A Heart's Strangled Cry

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own InuYasha! He belongs to Rumiko Takahashi! Enjoy!

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Chapter 3: Grey and Dull Without You
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"KAZE NO KIZU!" Kagome watched as InuYasha let loose another round of the Wind Scar, Tetsusaiga still gleaming as the sun began to set. Wiping sweat from her brow, Kagome notched up another arrow and aimed around Sango and Miroku, giving them some help seeing as she was riding on Kirara in the air. She whispered as she close one eye and squinted the other for better aim,

"Hit the mark." Letting it loose, she savored the hum of her bow as the arrow sailed downwards from the heavens and towards the two fighting ningens below her. She gave a victorious smile when her arrow initiated about twenty demons in front of Sango.

The smile once again was lost to a frown when more hoards of demons just sprang up out of nowhere. There's so many…Letting out a tired sigh, she notched up another arrow, this time aiming before the raging hanyou as he continued to slice and dice through the large walls of youkai,

"GO!" Kagome watched as her arrowed lighted up with her miko powers of a bright, intoxicating blue which strangely reminded her of Tokijin. She watched as it whizzed by InuYasha's hip and towards the youkai before him; screams could be heard as she created a pathway for him. The hanyou readily ran as much as he could of the open area before once again being lost within the chaos.

Diverting her eyes from the battlefield, she turned her attention to the neko-tama before her and gave her a reassuring rub on her shoulder blades,

"It's alright Kirara, just hang in there – I promise things will get better." She smiled when Kirara determinedly nod her head in return and began to re-circle the battle area to help give Kagome an angle.

It's almost hopeless trying to pick them off one at a time! Where Naraku gets all these demons I don't know if I want to find out; but how can we destroy them and get closer to Naraku? Kagome was so caught up in her thoughts, she didn't feel Kagura's aura behind her as she raised her fan,

"DANCE OF BLADES!"

Kagome gave out a terrified cry as razor sharp, glowing blades zoomed around her, causing her all ready damaged uniform to gain more cuts and shreds, making them look almost peasant. As she tried to dodge the remaining blades, Kagome's eyes widened when she felt her body accidentally dip off Kirara's own body from the side,

"KIRARA!" She could barely hear Kirara's outraged roar as she fell faster towards the ground. Twisting to look downward, Kagome's eyes widened as youkai that looked up, raised their sharp weapons. Are they hoping I'll fall down on those? As if! Hurriedly, while at the same time difficultly, strung back an arrow,

"HIT THE MARK!" Letting it go, she coughed as dust, dirt, and disgustingly blood splattered everywhere in all directions. The youkais' screams went on for miles.

Kagome smiled happily as Kohaku updated her on Sango and Miroku; she was even more delighted in the fact that Sango was once again pregnant. Kagome inwardly felt her youkai give a sound that could have been phrased as 'Miroku's working at it again' and Kagome had to agree. They had so many children now during the years that Kagome swore she lost count a few times. But than again, I shouldn't be talking. She inwardly winced as her youkai whined pitifully at the reminder of their mate. Her once stilled hands, nervously rubbed against the Styrofoam cup that held her pop. She eyed Kohaku as he happily talked and laughed throughout their outing, his gestures wild as he sometimes slapped the table when laughing too hard from reliving a memory between Sango and Miroku in public.

Kohaku sure has changed a lot.

The same, happy spirit was there, but his appearance however was different entirely. His hair was long, ending to his waist by a low ponytail at the nape of his strong neck. His long bangs ended just above his brown, semi-amethyst eyes that reminded Kagome so much of Sango. His skin was lightly tanned from the cruise he had just told her about going on with Miroku for a business trip; Sango still made it her job to come along with some of the children that hadn't left home yet to 'keep an eye' on Miroku. Kohaku added that the business trip soon turned into a family vacation. She laughed to herself as Kohaku quoted Miroku, sounding uncannily like him in every way,

"Am I really that unreliable?"

She chuckled as she took a sip from her Lemon Lime Coke and shook her head as she enjoyed the light breeze,

"Oh, Miroku-kun…silly Miroku-kun…" Kohaku snorted,

"Silly? More like perverted."

"But Sango hasn't complained about it much since we last talked from what I remember."

"That doesn't mean she doesn't complain the other days you guys don't meet."

Kagome laughed again. Her eyes danced with light mirth as she resumed her task in storing his image to mind. It's been about fifty years since I last saw him. I wonder what he's been up to during that time? Her eyes swiftly watched him while her ears gave close attention. He wore a dark, coffee brown button up shirt with a loosened mocha tie, giving him a relaxed businessman look. His black slacks hugged his narrow hips where they traveled down to his polished black shoes. Looking back up at him, she paid close attention as he thoughtfully put in many details to the memories he replayed for her.

She settled her chin in her cupped hand, listening to him intently.

It was like listening to a good story by someone whom knew exactly how to deliver it. Kohaku always at the right time made the tension inside her build until he continued, the way he would tone words to make them hilarious or make them serious. He always seemed to have her hanging to his every word, making herself inwardly wonder what will happen next. She asked, laughter readily bubbling inside her,

"And what happened?" Kohaku sighed dramatically as he leaned backwards into his chair and twiddled his thumbs, crossing one of his legs in the 'guy style',

"Weeeeell, when not hearing him defending himself and creating a telltale truth, she turned around from her cooking to find him asleep on the couch with the remote on his stomach."

Kagome laughed at the mental image coming to her.

"Oh my god, poor Miroku-kun!" Kohaku grinned at her charmingly,

"You betcha. Sango gave him enough bumps to last him for a week." Putting a hand over her giggling mouth, she asked breathlessly,

"H-how, how do you know all of this?"

"My youngest niece."

They both laughed before settling down into a comforting silence, each in their own thoughts. Sighing quietly, she looked at her watch and smiled sadly. She had to go to work…and she was having such a good time, for the first time in a long time. Her inner youkai whined pitifully, begging her just to skip work and wallow in the warmth of a friend for a little longer. She felt her heart tearing at the sound of her inner youkai. She knew how she felt, she felt the same way as her. She never felt this warmth for so long; sure, Jaken, Asahi, and the servants were exceptionally nice to talk to, but it…it was different from her friends during the time of Naraku that understood her, that knew her inside and out.

Slowly standing up, she sighed again and smiled softly down at Kohaku as his expression became confused.

"Sorry, Kohaku-kun, but I have to sadly go back to work. I hope you stop by again and chat. It's been so long since we last talked." Her laughter chimed beautifully at the guilty expression his handsome face created as he stared at the ground. She accepted the hug he gave her after he stood up. She inwardly sighed in content as his familiar glow of his good-natured spirit washed over her sad one. It was strange to come across the capability after a few hundred years of becoming a youkai. She had been able to sense people's spirits inside of them, telling their personalities and whether they were good or bad.

Giving him a light squeeze, she backed away slowly,

"See yeah later Kohaku-kun, you know our number if you have the need to come over and talk before you leave again." Nodding, Kohaku waved to her as she walked away, his eyes sad as he watched her until she turned a corner.

Shaking his head, he picked up his discarded business jacket and slung it over one shoulder while ignoring the admiring glances from the waitresses and female customers. As he walked away, his gaze darkened. Sesshomaru, you're lucky I found out by Jaken-san and not InuYasha before the mark sent out distress signals (1). But you won't be lucky when the calls finally come to InuYasha and Kagura. Kagome-chan doesn't deserve to go through this.

His eyes hardened in reserve as he shut the door of his black Jaguar and tossed his coat to the passenger seat. Igniting the engine, his hands tightened on the wheel.

I won't let you hurt her.

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Sighing in depression as she walked down the sidewalk back to her clinic that wasn't so far away, Kagome gazed around her. She smiled shakily when she heard her youkai sulk in the remnants of her mind. She wanted nothing more than to dwell Kohaku's company and Sango and Miroku if they were here, but reality called back to her. Damn I hate reality at the moment. Stuffing her hand into her pockets, she strolled casually amongst the other citizens of Tokyo, thanking eternally on being taught to just focus on one specific scent – in which this case was a pleasing smell of the sunflowers that were plotted here and there. But when she looked at them, their vibrancy seemed dulled, almost droopy like that it made her wince.

Quickly looking away, she paid attention to the sky before her, a small smile claiming her face. But just as the smile began to form it quickly fell as she stared at the pale sky. Funny, it used to be so blue…Her eyes frantically looked around her, wishing to find the familiar cotton balls of clouds that her mind managed on many occasions to form into shapes so absurd that her mother even questioned her. But devastatingly, she found nothing. The clouds that were once bunched up were now spread out so much that they looked like a wispy blanket, dull and boring.

Raising a hand, she rubbed the bridge of her nose to clear the thoughts running through her mind and continued walking as if she never stopped. What's WRONG with me? Shaking her head, she decided to do what her youkai wanted before and skipped work by taking a little detour to her favorite park, the park her and her high school friends used to come to on the weekends for a picnic before she fell into the well.

Maybe if I go to my high school hot spot, my thoughts will clear and every thing will be back in order.

Sighing in relief, she felt her shoulders slump in relief as well, as if a heavy burden was slowly being lifted from them. Her steps somewhat hurried as she got closer, memories racing through her mind's eye of her and her friends' laughter, playing, eating, gossiping…it all came to a halt as she stared in front of her.

The all place was the same. The single slide, the swing sets, the teeter-totter, the jungle gym, everything was the same to the picnic tables and the side benches. But…her vision didn't improve. The sky didn't get bluer, the clouds didn't make shapes, the flowers were still droopy, the grass didn't look greener, and the children's laughter…the laughter she always enjoyed, was nothing more but cries to her ears.

Collapsing onto a bench, she buried her face into her hands, wishing nothing more but to scream into her hands and willed the growing pain in her chest to go away. That oh-so familiar pain. I thought I got rid of this heartache five hundred years ago. Bitterly, she ran her fingers carelessly through her bangs, ignoring the laughter of children with their parents.

Everything was so different; no longer were there colors or adventures, but figures of grey, black, and white.

Please…She whimpered to herself, her hands tightening onto her head. Please stop, I want all of this to stop. Everything is so plain now!

Looking up as tears raced down her cheeks, she whispered,

"Everything…dull and grey…why?"

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YEAH! AN UPDATE, FINALLY! Thanks you guys for all of the reviews, they really helped! And someone asked what Kohaku has to do with this? Well (Winks), read and see:P

(1) You'll find out in later chapters what I'm talking about.

-Miss Artemis