Resplendence Ressurected

(Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Inuyasha or its characters, except for my own original characters)

A/N: Not going to say much, just feel the need to express the fact that I believe I deserve a long rest after writing this one. I woke up at five am to write this before my ten am English class. So if you think about it, I'll have been doing nothing today but writing for eight hours straight. Oh joy. Lol. Anyway, enjoy the new chapter…it's a doozy.

Dream sequence begin/end

Scene sequence begin/end

Chapter 25: Awaken

Kagome ripped the pendant from her neck and slid it delicately off the broken chain. Hestitating slightly, she lowered her hand on to the woman's chest; her smooth skin making contact with Kagome's trembling fingers. She fixed the gleaming pendant back into position onto the barren sliver frame attached to the strings of pearls around her neck. A small clicking sound was her confirmation that it had been restored properly. They waited anxiously, anticipating what would happen next; they response they were given was silence.

"What now?" asked Sango, obviously confused.

"I don't know…" answered Miroku scratching his head. Inuyasha shoved his hands into his robes and crossed his arms.

"Feh! You sure she didn't give you any directions that you forgot Kagome?" She didn't answer him. "…Kagome?

She had sunk down to her knees as a throbbing pain consumed her heart. Kagome clutched at her chest as she thought back to where she had felt this pain before; it was awkwardly familiar. She shut her eyes to block out the discomfort she had felt.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha yelled as he ran to her side; holding her up by her shoulders. A white light suddenly shot out from her chest and floated slowly up and down in front of her.

Kagome suddenly realized where she had felt this kind of pain before. It had only occurred one other time, but it was a memory and a feeling she would never soon forget. The occasion had been Kikyou's resurrection, guided by the ogress Urasue. Her own soul had been forced out of her body, the result of soaking in a bathtub reeking of stagnant water and strange herbs. In the end, she was able to retrieve most of her soul back from Kikyou, but pieces were still missing, and the suffering she had endured was unlike any other she had experienced.

She gasped as she felt the throbbing dull and had eventually faded from existence. She had been so lost in her thoughts that she now felt a slow warmth creeping into her body, soothing whatever once had been sharp, unbearable pains.

"The pain…it's gone." Her thoughts were paused when she felt Inuyasha tight hold around her body.

"In…Inuyasha. I'm ok."

"You sure? You scared me there for second." He said, with his head bowed; his silver bangs were splayed onto her shoulder, making her blush in embarrassment. Their moment was ruined by a cry from Miroku.

"Look!"

Kagome turned her head and noticed the white orb in front of them. It seemed as if it were waiting for something.

"That's right! I got so distracted I totally forgot about that…"

The shapeless patch of light rose up to the ceiling and paused; it suddenly took a dive and headed into the woman's body. The jewel below her neck shone brightly now, filling the cave with a tremendous light. A vaporous mist started to leak from the crimson stone, which was slowly losing its iridescence and drifted slowly in Hishura's parted lips.

"Kagome! What's going on?" Shippou asked peeking out from behind Kirara's bushy tail.

She shrugged her shoulders, but her eyes were still focused of the imagery displayed in front of them. "Beats me Shippou, but I'm sure we'll find out pretty soon."

Inuyasha grunted and pulled Tetsusaiga out from the scabbard; he held it in front of him, aimed at the coffin.

"Inuyasha! What are you doing?" Kagome yelled.

"Hmph! Better safe than sorry Kagome. I just wanna be ready for anything that might happen."

The white mist faded and once again was followed by another minute of quiescence. Suddenly the silence was broken as a violent tremor-like pulse emitted from Hishura's still body, into the cave and out into the world; like a small pebble dropped into a puddle of water.

"What was that!?" Sango exclaimed rubbing her eyes; they had all been blinded by the luminous light that had burst from the Hyoushikon moments before.

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes as he felt a wave of spiritual power approaching them rapidly. It shook the world quietly, an intangible force that suddenly hit them all and ripped through his body. Though it had only lasted a second or two, he suddenly felt the world turn red as he held himself back from transforming. He calmed himself as the ripple passed fading away behind them; he glanced westward once more as he perceived what had just taken place.

"That aura forced me to lose my temperance. It was surely meant as a warning...though a warning for whom I cannot fathom. I'm not fond of the situation."

He frowned; his handsome facial features were marred by the perturbed look upon his face. His eyebrows furrowed, the golden depth of his eyes had returned, though glazed over, and he had absorbed himself into the legions of his percipience. He had to devoted the majority of his efforts to seeking Naraku, so that he may finally be destroyed, but he could not overlook his responsibilities as the Taiyoukai of the western lands.

True, he had never asked for the position, but since his father had been the great Lord before him, it was simply expected of him; and with that position came great responsibility. It was his duty to protect his lands and whatever may reside inside them. If a danger should ever threaten the lands, he would have to deal with it. His domain had meant more to his father that it did to him, but he protected them as a sign of respect for his father. Power had always been Sesshoumaru's main focus, being the Lord of a bunch of land he spent little time in, meant nothing. The only thing that still tied him to them was obligation.

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes and thought back to the last words his father had said to him, before running off to his death.

"Are you going father?"

"Are you going to stop me Sesshoumaru?" Inu no Taisho said, his back facing his son staring down at Izayoi's village.

"I am not going to stop you. However, before that I would like the fangs So'unga and Tetsusaiga to be handed over to me." He knew that his father wasn't returning from his last battle; the love for his human bride had blinded him from common sense.

"If I say I won't give them to you…would you kill your own father?"

Sesshoumaru remained silent; he would not have even considered killing his father, but he would not accept his father's refusal as an answer. What his father had said next had stung him to the bone; it would never take leave of his memory.

"Do you desire power that much? Why do you seek power?" Inu no Taisho said calmly, a hint of disappoint in his voice.

Sesshoumaru paused, searching for the correct way to make his father understand. "I must travel the path of conquest…power is necessary to walk that path."

"Conquest huh?" he heard a low grumble resonate through his fathers chest, not certain if it was a chuckle or growl. "Sesshoumaru, is there something you want to protect?"

He thought to himself 'Protect? I would not hinder myself with such responsibility."

"Something to protect? I have no need to pursue such an endeavor." He replied coolly to his father's question. He could smell the sorrow and discouragement radiating of his father's form as he transformed and leapt from the cliff.

For him it was nothing more than a cruel reminder of the past.

"Why do I seek power?" He thought to himself. Ever since he had been a child, he had watched his father's feats in awe. The great Taiyoukai had been loved and respected but above all feared, or so he thought. As he walked beside his father he could see from the corners of his eyes, the looks that his subjects and friends gave him; it was the same attention he craved. Sesshoumaru entertained himself at the thought of making other tremble in his presence; he was a daiyoukai and should be treated as such. He would never fall or waver to the likes of Naraku or any lesser demon; humans he did not bother with, they were not worth the effort. This is where he differed from his father; he did not see what was to be respected in a human. They were powerless and often fought amongst themselves, what could have possibly attracted his father to that?

"Although I respect you father, I will never respect what you did. You died trying to protect a mortal woman and her bastard child, and were felled by a human hand nonetheless." He felt a flicker of something resonate inside his chest but ignored the emotion, whatever it was. He would surpass his father and achieve a greater power than he currently wielded.

Still, even he had his boundaries. He desired power, he very well understood his thirst would never be satiated, but he had not decided upon what to do with the power he longed for. He had always upheld his honor and never hurt an innocent, but had never spared the life of an evil being that dared to cross his path. But he also believed in survival; the weak shall perish as the strong grow more powerful. Such is the way of life; it was the foundation on which he stood. which why he could never understand why his brother persisted to better himself. He was but a hanyou and his power had limitations, unlike his own. He realized he hadn't crossed paths with Inuyasha for some time.

"I wonder where you're hiding little brother, no matter, the act is truly befitting that of a half-breed."

As their eye's came back into focus Inuyasha's ears had perked up. He heard something that he hadn't noticed before, it was faint, but the sound was growing stronger. It sounded like a small thumping, it came in sets of two's one pitch higher than the other; it was a heartbeat.

"Did it work?" asked Kagome, getting accustomed once again to their dim surroundings.

Inuyasha nodded. "Yeah…I hear a heartbeat."

Once all their eyes had acclimatized, they approached the stone grave with caution. Kagome peered closer at Hishura's body. The color had returned to the woman's face, a growing pink blush replaced the pallid gray complexion that had once been. Her chest started to rise slowly up and down, filling her lungs with the oxygen she had been deprived of for so long. Shippou hopped onto the edge of the casket, leaning in closer to take a good look.

"She sure is pretty Kagome…"

As he looked back, he froze as he noticed her eyes had begun to flutter open slowly; pair of ashen gray eyes were staring back at him.

"AH!" He yelled and lost his balance. He fell to the floor with a thud and rolled a couple of feet a ways.

"It…it worked." Kagome said breathlessly as the woman sat upright and turned her head in their direction. She lifted an elegant milk white hand to her face and touched her cheek.

"I'm…alive again." She whispered tracing the outlines of her face with a solitary delicate finger.

They stared in awe as she came to terms with her awakening. The Tetsusaiga suddenly transformed back into the rusty old sword it originally was.

"What the--" Inuyasha said ignoring the woman's presence, and shook his sword angrily, but stopped when he heard her speak.

"Kagome…" Hishura said, her voice rang out like a bell. It was demanding, but not harsh and the volume was just above a whisper, but could be heard clearly. It reminded Kagome of music as it floated gently through the air and landed upon her ears. "…I am forever in your debt. What you have done for me is greater than you could imagine."

A/N: So! After twenty four LONG chapters I have finally introduced my OC into the storyline, granted she was kinda there before, but now everyone can see her :D. Anyway a lot of inspiration for this chapter, but first things first.

Of course it should make sense that since Hishura's soul was in her body it should have to be ripped out no? Hence the allusion to Kikyo. As for Sesshoumaru's small part in this chapter, I find him probably the most complex character in the series. Al of the other character as pretty easy to read and are predictable but he's unlike them in many ways, therefore making him my favorite.

Moving on, I'm gonna end my little ramble since I have school in about an hour and I have other things to do. (:P I always end up writing way more than I should) Please Read and Review if you enjoyed it, thank you to all those who have previously reviewed on my last couple of chapter, they cheered me up a lot. Anyway, more to come soon!