a safe
journey in the after life, the pyre in where they would be burned was being prepared. She noticed Sesshomaru was there, silently watching. She was curious and
unnerve with a hint of fear of why he was still around but strangely enough, she felt an odd sense of tranquility.

The bodies of Miroku, Sango, Shippou and Inuyasha were already laid in the funeral pyre but they haven't put the fire yet. She cleared her throat and she got the attention of Kaede
and the villagers. "What is it child?" She looked downcast for a split second, unsure if she's going to do the right thing or if she can do what she wish to do after all. "Umm…
Can we not burn their bodies?" Kaede seemed to be taken by this "Child, you are aware that funeral pyre is suit for kings and so is for fallen warriors whose valiance and
nobility surpasses that of a king." She looked straight in Kaede's eyes and nodded her head "Yes, I am fully aware of that, but I can give a higher and nobler kind of burial
to them." Kaede's eyes widen. "Tell me child are you capable of performing the ancient burial ritual?" She took a deep breath. "Ever since the part of my soul that
was with Kikyou returned and she was finally at peace, I was able to have access and more control on my powers." "And how do you know and learned about the Soul
Fragment Dance of Deliverance Rite?" "I learned them through an old scroll and something pushed me into learning it though I never knew that I'd used it to them…"
Kaede took a deep breath. "Very well child, do as you wish. I really wish to see this myself before I myself is among the dead…" "Huh? Does Kikyou doesn't know how it is
done?" "I believe she does, but the opportunity of her to use it never came. No one was deserving enough of that kind of ritual died during her time…Hurry now child, attend to your
duty as a miko." She bowed to her just like what a proper miko would do.

He was amazed to know that she can do the Soul Fragment Dance of Deliverance Ritual. His father told him that the beauty of this kind of ritual is enough to take your mind away
from the sadness gnawing at your soul. He was told that his grandfather was delivered to the next life by this ritual from a compassionate miko who held no malice for demons.

He was amazed. First, the miko went to the kitsune child she held her hands over his fallen body then the child began to glow pink. The child's features blurred until it was a
mere silhouette of his form and after that, the pink light dissipated and the glowing silhouette's color is now orange. He soon found out that it must be the child's soul, then
the miko's finger tips glowed pink again and the soul began to break apart into sparkle of orange lights, it was like dissipating into glowing magical dusts flying upwards
into the heavens and when the child's soul was completely gone, she cast a bittersweet smile.

She repeated the same with the monk, his soul revealed a lavender color then she went to Sango, her soul a color of light blue. She went over to Inuyasha and she hesitated for
awhile, she stared intently on his form. She want to memorize everything about him, burn his image in her memory.

This is the last time…

She then continued to deliver him to the next life, his soul a color of vermillion. It suit him very well….

She then was too emotionally tired and spiritually drained of her sacred powers, she still wasn't used to it's strain. She then begin to collapse, she was sure his going to hit the
damn hard ground but she felt strong arms wrap around her and she allowed herself to fade to sleep. Perhaps, in her sleep, the pain in her heart would leave her even only for awhile.

A/N: Why is Sesshomaru still around? Why won't he just go away? So tell me what you think about it, or if you want me to continue this, ok?
To all the readers of my Fall, I think I lost the enthusiast to write it for awhile but I'll get back to it.