Heyo! This isn't as soon as I would have liked to have this chapter out, but at least it hadn't been a month! I'd say that's pretty good given my shit record. I'm going to try to get another chapter out before Exams, but don't expect much from me until mid December. Between exams, essays, and a Shakespeare play, I'm sort of drowning here. But why be productive toward my education when I could write fanfiction?

Now, other than an obligatory call for voice actors (namely for Miroku), let's get on with it!

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Kagome's fingers curled gently into Kei's thick coat as she treded through the forest. The moonlight was sparse, the clouds moving swiftly overhead only letting it shine in waves. Even then, the thicker parts of the forest were so dense that it could barely penetrate the canopy of leaves. She relied completely on Kei to lead the way; at least she assumed she knew where she was going. The dog's head stuck low to the ground, sniffing through the fallen leaves. Every once in a while her head would pop up, her tail would wag, and she'd whine in excitement only to be hushed by Kagome a moment later. The Priestess' heart pounded in anxiety and anticipation.

In her eyes, every shadow could be a soldier or villager, following to find that she had betrayed them. Every scuffle in the dead leaves was the movement of a stalker. At the flutter of wings, Kagome spun around to watch the silhouette of a bird take into the sky. She could just barely see it through a break in the trees as it eclipsed the moon, its distant caw haunting in her ears. Backing up slowly, Kagome barely noticed when Kei slipped from her grasp, dashing away from her side. Her eyes frantically swept the forest, certain that she wasn't alone.

"Gotcha."

A hand grabbed her shoulder, and Kagome spun around with a scream caught in her mouth. She barely realized who it was before a palm was pressed over her lips. Inuyasha seemed to have realized his mistake a little too late, judging by his apologetic smirk. Kagome wrestled herself out of his grasp and smacked his chest repeatedly.

"Inuyasha, you utter- you complete- ugh! You scared the life out of me! Don't you ever do that again!" She hissed.

Inuyasha could only snicker and raise his arms to defend himself. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

"And don't you laugh at me!" She protested with one last shove.

Inuyasha could have easily stood his ground like her strength was nothing, but he let her have her way and stumbled back into the moonlight. The clearing was like a single point of light in the forest where the trees didn't block the sky, and even as the moonlight came and went between breaks in the clouds, they could see each other clearly. Kagome glared at the Hanyou with a stiff mouth, feeling her resolve to be angry with him melting under his slowly growing smile. In a heart beat, she threw herself into his arms, and he caught her, holding her as tight as he dared.

Kagome could be made at him all she wanted, but it didn't make her joy and relief any less strong. Her best friend was back, and that was all she really cared about.

When she finally pulled back, Kagome held him at arms length and looked him over to make sure he wasn't hurt, knowing he probably wouldn't tell her otherwise. "How are you? Where have you been? What have you been doing?" She asked in rapid fire.

Inuyasha needed only to look at her to know that she was alright, and so couldn't help but laugh at her frantic need for reassurance. "Whoa, take it easy." He shook his head, pulling her back into his arms. "I'm fine, alright? I've been at the Kitsune Monastery with Shippo."

"Did you have to be gone for so long?" Kagome mumbled, her voice muted by his robe.

"Couldn't risk coming back too soon, you know that." He sighed.

"Mhm... that doesn't mean I like it."

"Trust me, neither do I."

Despite her earlier frustration with him, Kagome couldn't help but laugh, nuzzling her face against his chest before tilting her head up to look at him. Her eyes narrowed in a mock glare, her chin against his collarbone, but all he could do under her scrutiny was grin like he hadn't seen true light in centuries. She tried to stick her bottom lip out in a pout, only to have it claimed by his lips. He smirked arrogantly against her mouth, drawing out a smile before she could stop it. There were a lot of things they could and couldn't help but do, but of all those things, this was much better.

When they finally pulled back, Kagome gave him one last playful shove to make sure he knew she was still mad at him for scaring her. Inuyasha only rolled his eyes, tightening his hold around her waist. If she tried to knock him down, she was going down with him, and she knew it. "I missed you." She sighed.

"Good," Inuyasha shrugged, "because I missed you too and it drove me up the wall. Missing you is irritating."

"Well, sorry." She laughed. They'd both had enough of missing each other for a lifetime. "So, why come back now? Besides missing me being irritating."

Inuyasha's expression became serious, something Kagome picked up on immediately. Before he could answer her, she took his hand, and guided him over to the trunk of the Sacred Tree. He lowered himself down to sit between the roots, pulling her down to sit with him. She leaned against his side. "I went to the Kitsune Monastery after I left." He repeated himself from earlier. "It was the only place I could really think to go. There was no way in hell I was letting Masao's men get to the little runt. They had no idea what was happening down the mountain until a few days ago. Shippo's teachers got news of an attack on a clan they knew. The warriors were using that crystal. As soon as I heard, I offered to come back to learn more about it."

Kagome listened intently, chewing on her lower lip in thought until one stern look from Inuyasha had her letting it go. "Well, I don't think I know any more about it than you do."

"I figured as much." Inuyasha's gaze flitted up to the peaks of the mountains he could just barely see over the treetops. "I could always..."

"No."

"Kagome, I won't get caught!" The Hanyou argued. "I'll find that bastard's castle, go in, learn more about it, and get the hell out. No one will see me!"

"Inuyasha, no!"

"Do you really think you can stop me?"

"Do you really want to find out?"

Inuyasha growled in frustration. "Well, do you have a better idea, genius?!"

"Quit yelling, I'm trying to think!" Kagome seethed, trying to keep her voice down in fear of being heard. Her mind turned itself over and over, desperate to find some other option.

Inuyasha waited all of a minute before giving up. "Look Kagome-"

"Wait! I know!" She stopped him. "Remember when I shot the crystal out of Yorino's hand?"

"Yeah, that was great." He snickered.

Kagome rolled her eyes, nudging him with her shoulder. "Well, I kept the crystal. I've been hiding it in Kaede's chest. What if you brought it back with you? Maybe they can figure out what it is and how to fight it."

Inuyasha looked hesitant. "I don't know... is it really a good idea to bring it near an entire school of Fox Demon kids?"

"It never did anything to you when I was holding it, or when I had it in the trunk. There must be a specific way to use it, like you have to will it to harm someone." She mused.

"Makes about as much sense as anything else..." Inuyasha trailed off, his resolve to his original plan melting under Kagome's smile. "Alright, fine. Do you have it?"

Kagome shook her head. "No, I didn't think to bring it with me. I'll have to go back to the village." The moment she tried to start getting up, Inuyasha's hold around her waist tightened. She huffed and fell back against his side. "Inuyasha, I won't be long. All of the soldiers are back at their Fort, and all of the villagers are sleeping."

"Then I'll go with you." He argued.

"And if someone sees you?"

"You said they were asleep."

"They're asleep, not dead!" Kagome groaned. "If someone wakes up and sees me, I can make something up. If someone wakes up and sees you, we're both caught."

Inuyasha knew he was probably being overbearing. He knew it perfectly well, but that didn't make letting her go any easier. She would be fine, all reason said that, and he'd only put her in more danger if he followed. It was the uncertainty, and the bitter thought that they already had limited time together, time they would waste, that made it so hard. As stubborn as he was, in the end he knew arguing wouldn't get him anywhere. "If you take too long, I'm coming to get you, got it?"

"Got it." Kagome nodded, worming her way out of his arms with a peck on his cheek.

"And take Kei with you." Inuyasha added. He rose to his feet, taking her hand and hauling her up along with him.

Kei perked up from where she had been laying in the grass, her ears twitching at the name she'd come to associate with them calling for her. Kagome waved the dog over to her, smiling when she bounded toward them. She stuck her nose against Inuyasha's unwilling palm in passing, completely oblivious to the way he rolled his eyes and wiped his hand on his robe. Kagome turned her smile to him as she ran her fingers through Kei's fur. "Told you it was a good idea to keep the dogs."

"Shut up and get going."

It had been easy to say that in the moment, but as soon as she disappeared into the dense night, he'd have given anything to call her back. Again, reason told him she'd be fine, and he was getting worked up over nothing; Inuyasha had never been good at listening to reason. So, he paced anxiously under the tree, wearing down a circle pressed into the grass from his footsteps. The moon's shadows had only grown an inch before he decided that it had been long enough. He'd been about to jump off into the trees when a thick twig fell from Goshinboku and struck his head. He cursed under his breath, glaring up at the branches. "Kaede, if that was you, it still isn't cute." He grumbled, only to dodge another falling twig a moment after.

As he glowered up at the tree again, he noticed for the first time the stark contrast it had sitting in the middle of the autumn forest. While most of the trees had begun to shed their leaves, it hadn't. The forest was only just beginning to change colours with the season when he had to leave, and their vibrant hues only ever lasted a few weeks, so he wasn't surprised that they had browned and fallen. Goshinboku, though, was full and brilliantly red (which was strange enough on its own, but he could have sworn that last year, and even fifty years ago, it had turned yellow in autumn.)

Inuyasha didn't take too long thinking about the peculiarity of the tree. The thoughts were gone just as quickly as they came, and he was quick to go resume fidgeting. He didn't try to go after Kagome again either, but his anxious pacing didn't stop until he could hear her footsteps in the leaves and smell her on the wind. He practically tripped over himself to get to her when she broke through the bushes into the clearing.

Kagome giggled at his eagerness. "See, was that so bad?" Inuyasha's expression suggested otherwise. "Alright, you big worry wart, here it is." Reaching into the fold of her kimono, she took out the crystal and passed it to him, holding her breath as she pressed it into his palm. She didn't think it would do any harm to him, but when it came to this maybe she was the one who worried to much. In the end, it had no devastating effect, and Inuyasha tucked it away in the folds of his own robe.

"I'll bring it to the Fox Demons and see what we can learn." He reaffirmed.

"Right." Kagome nodded. A deep silence followed, both of them struggling to say something. Any urgent business was taken care of, and under the risk, they both knew it would be smart to keep this brief. For now, though, they were safe, and Kagome had enough of being smart. "How long do you think you can stay?" She asked.

Inuyasha huffed as he thought it over. "I should probably be gone long before it starts to get light."

It made enough sense, it was the obvious answer, and Kagome didn't know why she was so disappointed by it. "Alright." She whispered. Without another word, she stepped forward, wrapped her arms around him, and pressed her cheek to his shoulder. If they only had a few hours, then they were going to make the best of it, and she couldn't think of any better way than this. In silent understanding, Inuyasha hooked his arm under her knees and lifted her into his arms, carrying her to sit at the base of the tree with her comfortably situated in his lap.

Through the night, they sat under the tree and talked just as they did every night before this whole mess. If Kagome closed her eyes, she could almost imagine that they were sitting in the hut, warm and dry by the flickering fire, back when her biggest worry was what Inuyasha was doing making all those Lanterns. As cold and damp as the night was, she could hardly feel the chill in Inuyasha's arms.

Into the late hours, she told him about funny things Rin had said, and how Mamoru was starting to crawl. A week ago, he'd tried to push his way across the futon to get to Jun's ears; him and his sisters had seemed to maintain their obsession with dog ears. Inuyasha only laughed with a "better him than me" smirk, but there was a bitter sweetness to his eyes. Inuyasha told her about staying with the Fox Demons, conveniently leaving out the way he'd been treated. He told her about how he had been helping Shippo train, how much he had improved. Neither of them told the other how much they had missed each other. They knew enough by now that it went without saying.

And by the early hours of the morning, Kagome had fallen asleep in Inuyasha's arms. She'd stayed up as late as she could, but after the long day she'd had and the suddenness of their meeting, she'd been unprepared to stay awake the entire night. Inuyasha's steady heartbeat under her ear lulled her into a sleep more peaceful than she'd had in two weeks.

But when she woke up, she was alone and the moon was chased away by light in the east. Kagome came to slowly, realizing before anything else that Inuyasha was gone. Kei had curled herself up on her lap and her warmth helped against the cold, but it was a poor comparison to having the Hanyou's arms wrapped around her. The disappointment that he had gone without waking her to say goodbye settled in the pit of her stomach as her eyes scanned the forest.

Kagome hugged her arms to her chest as she stood. Kei didn't seem happy with her decision to move, sliding off her lap still half asleep, but was on her feet with a shake and an expectant look. Sighing and running her fingers through the dog's hair, Kagome took one glance up at the tree and gave in. The waiting game began again. "Come on, let's go back."

From far off in the forest, Inuyasha sat perched in a high tree branch, leaning back against the trunk as he listened to Kagome leaving. He didn't have the heart to wake her to say goodbye, but he couldn't leave her there alone either, so he'd hidden himself away and watched over her form afar. Maybe what he did was selfish. He was sure Kagome would make a point to call him out on it the next time they met, but for the time being it was all he could do. It certainly didn't make the parting any easier on him. So once he knew she was awake, and headed safely back to the village, he took off again, more determined than even before to return to her permanently.

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Later that night, Kagome took up Sango on her offer, and joined them for dinner, making the hike to the far secluded side of the village where she and Miroku had built their home. Takuya and Rin trailed along with the dogs, bringing herbs for tea and seasoning for the food. The twins were, as always, happy to see Rin, and Rin was happy to see them. It wasn't long before they had retreated to a corner of the hut with Jun and Kei. Rin had even taken Mamoru off Sango's hands for the moment, keeping the baby in her lap while she told the girls stories.

Kagome watched Rin where she stood in the doorway, one foot inside and the other on the engawa, but her gaze soon flitted back to the rising moon. It was stupid to hope she'd see another lantern floating over the sea of trees, but it had almost become a habit. Her meeting last night still seemed too surreal to break that.

"Kagome?" Sango called her out of her trance. "The tea's ready, if you want some."

With one last glance out over the valley, Kagome tore herself away from the door and offered Sango a smile. "I'd love some." She followed her over to the fire pit, where Miroku and Takuya were already sitting and pouring the tea into their cups.

"I'll have enough herbs to last us through autumn, winter, and spring." Takuya mused as he set the pot next to him. "But I'll have to start harvesting the seeds before the flowers die, now that the season is ending. Will you help me with that tomorrow, Kagome?"

"Yes, of course." She murmured, lowering herself down to sit with them around the fire. There was no conviction in her voice, though, and Takuya exchanged a glance with Sango suggesting she had no idea what he had actually asked. They didn't have the chance to ask her what was on her mind before she spoke up. "I saw him last night." The Priestess whispered. The four of them went instantly silent, with only Rin's voice, the twins' laughter, and the crackling fire to fill it. The contrast in atmospheres dividing them from the children made their side of the hut feel colder even with the fire. "I'm sorry, I know you might have wanted to see him too... but I didn't want to drag you into this, not with the kids."

"Of course we want to see him." Sango sighed. "But... what about you? Kagome, you know how dangerous this is."

"I do." She nodded. "It just never occurred to me not to."

Sango's face fell. Setting her tea cup down on the wooden floor, she shifted to Kagome's side of the side and wrapped an arm around her. Kagome leaned into the embrace, resting her head on Sango's shoulder as the two of them stared into the fire. "You're like a sister to me. I just want you to be safe." She said, her voice almost apologetic.

"I know. Thank you, Sango."

"How was he?" Miroku asked, lowering his tea cup from his mouth and into his lap.

Kagome's face brightened with the memory, light laughter bubbling from her lips. "He was such a jerk, the first thing he did was sneak up on me! And then he laughed at me for getting scared!"

They joined in her laughter, but the sound was hollow, and only reminded them all of the Hanyou's absence. "Good, I wouldn't have wanted him to go soft." Miroku smiled.

"Don't worry about that. He's been staying with Shippo at the Kitsune Monastery He told me about how he's been helping him train, but it sounded to me like he's just pushing him around."

As the other laughed again, Miroku's face dimmed from amusement to concern. "Kagome... did you tell him about Masao's offer?" He asked, his question soon having the same effect on the other three.

Kagome's teeth grazed over her bottom lip, dropping her head so her hair fell as a curtain over her face. "No." She admitted.

"Maybe you should have told him, it's not good to hide things like that." Sango sighed, and tucked her friend's hair behind her ear, not letting her hide away from the conversation.

Although forced to face them, Kagome couldn't help but think about how motherly Sango was to her without realizing it, how motherly she had always been. "Look, being away while Masao and his warriors are here is hard on Inuyasha enough as it is. This is just another thing he'd be worrying about constantly, when there's nothing we can do about it yet. We don't even know if this will be a bad thing."

"Lord Masao is not making you the village Priestess. You were already the village Priestess. He has no authority as a holy man in the Shinto tradition to do so." Takuya finally spoke up. "Lord Masao is doing this as a show to to villagers. In granting you a position of power, he puts himself higher than you. He can claim to take away that power at any time he wishes, and the villagers will believe him."

"Okay, so maybe it is a bad thing." Kagome huffed. "But as long as I keep playing his game, that won't happen, right? And then we can fix all of this before he can use this against me."

Takuya's weary gaze rested on Kagome as she stared at her reflecting in her tea cup. It was easy to forget at times just how young she was. A Priestess was seldom seen with age, she was an entity to be feared and adored, a graceful holy woman whether she was in her youth or past her prime. It was the same with his dear cousin Kaede. Even as a boy he'd watched her with veneration, and as they grew up together that never changed.

But he looked at Kagome now, and he saw a young woman making little mistakes, and making them with the purest of intentions. He saw her complaining about his methods, and the gleam in her eyes when she would sneak away from training to laze around in the forest with Inuyasha, and the terror in her eyes when the village she was supposed to look after called for her lover's execution. It made him wonder just how much of that same youthful struggle had been there, and not seen, in Kaede.

Inuyasha and Kagome were doing the best with what they could, whether or not it was the best or easiest way, and they did it because they were young and in love. Nothing would change that.

But young love and tragedy went hand in hand, and that was what he feared most.

Takuya poured himself another cup of tea. "I hope you're right."

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It was another two nights before Inuyasha made it back to the mountain where the Kitsune Monastery was hidden. Every time he looked ahead he could feel a presence smoldering into his back, like Kagome was standing right behind him, but sure enough every time he glanced over his shoulder, he was alone. At that point he was actually eager to get to the Monastery, just to have familiar company. He'd have to tell Shippo that Kagome said Hi, and she missed him. Little things like that made the kid do back flips, and Kagome wouldn't forgive him if he didn't pass along the message. After leaving her without saying goodbye, he didn't want to give her any more reasons to be pissed at him.

He was jarred from those thoughts the moment he could smell the smoke. It clung to the damp air like a heavy cloak, smothering the wind as it swept down the mountain. Inuyasha stopped mid step, dread sinking into his bones. Something wasn't right. Instinct screamed at him, pulled him in a million different directions, until with stark clarity, it settled on the cliffs rising above him. Forgetting the mountain path entirely, Inuyasha leapt up the cliff faces, soaring up the mountain in bounds, his heart hammering against his rib cage.

In his eagerness, Inuyasha lost his footing on an unsturdy ledge, crumbling out from under his foot. He reached out and grabbed onto a tree root jutting out from the rocks before he could tumble back down. The distant thud of the loose stones rolling down the mountain echoed as he pulled himself up onto a nearby outcropping. He was probably less than halfway up the mountain, but it was close enough that the scent of ash and blood could reach him. Inuyasha looked up to the summit and could have sworn he felt something inside him break.

From where it was nestled between two peaks, the uncloaked monastery laid in smoldering ruins. Smoke stacks rose high over the mountain and mingled with the clouds, tainting them black and grey. There were no fires left. They had probably died out hours ago. What struck Inuyasha the hardest was that he didn't hear a single voice coming out of that wreck. No fires, no voices, no life. He staggered back. "No..."

Overwhelmed by sudden urgency, Inuyasha used all his speed and strength to get up the mountain. The path up to the monastery was littered with fallen trees, their trunks riddled thousands of small holes, and reeking with the scent of lead and black powder. It nearly made him sick, but not more so than the limp shapes lying in the bushes, outstretched hands in the scorched dirt. The scent of death was the only thing that overpowered the lead and black powder. There was nothing he could do for them.

Finally stumbling out of the corpse ridden path, Inuyasha found himself standing at a pile of charred beams and ash, nothing left of the monastery to suggest what it once had been. His breath came fast, his lungs burning with the smoke in the air. A thousand scents were bombarding him, now that he was at the epicenter of the carnage, but there was one scent he just couldn't pick out, the only one he wanted.

"...Shippo? Shippo!"

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Yeah. I have nothing more to say here.