TPTAGTH- Chapter 4

Slow Burn

"Oh, these are the days
These are the strangest of all
These are the nights
These are the darkest to fall
But who knows?
Echoes in tenement halls
Who knows?
Though the years spare them all

Like a Slow Burn
Leading us on and on and on" – David Bowie

Kagome was on fire. Her body burned and she could feel the pain spread across every fiber of her being. Her mind was a jumble of fragmented pieces that cut through her brain like glass. Against her eyelids flashes of white heat seared the retinas causing her body to seizure and tremble. If Kagome had a physical body to hurt her bones would have broken from the impact of slamming against the amber slab.

Desperate to get the girl to stop before anyone heard her screams Sesshoumaru clamped his hand down firmly against her mouth and growled at Kagome to be silent. When that approach failed he began threatening physical harm, even said please once but she continued screaming while his attempts did nothing to calm the raging fires within.

Although Sesshoumaru did not realize it at the time he was witnessing Kagomes spirit be reborn. Through the flames of agony, her soul rearranged its self purging old knowledge and storing memories the conscience thought it no longer needed while getting ready for the new thing it would become.

This excruciating pain would be Kagomes first memory.

However Kagomes second memory would be slightly more pleasant. Slowly, as if being restarted, her mind began to put everything in place. The pain had started to die down and Kagome no longer felt like she was being torn in every direction. She began to blink and realized if she kept her eyes open she could see shapes. Like a new born baby Kagome was learning how to see again. The shapes became distinct the more she focused and soon a face started to form as black and white took on softer shades of grey.

With a clenched jaw and lips pursed into a scowl Sesshoumaru was the first thing Kagome saw in her rebirth and it made her giggle. Everything was new and wonderful to her, from the smell of damp earth to the feel of smooth stone beneath her. Yet more interesting than them all was the figure above her. Kagomes mind raced thinking she should know what it was but it hurt to focus. So she let her mind take it in, studying the new colors, filtering the sounds of running water from her own breathing. A wistful smile spread across her lips as she watched him.

In the center of the face she noticed a moving object but the sounds it created were harsh and foreign to her ears. Out of curiosity Kagome reached a tentative hand up and brushed her fingers against his lips. She then brought her hand back down and touched her own. Excited at the new discovery that she too had such a device Kagome burst into a bright smile and began to laugh out loud. She reached up again but was stopped when Sesshoumaru caught her wrist.

"Miko that's enough of this foolishness," Sesshoumaru bit out. Although the girl was responding it did not seem she could comprehend his words or the annoyance directed at her. At first he thought Kagome had recognized him once her eyes opened but knew something was wrong when she smiled. It was an endearing smile he felt would never be directed at him under normal circumstances. He began to wonder if the girl was still right in the head when she startled him by touching his face. The yokai concluded only a person whose brain had been scrambled would behave as she was.

However he shrugged it off. His job was to bring her soul back to her friends. Nowhere in the negotiations did it specify as to the condition.

"Can you stand?" He asked as Kagome began to explore the back of her hand in fascination. Sesshoumaru sighed in frustration once it was obvious she was not going to offer any assistance and plucked her from the amber slab. For a moment the girl frowned and he was afraid Kagome would start screaming again but instead she got comfortable in his arm with the same stupid grin on her face.

"You cannot even appreciate the pains I have undertaken to retrieve you can you?"

This time Kagome reached up and brushed a finger against his crescent moon ignoring the death glare from the yokai. Obviously she did not understand the danger she was in.

"Count your blessings you are already dead miko." Sesshoumaru roughly adjusted her closer so he could free part of his good arm. Seizing the opportunity of peace before anyone noticed the murders in the garden Sesshoumaru pulled a talisman out from the folds of his belt. It was a simple charm made from metal with a leather strap through its center. A hundred like it roamed the earth as pendants, charms and buttons with no one able to tell the difference. However this particular one had not been easy getting from Totosai. The old black smith was reluctant to part with a portal to the underworld at first but he seemed more than happy after a few well placed threats.

Now Sesshoumaru was going to use it to leave. He suspected Lord Emma-O was waiting for the sisters to return with whatever they had stolen from Kagome. When that did not occur it would only be moments before the rock garden was set upon by soldiers. In no mood to battle the legions of Hell he picked a far corner of the garden where shadows grew. Holding the chain he walked to the corner until long after he should have walked in to rock. Swallowed by the shadows he walked this path of darkness until they were free.

"We have to bury her." Sango's eyes were red from crying but any tear she could have shed at her friend's misfortune had long since been spent. The demon slayer felt drained and she could no longer sit by and wait for a miracle. It seemed to her the only thing she could do now was give her friend the burial she deserved.

For the last hour Sango stood outside the temple with the rest of her companions arguing her point. Miroku sat under a nearby tree with Shippo resting in his arms. There the priest gave his professional opinion only when he thought it mattered. He knew they did not want to hear how he wondered if they had damned their friend by not following the proper procedures. If Sesshoumaru did not come back as promised he vowed to devote the rest of his life to helping Kagome ascend to paradise.

Shippo being so distraught over the loss of Kagome spent most of his time anxiously watching for Sesshoumaru. The grieving kit spoke little and cried himself to exhaustion. Miroku gave him what little comfort he could by petting him in his sleep. Inuyasha defensively blocked the entrance to the shrine Kagomes body was being held in. The mood outside was tense but no one went into the temple anymore except to check that the body was there. The sight of Kagomes dead body still lying on its burial mat was taking a toll on the groups moral. Their small group was becoming split between those who wanted to keep waiting for Sesshoumaru and those who felt too much time had passed. That Inuyashas older brother had failed or worse, not tried to save Kagome at all. "He'll be here soon." Inuyasha defiantly crossed his arms and planted his feet more firmly. For the last few days the two had the same argument over the burial of Kagome. Inuyasha had been adamant about waiting but every day it became harder for him to argue.

"It's been over a week since she died with no word from your brother. Our friend deserves more respect than this."

"Sesshoumaru will come back."

"What reason do we have to believe that? Your brother has never helped us before. I miss her too b-"

"One more day." Inuyasha bit out. He looked into the distance waiting for Sesshoumaru to come. "Then we can have a proper funeral. Please, one more day." Sango heard the desperate plea in his voice and slowly nodded her head in acquiescence. She knew what it was like to lose someone important and wish for them to come back. Sesshoumaru had given his little brother hope and Inuyasha needed to cling to that hope if only for one more day.

So they waited outside, all four continuing their vigilance of the temple. The day came and went. A cresant moon rose higher into the sky. Sometimes they dozed off to find themselves jerked back awake by a rustle of leafs or moan on the wind. All the time they listened intently for Sesshoumaru. It wasn't until the first bird of the morning began to sing that they finally gave up hope.

Without meeting his eyes Sango placed a careful hand on Inuyasha's shoulder. "We need to prepare the body."

"I'll… I'll go gather the wood." Inuyashas voice was barely a whisper. However his legs refused to move. When he finally did take the first step it sent him to his knees.

Miroku came over with a crying Shippo in one arm and placed a firm hand at Inuyashas elbow to help steady him.

"We'll both go get the wood." As the resident priest of the group Miroku unfortunately found he had to take charge. He wasn't dealing with the death of his friend any better than the rest of them but he was a professional and had organized funerals before. Right now his focus needed to be on his friends who remained and help them keep it together. He placed Shippo on the ground and wiped the tears from his eyes. "I have a special job for you. I want you to go and collect all the flowers you can carry. I think Kagome would like that don't you?"

Shippo sniffed and wiped his nose on the back of his sleeve. "I'll do it." With a task at hand he stood a little straighter trying to be strong. Miroku patted the top of his head and straightened up.

"Sango, you and Kydea do what you must to prepare the body." With everyone given their duties Miroku began to pull the hanyou up by his arm and lead him like a child to the woods. The two men leaned on each other for support not wanting to say a word. It wasn't until they reached the edge of the woods that Inuyasha finally broke the silence.

"Her family won't even know to mourn her." He said, trying to hide rubbing the tears from his eyes

"So you did try going through the well?"

Inuyasha nodded then buried his head in his hands.

"Without Kagome it's just a dried up hole."

With a grave sigh Miroku patted his friends back. He couldn't bring himself to lie and say everything would be ok because they all knew it wasn't. Time had run out.

Late that afternoon Kagomes body was laid out on a cart. Her hair and skin was washed in oils and flowers were strewed across her body. Inuyasha pushed the cart through the village with Miroku leading the way. Sango and Shippo brought up the rear with a small parade of villagers following the small company to pay their last respects to the strange miko who had protected them these last few years.

They walked a short path up a grassy knoll that over looked the village as well as the river. The winds stirred bringing with it the smell of sweet grass and blossoms, a promise of the spring to come. At the crest of the hill Kagomes funeral pyre was erected from logs in the design of an alter. This spot had once been the young girls' favorite place to go. When she felt troubled she'd go out there to think alone at night. Sometimes Inuyasha would go with her to keep her company and she'd tell him stories of her home. Once she had told Inuyasha where the hill was a small market now stood in her time. It seemed the perfect spot to lay Kagome to rest.

"It's time," Miroku said solemnly as he bowed his head in prayer.

Inuyasha took Kagomes dead body and gently laid it to rest at the top of the pyre. He smoothed the shroud to lay a chaste kiss on her forehead then bent his head to hide the tears.

Sango stood by crying into Shippo as he too cried against her shoulder.

A smaller fire had already been built nearby and Inuyasha selected from it a large branch that was already ablaze. With a heavy heart he too said a small prayer and mumbled an apology then plunged the stick into Kagomes pyre. It lit up like a star.