Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha nor make profit from these stories.

Warning: Will contain graphic scenes, harsh topics, swearing and maybe eventual adult content.

"What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or in the holy name of liberty or democracy?"
― Mahatma Gandhi

"They're cowards!" Kagome's grandfather ranted, "How many more lives need to be lost for the sake of pride? Why do we fight a meaningless war?! Cowards, the lot of them! It takes a bigger man to just accept defeat!"

"Father, please, be careful with your words. If someone were to hear you talk like that they would take you for a traitor." Kagome's mother interjected.

"Let them!" the old man spit, eyes harsh on his daughter, "Dear, your husband, the father of your children, lost his life fighting this useless war, why do you defend it?"

Kagome's mother's expression softened at the memory of her late husband, "He fought valiantly for his country and died with honour. I wish it did not turn out that way but he is watching over us now."

Her grandfather snapped his wrists, straightening his limp newspaper. The headline read "Japan to continue the fight despite recent loses"

"Our country is led by madmen, they would rather see the Japanese race wiped off the face of this Earth than surrender from this worthless war. The way of the samurai has long since passed, why do these cowards continue with this idiocy?! Watch, something big is coming and none of us will live through it, mark my words!"

"Father!" Kagome's mother finally broke in, anger evident in her tone, "Please, keep your voice down, what if the children overhear?"

He flipped the page of the newspaper, scoffing at the next article and flipping the page over again. "Mark my words." He spoke softly. He had made his point and he knew it, no need to argue further. Kagome's mother sighed in defeat at her father's stubbornness.

Kagome stood outside her family shrine, sweeping away dust and debris from the monuments dutifully. Her mother and grandfather had not noticed her standing just outside the shoji wall, overhearing every word they had spoken. In a way she knew he was right. Countless lives on both sides had been lost, bomb drills had become a daily occurrence at school and people lived in constant fear of what was coming next. That didn't make his words hurt any less or make her any less terrified. He had only spoke what everyone was silently thinking, but to hear the words out loud made it real.

The shrine had seen an influx of visitors lately. The busy city of Hiroshima had been especially peaceful during the war. While every other major city had seen air raids and bombings, Hiroshima had been otherwise untouched. The people all feared it was because the west had something especially nasty in mind for them, so they spent their time offering prayers that the peace would last. Hoping some ancient kami would protect them from the bombs that dropped like rain in the recent days. "Some non-existent spirits won't protect us" she mumbled as she passed an elder woman praying diligently at the Goshinboku. Her grandfather had been too weak lately to do the daily shrine chores, so Kagome and her kid brother, Souta took it upon themselves to do it themselves.

Kagome went into the shed and started searching for the broom. It was tedious and back breaking work to sweep the grounds of the shrine, but important none-the-less – especially in today's world where at the drop of a hat you may have to run for shelter.

Pushing aside boxes labled "Scared bow", "Miko" and "Shikon no Tama charms" she finally found her target, a fraying straw broom. She would have to give Souta an earful later about putting the broom away in a more accessible place. Why would he shove it at the back of the shed anyways?

As she left the shed she looked up at the rising sun. She was used to waking up considerably early lately so she could finish most of the chores before school. With all the visitors someone had to make her that the shrine was presentable and functional - and she sure wasn't leaving that responsibility to Souta.

She looked down at her watch. It was still considerably early in the morning, 6:16 a.m to be exact. Some shrine goers were already assembling. She smiled at them as she swept away debris and tripping hazards out of the way.

It was a beautiful day. There wasn't a single cloud in the sky and Kagome could make out all the spectrum of colours the rising sun painted the sky. It was going to be a hot day. Cicada's were humming lazily in the already hot sun, birds flew around in the sky, seemingly playing a game of tag. Taking a break from her sweeping, she brushed her bangs out of her face, wincing when she felt the sweat that gathered on her brow. Everything about the day seemed too peaceful, like a bad omen just waiting to happen - the calm before the storm. Her grandfathers words rang through her mind, "Watch, something big is coming and none of us will live through it, mark my words!" . Maybe she was just being paranoid, but her gut was hardly ever wrong.

Finally finishing sweeping the grounds, she made her way to her house to wake up Souta. Her mother slept a lot more lately, not that Kagome could blame her. She would often hear her mother sobbing softly at night when she thought her children were asleep. The news of her fathers death hit them all hard. He had been caught at ground zero of an air strike out in the field. They didn't even have a body to bring back. He was a mass of blown off limbs and bloodied parts. The only identifier was his dog tags, but those too had been scorched and mangled.

"…the father of your children, lost his life fighting this useless war, why do you defend it?" Kagome's grandfather had said. We don't defend it, we hate it as much as you do, Kagome thought to herself. We all hate it!

Kagome passed by her father's small shrine set up in the entryway of their home. His banged up dog tags hanging lifeless against a framed photo of him with his family, laughing and hugging. Her friends had commented on the strange choice of memorial photo and each time Kagome explained that they didn't want a somber reminder of his life, but one that showed who he was. He loved his family above all else, he loved life above all else. And he died so we could live.

Kagome climbed the stairs and rapped on Souta's door softly. When she didn't hear a response, she quietly opened the door to see a sleeping Souta sprawled out on his bed. His blanket was covering one leg, he had an arm off the edge of the bed, one over his head and his other leg was flushed straight up against the wall. She could hear his soft snoring and giggled to herself at his position.

Quietly, as to not wake the sleeping adolescent, she creeped up next to his bed. She slowly brought her bands closer and closer to her target – his ticklish sides – and started to relentlessly tickle his most sensitive spot.

He sprang awake within seconds, screaming at the sudden sensation. Kagome held him down as she continued her assault. He was laughing and snorting, begging her to stop.

Assuming he had enough torture, she stilled her hands and gently flicked his forehead.

"Come on, Souta, you have school in an hour and here you are sleeping like some kind of weirdo. How is that even comfortable?"

"I can't help how I sleep!" he retorted.

"Well if you keep on sleeping like that you'll catch cold and probably lose your leg due to blood loss!" She patronized jokingly. "Anyways, go shower. Breakfast will be ready in 30 minutes. If you're late you'll see the full wrath of the Japanese Tickle Army!"

Souta gave a laughing scream as he quickly bounded out of bed. Kagome watched as he went. She was so thankful to have her family. If her mother was right, and their father really was watching over them, he'd want to see them living life like this, happy and together. The world may be at war, but that doesn't mean they had to be.

Making her way down to the kitchen, she started to prepare breakfast and lunches for herself and Souta. Normally her mother loved to do the cooking, but Kagome wanted her to sleep in today. She had been through so much emotional trauma lately, she deserved the sleep.

With the table set and lunches packed, Kagome looked down at her watch once again. It was 7:30 a.m. She could hear Souta pad down the stairs. He emerged into the kitchen dressed and packed, ready to face the day. His eyes lit when he saw the breakfast Kagome had prepared.

"Wow, sis, some guy's gonna get real lucky with you one day! That is, if he can get passed your face!" He joked, ducking behind a chair as Kagome threw a towel at him. "Not to mention that temper!"

Kagome deftly swept Souta's plate off the table, "Well, I guess you don't want breakfast then." She snorted teasingly.

"Hey hey hey! I never said that! Come on, sis! I'm a growing boy!"

Kagome scoffed as she placed his plate back down on the table. "You're right, you'd better eat or you're going to stay short and scraggly forever!"

Souta stuck his tongue out in retaliation, making Kagome laugh. They both took their seat and dug in to their meals. Kagome hated to brag, but she really was a master in the kitchen. When they finished their meals, the gathered up the dishes and brought them to the sink to wash.

"Hey, Souta?" Kagome asked, handing him a dish to put in the dry rack.

"Yeah, sis?"

"Can you open the shoji door for me? It's getting stuffy and hot in here."

"Sure thing!" He responded as he hopped towards the door, sliding it open easily.

"Wow! The sky really is clear today!" He exclaimed excitedly, "Maybe we'll even have class outside today!"

Finishing the dishes, Kagome joined her brother at the door. A flash of metal in the sky caught her attention. Three planes, obviously American were flying low overhead.

"What do you think they are?" Souta asked worried, his previous vigor suddenly lost.

"Looks like spy planes, probably just intelligence."

Kagome looked down at her watch. It was 8:00 a.m now. Placing her hands on Souta's shoulder roughly, she urged him to get his things together so they could leave. She headed upstairs, grabbing her own bag and padding down the steps. Souta was already waiting at the door, staring at the hoards of bugs marching into their home.

It was then that Kagome had another wave of sickening wrongness. Something wasn't right, she could feel it. Despite the heat, the cicada's had stopped chirping. There were no birds flying in the sky. Squirrels and wildlife seemingly disappeared within the hour. A sense of pure dread washed over Kagome. She was suddenly drowning in anxiety. Souta picked up on this and tugged on the hem of her skirt when calling her name didn't get her attention.

"Huh?" Kagome asked, snapping out of her daze. "What is it Souta?"

"Don't worry, sis, Dad is watching over us. He'll keep us safe. The air raid alarms aren't sounding, we're safe." He said with a reassuring smile.

Kagome dropped to her knees and scooped Souta up in her arms. "Of course, Souta. You're right. We have no reason to be afraid."

A lone B-29 plane – The Enola Gay - flew through the cloudless sky. It's target, the distinctive T-shaped Aioi bridge.

The crew aboard the aircraft were on pins and needles. They were to drop an experimental bomb on the city of Hiroshima in less than a few moments. Everyone waited with a faded breath as the target came into sight. The bomb they were about to drop had never been seen nor used before. No one onboard even knew if the bomb would work.

It was a bomb designed to end the war. A bomb to shock the Japanese into surrender. A weapon of pure mass destruction.

As the Aioi bridge came into sight, the crew aboard the Enola Gay held their breaths as they flipped the switch for the doors to open. With a sickening jerk, the doors flew wide, leaving a clear path for the cargo to fall. Within moments, the bomb dropped.

They had done the math, if the bomb worked, it would detonate in 43 seconds. Every man aboard the plane was counting down.

1…2…3…

They watched as the large metal body of the world's first atomic bomb grew smaller and smaller.

4…5…6…

Soon, Hiroshima would either still stand; or be utterly destroyed.

Kagome could hear the crowds of shrine visitors gasp as a lone plane made it's way across the clear sky. The air raid alarms still did not go off. They all watched as it streaked a long white tail, adding white to the perfectly blue sky.

"That's a B-29" Souta said, breaking the sickening silence between the siblings.

Suddenly, Kagome saw something drop from it. A small metal object, growing larger and larger as it fell. Her heart stopped dead in her chest. She was paralyzed.

Watch, something big is coming and none of us will live through it, mark my words!

"Something big is coming…" Kagome mumbled to herself, barely audible even to herself.

"Huh? Did you say something sis?"

"Something big…" She repeated to herself, eyes wide as the metallic object continued to fall.

40…41…42…

The world was bathed in pure white. There was no sound, no pain, only white.

Just moments later, Kagome felt herself being lifted off the ground, thrown like a rag doll by an invisible force. Her ears were ringing in her head, her eyes burned from the harshness of that white. She couldn't feel anything anymore. She couldn't move, couldn't scream.

There was only white, but that too, faded into black.

When Kagome was little, she was in a car accident with her father. She had broken her leg then. She remembered the doctor asking her to rate her pain on a scale of one to ten. The pain Kagome felt now was easily a 20 - no - 30.

She felt raw and beaten. Her ears were ringing loudly in her head and it showed no sign of stopping. Her nose was assaulted with sickening smells of burnt flesh and coppery blood so strong she could almost taste it. Her vision was hazy. Everything seemed too bright. Colours bled into each other like a morbid Van Gogh.

When Kagome's eyes finally adjusted she wasn't much better off. She had no idea what she was looking at anymore. The entire city was flattened. Red's and oranges danced around her and she was suddenly aware of the blazing inferno that surrounded her.

Yet she was cold.

Colours burned with an intensity she never knew possible. Lights shone brighter, browns looked deeper, reds looked hotter. She could see small light, almost like fireflies flying around her in massive swarms.

Kagome stood up. She felt lighter on her feet. The pain was slowly ebbing away as the piercing cold surrounded her.

Souta, Mom, Grandpa

Their faces flashed across her mind. She instantly set to work at the rubble that she could only assume was her home. She started to work at moving the beams of wood and chunks of drywall. The hard materials slicing into her hands. Each second that passed felt like an endless eternity. She tried to ignore the blood that painted the debris as she shifted through it.

"Souta! Mom! Grandpa!" she cried out. She frantically moved aside a beam. She could see a hand contorted at an awkward angle.

"MOM! SOUTA! GRANDPA!" Tears welled up in her eyes. Raising another chunk of dry wall after another, desperately trying to free the body underneath.

A chill ran through her body as she finally removed the last large piece of rubble that trapped her younger brother. She could barely see through her tears; her breath hitched in her throat. Souta lay lifeless, his eyes wide and unresponsive. His limbs were at awkward angles, chunks of wood stuck out of his body like morbid piercings. Blood and dust covered his body; his hair was kinked and singed. Part of his face was burned completely off.

Kagome dropped to her knees. Why did this happen? Why did this have to happen? She tried to grab Souta in her arms, but her arms didn't respond. She just sat there as the world around her burned.

A mound of rubble shifted and fell to the ground, lifting a large cloud of dust into the air. Through tear filled eyes, she could make out another body impaled by a beam of wood.

It was her.

The world gave out from under her. She was left falling through infinite blackness. Nothing made sense, she couldn't tell up from down. She wanted to retch but nothing came. She felt colder than she thought ever possible.

Small, sickly looking imps materialized in the distance. They all gathered around the small green lights, gathering them up in small jars. Kagome watched as a small light left Souta's mangled body, an imp quickly coming to gather it. She cupped Souta's light in her hands, screaming at the top of her lungs that no one could have him.

But sis, I'm so cold.

Kagome's eyes shot wide open at the sound of Souta's voice. She slowly opened her hand, careful not to let him out of her grasp.

Sis, it's okay. I'm going with Dad. I can see him. He's with mom and grandpa. I'll be alright.

"But Souta!" Kagome sobbed, "What will I do without you?!"

I love you sis, we all do. You're strong, you'll do fine. Besides, we'll all watch over you.

Kagome watched as Souta's light softly flew out of her hands. She weakly raised a limp hand, desperate to hold him one last time as he flew towards the imp. She watched as Souta was put into the jar.

We'll all watch over you Kagome heard her family whisper.

"Wait" she called out meekly, "Please, don't go! Don't leave me here alone!"

Her pleas fell on deaf ears. Soon, all the small blinking lights were collected and the imps started to make their way off into the distance. Their jars filled to the brim with souls. Kagome was left in the rubble as her world continued to crumble around her. Nothing hurt more than this. She would rather have every inch of her body cut off slowly then go through this.

Kagome hardly even noticed when a small imp approached and started to poke at her own body that was sprawled out on the floor a few feet away from her. She didn't care. She stared as it stabbed at her body with a small pitchfork. It was wasting it's time, there was no light for it to take. Her light was dead, her world was gone. Everything she knew and held dear was now burning and dead.

"Please, take me. I don't want to stay here. You take souls don't you? Take me with you!" Kagome pleaded with the imp, who seemed to finally acknowledge her then. It quickly jumped over the rubble and disappeared behind the destruction.

"Wait! Please, don't leave me here!" Kagome desperately yelled after it. "Don't leave me…" She fell over, the sheer despair overcoming her being. She could see the flames flick in the sky. She could hear the screams of people she didn't know calling out for people she also didn't know. She felt hollow, like her heart had been torn out and ran over by multiple steamrollers.

She didn't even notice the light footsteps that slowly approached her, allowing the blackness to overtake her vision and falling deep into unconsciousness.

"Feh, what do you mean you don't know what to do with one of the spirits? You're messengers of the underworld, right? If you don't know how the hell do you expect me to- oh shit"

AN: Okay. I'm going to be real. I gave myself an anxiety attack just writing this. I've been researching the Hiroshima, Nagisaki bombings for a week now just to write this story. And let me tell you, it's terrifying. Two video's I drew a lot of inspiration from for this chapter was "24 hours after Hiroshima" by NatGeo and Hadashi no Gen. You can find both on Youtube. Leave a review, blah blah blah, I'll see y'all in the next chapter.