Alternate Tournament

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Chapter 21

"Mother?"

Shippo, Sango and Kirara arrived right before Yusuke and Hiei. The sight that greeted them was no where near pretty. A bloody Kagome was in a the arms of a very pissed off Kurama. Kagome's death as well as Karasu's scent hung thick in the air. Tear stains were still visible on his face but that was the only sign that he cried. His handsome face was contorted by a cold, ferocious look that could send most humans and lower class demons running to their mommy's or preparing their own graves. If looks could kill, the five of them would already be dead. Even if his anger wasn't directed towards them, just having those terrifying green orbs land on you, you would regret the day you were born.

The little boy got off of Kirara and was next to Kurama in an instant. The fox kit ignored the aura of the elder fox. He knew Kurama wouldn't hurt him and so he gathered up his courage and went straight to his mother figure. Tears were welling up in his eyes and try as he might, Shippo could not stop them from falling. He did not wail, he did not make a sound except for the occasional sniffs. He took Kagome's slender hand in his own and squeezed it tightly, his tears only intensified as he felt no warmth in her.

"Mother..."

Shippo was now clenching his teeth and shut his eyes as tight as he can. Sango who was also crying silently walked over to Shippo and knelt behind him and hugged the boy as she offered comfort. Sango started apologizing in a hushed tone that they couldn't get there any faster. Kirara let out a sorrowful mewl and nuzzled them both with her massive head comfortingly as she, too, let out a howl of pain.

Hiei looked away from the scene and clenched his bandaged fists inside the pockets of his black coat. He gritted his teeth and shut his eyes. As much as he didn't want to admit to anybody, Kagome was one of the few friends he ever had. Sure he had the detective and, dare he think it, the buffoon, Kagome and Kurama were the only ones to ever truly understand him. And now, one of them was dead.

Yusuke already had tears rolling down his cheeks. He felt so guilty. He knew that something bad would happen to Kagome ever since that dream and yet he had the nerve to fall asleep. How could he call himself a true friend after that? He knew Kagome was in trouble and he had the gall to sleep! Damn it, if only Kagome was alive, she would've laughed at him but the fact of the matter is, she's dead and Yusuke could see no way for her to live again. In his mourning, Yusuke punched a tree next to him and with his new strength, he broke the tree in the middle, making it fall on another tree.

Genkai's eyes fluttered open and after registering what had happened, she jumped to her feet immediately and ran towards Kagome. Her face showed her utter shock at seeing her favorite granddaughter bloodied and dead. She took Kagome in her arms and although she was a very small old lady, Genkai was able to manage her granddaughter in her arms. She did feel a slight reluctance from the fox but, nonetheless, he let her have Kagome's body.

She muttered something under her breath before going off into the deeper part of the woods. Probably to bury Kagome's body.

Hiei was off to let out his anger in his training. He knew that if he stayed any longer he would break down or break something. And that was not an option. He was ready to find Karasu and kill him emotionally but he knew that in his current state, Hiei would not stand a chance. Besides, he knew it'll be Kurama who will kill the bastard, he'll just have to settle for someone else in the Toguro team. As long as he gets to kill someone, he's fine with it.

Yusuke reluctantly left and went to the place where Kagome found him sleeping. He sat under the same tree and thought about Kagome's sudden appearance earlier that day. Could she have known that she would die? If she did then why didn't she say something? Was she so cocky that she thought she could defeat Karasu with less than 5% of her real power? How could she be so selfish!

"She wasn't being selfish, you know." said a voice as if reading his mind. It was Koenma in his teenage guise.

"What do you want? I'm not in the mood for any of your games." replied the detective. His voice sounded blank and lifeless.

"I know. Even I'm in a bad mood." Sighing, Koenma looked to the sky and continued,

"She is not selfish, she's just stupid to interfere with a fight that has been going on long before she was born. And even more so when she fought Karasu with such little amount of her strength." stated the prince as he sat on the gound next to Yusuke.

The detective wasted no time in grabbing the collar of Koenma's clothes. How dare he! Their friend just died and all he could say was how stupid she was because she interfered with someone else's battle? Whoever that someone was, they were sure lucky to have been saved by Kagome.

"Is that all you can say! That she's stupid!" roared Yusuke as he was shaking Koenma.

"Yes! She is stupid! She wasn't supposed to die! It was Genkai who should've died. This is her's and Toguro's fight! Kagome had no right to meddle in their affair. And not to mention, Genkai would've finished her duty. Now, it is most likely you are going to lose!" retorted a frustrated prince.

"Genkai?...It was her fight? I-I thought..."

"Yes. You were thinking differently weren't you?" Yusuke shook his head and stared at Koenma, still clutching his clothes tightly.

"What will happen, now that Kagome is gone?" he asked menacingly. The prince gulped slightly and answered,

"Now that Kagome's dead, you're one member short and you lack the certain amount of motivation to be able to beat Toguro. That girl's death made everything turn into one gigantic mess!" explained Koenma.

Sure he felt bad that Kagome is dead, in fact, he felt horrible right now, but he still had to take everybody's future into consideration. Being the prince of Reikai, he had to discard personal feelings and opinions in order to secure Ningenkai's survival and the balance among the three world's. Sure, they could always wish her back but that is if they win against the Toguro's. Like he said earlier, nothing is certain now. They could all be as good as failures. He didn't even know what to do with the team one member short.

Yusuke dropped Koenma and left after saying,

"If that is what you think, then you've got another thing coming, pacifier-beath. We will win and we will get her back." with that, the detective left Koenma to rub his neck as a little spark of hope lit up inside the prince's heart...Maybe they could win...*sigh*...It's too early to tell though...

Kurama, who was left in the clearing, was already figuring out a way on how to defeat Karasu. He wanted to make sure that that man will die painfully by his hands. Kurama had already calmed himself a little to try and get some training done and get used to the potion Suzuka gave him...

Flashback...

Suzuka handed a potion of sorts to Kurama and he explained,

"That is the Fruit of the Former Life, it's the fleshy part of the Tokitadare blossom that's freshly picked from Makai. For Uraurashima, it became the smoke for his Idun box. By drinking it's juice, it will revert you back into your former self with the right amount. At least I think it will. It shall take effect a few minutes after it's taken. Allow me a few more words and I'll give you a warning" Suzuka looked at Kurama who nodded.

"This tournament is the first time this item is used along with the Trial Sword for Kuwabara. I don't know what side effects they will have on their user so take extra precautions." Kurama just looked at him skeptically before stating,

"So we are merely your guinea pigs." Suzuka snorted.

"It's still up to you if you want to use them or not." Suzuka started walking away but Kurama stopped him by asking,

"Why are you giving these to us?" Suzuka turned to look at him,

"I dislike you...but I hate Toguro. I wanted to defeat him after he made a fool out of me when I was young, using less than 3% of his power to defeat me. I went to pieces at his feet, begging him to spare my life." clenching his bandaged hand, he recalled that time when he met Toguro.

Flashback within a Flashback...

"I only kill true fighters in job assignments, you are neither. So run along." With that said, Toguro left a cowering Suzuka.

End of Flashback...

"I started gathering all the enchanted items I could find and I even formed my own team to enter this tournament, hoping to put an end to Toguro. But after your friend defeated me, I knew there was no chance of me being able to pay him back for my humiliation. My body wasn't built for your type of fighting. But if my body can't beat him at least my items can. Show him that ingenuity and sophistication can win against brute strength." he admitted, clenching his bandaged fists tighter. And with that, Suzuka left...

End of Flashback...

Hopefully, what Suzuka said was true and it will change him into Youko Kurama. It was the only way for him to stand a chance against Karasu. So far, however, he had no luck. He knew Karasu over-powered him in all aspects. Even in games of the mind. He will surely die if Karasu ever got a hold of him. But of course, that won't stop the kitsune from trying.

Kurama clutched the Shikon shard hanging around his neck. He will avenge Kagome, even if he needs to sacrifice himself...

Kurama...Get a grip...you're not going to die.

I won't allow it.

If you do, I'll kill you.

He could hear her in his head. She was laughing at him. It was like she was really here with him. He could see her face, without her mask, she was smiling. Now, he knows he's gone crazy. He's starting to imagine Kagome with him, now. Patting his back and laughing at his helplessness good-naturedly. He really did miss her. Bad...

And he will get her back.

Sango was walking around in the woods trying to clear her thoughts. She was still mourning her sister's death. Her eyes were a bit red from all that crying. Shippo was in a similar state but thankfully, he fell asleep and she left him in the hotel, on Kagome's bed. She felt bad for the kit, he had already lost his biological parents and now, Kagome.

Sighing, she continued walking through the trees, until she came across a familiar face... the Jaganshi.

He was practicing to call the Dragon again without injuring himself but his arm just won't let him Sango could tell that he was having a rough time with it. She was watching him ever since Kagome suggested that she teach him the binding spell for his technique. Yes, it was Kagome who told her to bug the Jaganshi until he let her teach it to him. Her musings were cut short when he noticed her presence.

"What are you staring at, ningen?" He wasn't looking in her direction but she had heard the curiosity in his voice.

"Nothing...It's just that I've been thinking about Kagome lately and I remembered what she kept telling me about you. But I still can't see what she likes about you." Hiei faced her with an arched eyebrow showing his undivided attention. He didn't know that the miko talked about him.

"You see, she was the one who told me to give you that binding spell we used to bandaged that arm of yours. Kagome only suggests such things for the benefit of her friends so I figured that she considered you a friend."

"Hn." There was a tinge of surprise in the Jaganshi's expression so he turned away..

"By the way, thank you." Not looking at the taijiya he asked,

"For what?"

"For being her friend." Sango was gone by the time Hiei lifted his head and say what a shallow and confusing thing to say. Shutting his mouth, he thought about what the girl said to him.

...she was the one who told me to give you that binding spell...

...Kagome only suggests such things for the benefit of her friends ...

His mind drifted to the times when he, Kagome and Kurama had those telepathic conversations and when he was trapped in that tent with Kagome and when she proved to be a skilled fighter. Even when she teased the orange-haired idiot. Strangely, he realized that he actually enjoyed all of that. And that's something coming from an emotionless demon like him. The corner of his lips lifted to form the smallest of smiles on the Jaganshi's face...

Noticing this, he quickly shook his head and decided to continue his training. He will not stand for any of the miko's nagging about him losing and getting himself killed. He will defeat one of the members of Toguro...Make no mistake about that, miko...

And train, he did.

Kuwabara wandered through the forest. He lost track of Urameshi when he was blocked by a huge crowd of demons. They just came out of nowhere and he had to beat them to be able to get through but by that time, Urameshi was gone.

Speaking of beating the demons, he had accidentally used the hilt given to him by Suzuka. It did the most awesome thing ever. He was so caught up by his own discovery that he forgot what he was previously doing. He was now set on finding Urameshi to brag about his new power. Riiight...

He tried sensing Urameshi's spirit energy but something had gone wrong with his abilities. They've been going on and off lately. Maybe it had something to do with his new ability or it could be that strange feeling he had.

He's been feeling so sad lately, he's creeping himself out.

"Damn it, Urameshi, where the hell are you?" he asked no one in particular.

Kuwabara... a familiar voice in his head said. It was Kagome. Come to think of it, he hadn't sensed her spirit energy since she left. Maybe she was training. But with his own senses going on and off, he wouldn't be surprised if he just missed it.

Finally ,he decided he'll look for Kurama, Kagome or even Hiei. Just to show them his superior skill.

Yep, you've definitely gone back to normal.

Good for you.

There it was again, Kagome's voice. Shaking his head, he started to go t o the other side of the forest.

Kuwabara walked through a few trees and he came to a cliff with blue energy shooting from below. And what do you know, Urameshi was down there. Only, he was surrounded by his massive energy. The blue light encased him and it was shaped like a ball around Yusuke. Suddenly, he thought his discovery was nowhere near Urameshi's right now. He started to feel insignificant all of a sudden.

Kuwabara could see that Urameshi was serious as his energy ball expanded into an enormous one and some of it was already starting to lash out. Just watching Urameshi training like this was so unlike the punk...Wait, Urameshi...serious? Ok, this is definitely weird. Maybe something happened... Shrugging it off, he noticed that Yusuke was already looking at him questioningly, his energy went back in his body. In shock, the carrot-top slid on some rocks and fell. When he reached the bottom Yusuke commented,

"What, Kuwabara, you forgot how to walk now?" sarcasm laced his voice. The big lug jumped up and started pointing his Trial Sword at the detective.

"You can say all you want, punk, but I'm not gonna let you mess up my day!" Despite what Kuwabara said, he had temporarily forgotten what he was going to brag about and just stared for a while.

"What are you staring at?" he asked crudely. Kuwabara inwardly shook himself and replied,

"Wha?" was his oh-so intelligent reply.

"What's the matter with you? You seem to be spacing off."

"It's none of your beeswax, Urameshi. Hey, have you seen the midget or Kurama?" He asked because he wanted to change the subject. Then again, he was really curious.

Suddenly,

"Hn. Do you think it's possible for you to shut up?" Hiei came out of the shadows of the cliff. His right arm was bare and it looked like the Jaganshi was either gnawing on it or torturing it.

"What the-? What happened to your arm!" exclaimed Kuwabara. Hiei merely looked at his arm as if it was of no real importance. It looked like he burned his arm even more than it originally was. He merely said,

"It did not obey when I gave it a specific command so I decided to punish it." Kuwabara looked at him like he was crazy and asked,

"Okay, that's too weird for me." Hiei shrugged lightly and smirked.

"Why don't we stick to something safe, like, where's Kurama?" Right after he finished his question he felt a strong 'kitsune aura' behind him. He visibly stiffened. He doesn't know who that power belonged to, at least, not all of it. Kuwabara jumped slightly when he heard a familiar voice behind him,

"Kuwabara, I've been standing beside you for quite some time now." And true enough, Kurama came out of the darkness with a small smile on his face. Kuwabara knew, he didn't like what his smile implied but shrugged it off.

"Okay... let me guess, Kagome is above me." Kuwabara stated jokingly. Two of their members just came out of nowhere so he expected for the last one to do the same.

His mentioning of Kagome's name turned their light mood into a very dark one. Everybody seemed to have drowned in their own thoughts at Kagome's name. Yusuke faced the ocean and listened to the wind blowing past them with a solemn expression. Hiei looked away with a blank look on his face. Kurama looked down so that his hair would cover the sadness in his eyes as he clenched his fists. Kuwabara looked at each of them and wondered what he said wrong. Yusuke broke the silence and said to the confused Kuwabara,

"Let's go back to the hotel." Everyone merely nodded and walked in uncomfortable silence towards their destination. Even Kuwabara refrained from asking anything. Apparently, no one was in a good mood lately.

The room was silent. No one felt the need to talk. Puu was depressed for the same reason as the three of them and remained quiet. Keiko was a little uncomfortable with the atmosphere. She didn't know what happened to make everyone so gloomy. Kuwabara was irritated that his friends seemed to know something he didn't. Both of them were completely clueless. Shizuru was silent because she knew Kagome was gone. The spirit energy of their friend told her that much. Botan was nowhere to be found. She was probably with Kagome in Reikai, by now.

Kurama was leaning on the wall with his eyes closed. Hiei was sitting on the window sill and looked out towards the sea. Yusuke was lounging on a chair and remained silent.

"Um…Where's Kagome? I haven't seen her since yesterday." Keiko asked nervously as she tried to relieve the tension but in fact, she only added fuel to the flame.

"She's…not feeling well…" replied Yusuke as he leaned on the wall with his arms crossed. The detective knew Kurama did not feel like saying anything anytime soon so he decided to make an excuse for him.

"What? How can she not feel well? It's the night of the finals!" shouted Kuwabara.

"Why are you so depressed anyways, Urameshi? Heck, even shrimpy, here is too quiet." He received no answer.

"What's wrong with everyone today!" Still, no one answered him.

"What the hell is going on with you people!" Kuwabara was fed up with the silence and wanted some answers. How can Kagome not feel well? She looked fine to him earlier. All right maybe she was a little pale but still, someone as strong as her could've gotten over any sickness by now. Besides, he can't understand what so bad about today for them to be so...creepy. All the while, when walking back here, these three had some rather black cloud hovering over them wherever they went.

"Shut up, bro. If you're so bored then why don't you sleep." snapped Shizuru as she continued to smoke. She didn't want to bring up the topic that is Kagome. Her brother would eventually know anyway.

Genkai stepped into the room and all eyes were on her. Yusuke looked at her skeptically and after receiving a nod from the old lady he went back to being silent and lounged about. Hiei also looked at her and nodded before looking out the window again. She turned to Kurama and gave him a look that said 'We need to talk. Now.' making Kurama stand straight and follow her out the door. Kuwabara looked at them as they exchanged knowing looks and went about shouting again.

"What are you guys talking about!" Keiko looked at him and said,

"No one is saying anything Kuwabara. Are you sure you aren't tired?" she looked at him innocently and he merely blushed and muttered about something they couldn't hear.

Outside...

"Kurama, did Kagome give you the jewel shard she had with her?" asked Genkai in a hushed tone. Kurama looked at her with a surprised gaze,

"How did you know?"

"Did you really think that that girl would come up with an idea like giving away the jewel on her own?" retorted the old lady. The fox narrowed his eyes at her,

"Did you know that she would die?" he asked menacingly.

"No. But I had a feeling. That's why I told her not to interfere with my fight but leave it to the girl to delay my death." Kurama looked at her questioningly.

"My death will come. How do you think that girl would know when and how I would die? She didn't see it from a crystal ball, you know." sighing Genkai continued,

"I will still fight Toguro. That girl's death was in vain. It only prolonged something that should've already been finished." looking up at the kitsune next to her, she said,

"That's why I wanted you to have the jewel, just in case she would do something stupid. But she probably planned on getting herself killed ever since I told her everything. Now, that you have the shard, I want you to keep it with you at all times. Her enemy is here and he will stop at nothing to get his hands on it." Her eyes held a kind of seriousness that made you want to cower. But of course, he did no such thing.

"Who is this enemy?" he asked instead.

"That, I do not know. You'll have to figure it out on your own. When that jewel is whole, it can grant any wish. If it's a selfish wish, it will be consumed with evil and taint everything it touches; if it's a pure one, then it will disappear and your wish will be granted."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"I want you to be prepared when the time comes. And that's if you need to use it. Now then, I shall take my leave. Tell Yusuke, nothing of this. He shall know what he should from Koenma. I've already informed him." Genkai closed her eyes before straightening up and walking away.

"Oh, and don't worry about your replacement. Kagome surprisingly took care of it already." She waved her hand before she sought out Toguro. Kurama wanted to stop her but he also knew that it was of no use. He will not interfere and will merely watch as things will unfold on their own and then he will set his plans in motion...

Somewhere in the Hotel...

A group of people, known as the leaders of the Black Market called the Black Black Club, were talking about Sakyo's fortune when one of them spoke up,

"Come on, don't crowd the man. Sakyo, why don't you tell us what your planning." He encouraged. They are a group of people who enjoy gambling with everything they get their hands on, even lives of others. They are also the ones who do the most despicable things humans are capable of just for he thrill of it. They broke every single law that there is to break. They aren't caught because they kill anyone that gets in their way using the demons they have captured. They gamble with everything the can get their dirty hands on. In short, they're a despicble bunch.

"I plan to create a portal between the Human World and the Demon World." Sakyo stated simply.

"What?"

"Come, come, now gentlemen. Use your imagination. The demons that cross into our world are merely weak and small and in numbers that are enough for the spirit detective and his friends to dispatch. Why do you think only these demons are able to pass into our world? Cost. To produce a portal between our worlds the size of a fist, costs a million. That's why only small and crafty demons are able to pass into our world. I plan to produce one that is big enough so that every demon, regardless of their strength or size, will be able to pass through. Imagine a world where demons and humans alike co-exist. I did have to get rid of a few pests. Tarukane was easy enough. Then again, I also did kill Butagiri." the others were already creating a fuss after hearing Sakyo's idea. They were also unnerved by the fact that Sakyo had killed their fellow members.

"Are you mad!" exclaimed that same person. Sakyo merely smirked and it ticked all of the people in the room.

"If you're still placing bets, I'll still collect." he teased.

"Sakyo, you bastard!" that person went over to the wall and pressed a button. It opened a wall to reveal a bunch of demons that attacked at his command. Sakyo merely sat there as if he didn't care or nothing was happening. One minute, the demons were charging towards him then the next, the were all pierced and killed. Even the ones from the Black Black Club. Blood was scattered everywhere, on the walls, the ceiling and even on Sakyo's face. He merely wiped it off with his handkerchief before throwing the piece of clothe over one of them. Turning to the one who killed most of the room's inhabitants, he said,

"What do you think about my plan?"

"Very interesting indeed. But I have things to settle first."

"Yes. I believe you mentioned the Shikon no Tama." Chuckling, the figure replied,

"That talk is for another time, Sakyo. But I do have to ask, did everything go as planned?" asked a figure wrapped in baboon pelt. Sakyo, who was sitting in his chair with his head resting on his hands replied,

"Yes. However, Genkai did not die as planned. Her granddaughter interfered earlier than expected."

"I wouldn't worry about it if I were you. If this Genkai is anything like that miko then she will come to Toguro and she will still die." predicted the man in the pelt.

"I do hope so. I take it you still remember our deal." Sakyo sat back in his chair and extended his hand out to the man in front of him. The one in the pelt chuckled as he handed out a piece of the Shikon jewel.

"Hm. I'm still surprised that you manage to kill the miko."

"It was hard finding one that could kill her but she brought her death unto herself. If she didn't drain her power then she would've stood a chance against three demons of Karasu's level. Such a pity. We could've used her." said Sakyo thoughtfully.

"Indeed. That was why I wanted her dead. If she died then it would be easier to obtain the rest of the Shikon. Now, all we need is to defeat the rest of that bothersome team and find the rest of that jewel." replied the man offhandedly.

"I'll let the Toguro team handle that. However, we are still one member short." Sakyo looked pointedly at the man.

"And you want me to take the fifth place of this team?"

"Yes."

"Hn." In a blink of an eye, the man in baboon pelt was gone.

Sakyo closed his eyes calmly.

"I'll take it that you agree then...Naraku."

With Genkai...

True to her word, Genkai sought out Toguro and she found him in a clearing deep in the forest. Walking up to him, she made her presence known.

"Toguro."

"Genkai. I thought you would come. No doubt to avenge your granddaughter."

"Why I am here is none of your concern. You only need to know that one of us shall die tonight."

"Oh? Now who could that be?"

"Why don't we find out!" Gritting her teeth, Genkai lunged at him and their fight started once again.

Flipping into the air, Genkai fired a shot aimed for her opponent's head. Toguro stopped it with a punch and it dispersed immediately. He removed his coat as he let his muscles grow, using 10% of his power. He tried to land a punch on the old psychic but she was surprisingly quicker than she was earlier that day. She had evaded his shots and kicked him in the chest.

Feeling nothing but a slight tickle, Toguro took this opportunity and grabbed her leg. He swung her body into a tree and dashed towards her only to throw her in the air. He stretched out his arm and impaled her body on his fist through her stomach.

Genkai's eyes widened as she coughed up her blood. Her vision started to blur but she managed to remove herself from Toguro and she glared at him. She only had one more shot and it was pretty weak but she gathered all the energy left in her and let it fly towards Toguro anyway. It left her dry and tired. But she was able to see Toguro stop her attack and was now running towards her, his fist ready to end their battle.

Toguro met her attack with another one of his powerful punches, making it stop before dispersing like the first one. He ran towards the psychic he landed the last blow in their 50-year battle.

Closing her eyes, Genkai let herself be consumed by the darkness. And Toguro looked at her lifeless body before he picked up his coat and he, too, went away.

Yusuke, Shizuru, Hiei, Kurama and Koenma felt Genkai's presence disappear. Yusuke rushed out of the hotel and to the place where his teacher was. Kurama and Hiei only looked at each other and bowed their heads. Shizuru felt a lone tear escape her control and Keiko looked at her worriedly,

"Shizuru? Are you all right?" Shizuru only smiled a fake smile and said,

"Oh it's nothing. Just something in my eye." Wiping away that tear, she thanked the Kami's that her brother was asleep already. If he wasn't, then there was hell to pay.

Koenma found a mourning Yusuke in the same clearing Genkai and Toguro fought. Genkai's body was taken by Botan a few hours ago but the detective refused to leave the spot. Sighing, the teenage Koenma neared Yusuke.

"What do you want now, Koenma?" his voice held a huge amount of despair. The crestfallen boy did not look at the prince as he stated,

"I don't see why you're still like this even after I told you she was supposed to die. But, then again, I didn't really expect for her to die so soon either." Yusuke was so pissed off that he stood and grabbed Koenma's collar for the second time that day. Shouting in the prince's face, he said,

"Are you really that heartless, pacifier-breath! Kagome and Genkai died in one day and you're asking me why would I still be like this! I thought you said 'she was supposed to die', not she would die!" Koenma replied in a calm tone,

"How did Genkai pick such a moron apprentice?"

"Who're you calling 'moron', pacifier-junkie!"

"Yusuke, think about it. Kagome's death had gone to waste because she believed that she could save her grandmother from facing the challenge of her life but, being just a teenage girl, she had failed. Genkai wanted to end her fight with Toguro. They changed from friends to teammates to bitter enemies. Both were like opposing magnets in a crash course. Genkai came here knowing she would die and Toguro came here knowing he would kill her. How could you, or even Kagome, whose mothers weren't even born when this dispute began interfere in a 50-year old battle?" Yusuke was trying to stop crying again but he failed. Tears streamed down his face and he gritted his teeth.

"So are you gonna let me go or are we gonna stand here and do the Tango?" Yusuke let him go and faced a tree, trying to hide his tears.

"Why did you go?" he referred to the two people who had looked out for him and became two of his true friends. Yusuke tried to process the information that was shoved down his throat. He couldn't understand why these things had to happen. Two of the closest people he had ever known had just been snatched away from him and he was too weak to stop any of this. He wasn't even there in their last moments.

"Genkai and Kagome also left you a message." Looking back at Koenma with eager eyes, he asked,

"What did they say?"

"They said that you should get over yourself and that they wanted you to live for a very long time so they could have some peace and quiet. In short, 'Dimwit, go in that battle.'. Sounds just like them, doesn't it?" Koenma's gaze softened a little.

"Yeah, it does." Yusuke was already sniffling. Wiping away a few tears, he did a couple of flips in the air and landed in the middle of the clearing. He positioned himself to fire a shot. His finger glowed as it gathered a huge amount of energy and he finally fired, leaving him lying on the ground, gazing at his shot.

Kurama, Hiei and a few others saw his shot and, for some reason, they felt a tinge of hope that everything will end well. Puu was cheerful again and started clapping his long ears together. He was making his usual noises now and it was enough for Keiko to be a little relieved as well.

"Do you think it reached them?" asked the detective as he lay there. Koenma was still looking up and smiled to himself.

"I'm sure it did, Yusuke. I'm sure it did." Rolling to his side, Yusuke let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"Good."

"Oh, and Yusuke, Kagome left this on my desk and she wanted me to give it to Kurama but since I have my work cut out for me, I want you to deliver this." Koenma handed out a piece of paper to Yusuke. Standing up, the detective looked at it and asked,

"Did she say anything else?"

"Yes, she said that if anyone else read this, she would kill whoever was responsible in the most painful way possible. In short, 'Read this and you die.'." Yusuke smiled. Kagome is really scary, even in death...

In the Feudal Era...

Sango was clutching Shippo and was sitting silently on the floor. When they returned here in such low spirits and with some tears in their eyes, everyone's fears were just confirmed. No one really said anything but they all knew it. Their precious friend was dead...

Inuyasha ran off somewhere in the forest with a speed he rarely used. He had to get away from them. He could smell Kagome's death on Shippo since he did hold Kagome's hand. Her scent lingered on both Sango and Shippo and it only made things worse for him.

Miroku clutched his staff tightly and prayed for Kagome's soul. He remained silent as he mourned her death. She was his precious friend and one of the most important people to him. Then again, she always was someone's special someone. It was impossible for you to meet her without becoming her friend.

Kikyo, who once wished for her reincarnation's demise long ago, was now in tears. Even with her clay body, she could not help the sorrow that overcame her. She thought it was a feeling that was long forgotten by now. But she was wrong. She had friends and no longer wandered alone. Kagome was the first to accept her into the group as a trustworthy ally. Inuyasha was with her, yes, but he saw her more than a friend so it didn't count. She was welcomed into their group because of Kagome and she became an ally to all of them. She didn't even feel the rest of her soul come back to her but then again, she didn't want it anymore.

Kaede and everyone in the village were heart broken. Heck, Sesshomaru even went there to confirm the miko's demise. He had not brought his usual companions probably because he didn't want the little girl to be in the same state as the Inu gang. When he did confirm his suspicion, his face remained impassive but his eyes flashed with sadness. It was gone just as quickly as it appeared but it was there. Sesshomaru had treated the miko like one of his pack and he had trained her and treated her with respect. Having nothing more to do there, he disappeared. He would not tell Rin, yet.

For now though, he needed to go somewhere...

Kagura, who was hovering above the group, observed and figured out everything. The miko wench was dead. Naraku would like this. But she had no intention of telling him, after all, she did hate him. She went back to where Naraku's hiding place was only to find that the hanyou was nowhere in sight. It has been like this since that miko started to stay in the future more often. Naraku disappeared on the day that the demon slayer and the kit started traveling in the Modern Era. That was another thing; Kagura didn't tell Naraku about this time-traveling of theirs but he probably knew about it anyway.

Sighing, she sought out Kanna and Kohaku, the three of them have spent more time together these past few weeks. Kanna and Kagura had taken pity on the boy and decided that they will free him, too. That is if they ever found a way out of that despicable hanyou's grasp...

Back in the Modern Era...

Sesshomaru got off of his cloud and landed in front of Kubikukuri Hotel. He had traveled through time using the Bone Eater's Well just as Kagome had shown him before. Yes, she already let him know about her time-traveling business. Sesshomaru was quite successful in accomplishing this task, after all, if a hanyou and a slip of a miko could do it, why not him? He masked his scent and aura as he started to stride inside, there, he found Reikai's prince sitting on one of the chairs waiting for someone. Seeing the Taiyoukai, he stood up and bowed. Nodding in acknowledgment, he stated,

"I believe you are Koenma." his cold tone was still in place as was his emotionless stare. Seeming a little surprised, the prince looked at the Demon lord,

"Yes. Kagome merely told me to wait for someone important but she forgot to mention it was you, Lord Sesshomaru."

"Hn. I am here because she informed me that if anything should happen to her while she was here, I was to take her place."

"So that girl really planned on getting herself killed?"

"Perhaps." Sesshomaru's face remained blank but his eyes became a little soft at the mention of Kagome's name.

"Very well then. I shall explain everything..." Koenma explained what was to take place that morning and informed the Taiyoukai what was happening with everything else.

Sesshomaru was told by Kagome what she had thought would eventually happen; that she would die etc. She said that if she was ever killed while she was there, her dying request was for him to take her place, for the sake of the group. It was kind of out-of-the-blue but she made sure he agreed to it. They had talked right before she left for Hanging Neck Island. He was reluctant to accept such a ridiculous request but, with Kagome, he had to agree. She was one of his pack after all...

TBC...

Read and review pls. Sorry for any errors. This chapter is very long to make up for the wait so I hope you guys like it. ^-^