*-Numbing - Sacrifice - *
*-1 Shot-*
Inspired by the ending of
Fatal Frame 2: The Crimson Butterfly

Inuyasha stood between two rope webs: to the left Kikyo, to the right Kagome and in front of him a red headed demon with a lob sided smile plastered on his face. How did this happen?

"So Inuyasha, do you agree?" The demon asked raising his eyebrows "Answer the questions and you may have one of them back?"

"One?" Inuyasha repeated an angry expression "You got this wrong. I'm taking both and leaving" holding the tetsusaiga high above his head ready to unleash his wind scar.

"Nuh-Uh." Replied the demon "You'll play my game or they both die..." after that sentence was spoken the ropes tying each priestess stretched out between two wooden poles tightened around their small bodies causing pained cries from both of them and the demon watched Inuyasha's expression changed from annoyance to shock.

"FINE!" Inuyasha shouted above the pained screams"Just stop this!" and almost instantly the priestesses stopped there useless noise.

"I knew you'd see it my way..."

"First thing you should know is my name is Akiyo..." The demon had a serious looked plastered across his face "And you will answer my questions truthfully or not at all... understand?"

"Yeah, fine, whatever..." Inuyasha wasn't actually listening to Akiyo, instead he was trying to figure out a way to get out of this mess with both priestesses alive...

"Question 1- Who are you more willing to die for, Kagome or Kikyo... ?" Akiyo asked smirking "And remember they can hear everything you say."

"Wh-What? You didn't tell me they could hear me!" The red faced half demon was losing his temper with the annoying demon

"Well, I assumed you knew already... Now answer the question..." Akiyo was calm, staring straight into the eyes of a confused half demon struggling for his answer "Fine, let's move on." Akiyo huffed bored of waiting any longer "Question 2- Is it true you once said you wanted to go to hell with Kikyo?"

"Well... I... You see... Yes, I did." Inuyasha looked nervously at his feet half expecting Kagome to yell 'sit' but it never came and Akiyo just carried on.

"Question 3- Who did you love first?" Akiyo was fully aware of the answer to the question, he just wanted to see Inuyasha's reaction.

"Well... Kikyo, obviously but Kagome didn't even exist back then..." Inuyasha answered quietly his eyes shifting around the room.

"Question 4- Do/Did you ever think of Kagome just being a copy of Kikyo?" Akiyo was enjoying this torture very much

"Well... Yes when I first met her... I didn't know her... I didn't know!" Inuyasha was having a hard time making excuses for himself knowing the they could both hear him.

"That's all I needed to know."

It all happend so fast, Inuyasha felt frozen to the spot and Kagome let out a cry of pain. A quick glance at her was all it took and Inuyasha froze. She was crying blood.

The ropes were squeezing her tightly, crimson tears flooded down her face. She no-longer screamed. She didn't have the energy. She let it squeeze and squeeze till she felt her body no-more.

Inuyasha's horrified expression as Kagome's body pretty much turned to dust. The ropes dropped to the floor leaving one lone, silver butterfly in her place.

"You made your choice..." Akiyo whispered "Out of all the questions Kikyo always seemed quite popular..." and with that Akiyo and the temple they originally stood in faded away and Kikyo fell to the ground, coughing.

It seemed a long time before someone moved when in reality it was only seconds. Inuyasha stared at the butter fly, slowly reaching out for it but as he moved it started to fly high into the air and away.

Ignoring Kikyo's shouts for Inuyasha to stop he chased the butterfly. 'Kagome... I can't let you get away...' these were his thoughts as he jumped from tree to tree, chasing a silver butterfly under the moonlight.

Inuyasha was panting, he was tired and thirsty from chasing and now he'd come to a stop "Kagome!... STOP!" Inuyasha cried out "Please stop!"

He didn't notice where he was. The butterfly fluttered around his tree several times and flew up into the moon. He felt helpless at that moment, more then he ever, ever felt before.

"I forgive you." He swore he heard Kagome say, almost like the wind or was he imagining it all?

It had been a little less then 2 months after the incident and Kikyo moved back into her village but Sango refused to accept her the same with Shippo. Kikyo didn't really mind though she spent her time nursing her sister and trying to gain Inuyasha's affections.

However Inuyasha had been quiet as a mouse since he came back, he accepted Kikyo only because when he looked at he saw Kagome. everything she did reminded him of Kagome.

The demon inside him was going insane with grief for the loss of his love and the human side was depressed and angry, he couldn't stand it any more.

"Akiyo!" Inuyasha shouted across the open field "Akiyo, You bastard I know your here! Come on out!"

"You know there's no need for such foul language Half demon" Akiyo appeared behind Inuyasha in a gust of red smoke "What is it that you require?"

Inuyasha turned to face the red headed demon with the lob-sided smile "Take me too her..." He whispered