Hehehehe, I'm back.
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It had been three days since the fateful battle against Naraku and the Inu group was in an understandably somber state. Not many words were spoken between them, each of the groups lost in their own thoughts and trying to recover from Naruto's…death.
Kagome had removed the shards from Inuyasha's neck with her Miko abilities, abilities that she had received ironically from the person they were all now mourning.
It was just so surreal, they had been talking to him just the other day and then he was just…gone. It had all happened so fast.
Shippou, Kagome and Sango had cried that day and most of the next. Kagura had become much more reserved and rarely spoke to anyone unless they addressed her first. Miroku, ever the peaceful monk had been chanting prayers for Naruto almost the entire time.
Inuyasha however was by far the worst of them. He had barely said two words to them during the entire three days and had taken up residence in a tree branch. They had tried to get him to come down but it had been to no avail.
Kagome looked into the happily dancing flames with dull eyes. Miroku was meditating against a tree, Sango was half heartedly sharpening Hiraikotsu, Shippou, his eyes puffy from crying was asleep in her sleeping bag, with Kirara wrapped around him, Kagura was currently resting on a tree branch, with her back against the trunk and Inuyasha…
He was still in the same spot he had been for the last three days. With his back to them his left foot dangled from the tree branch.
She sighed and stood, walking over until she was at the base of the tree he was on. "Inuyasha." She called hoping he would at least acknowledge her. He did not.
She sighed. "Inuyasha please, come down. It wasn't your fault lets talk about this."
He didn't move.
She held back her tears, born from both sadness and frustration and took a deep breath, she was too tired, physically, mentally and emotionally to negotiate with him all night, maybe tomorrow he would be more reasonable.
With a small sigh she turned and walked over to the fire before opening her sleeping bag and crawling in next to Kirara and Shippou.
Kagura listened to the girls breathing as it steadied and evened out, indicating she had fallen asleep. Miroku was in a deep trance like state, no doubt trying to calm his mind due to the events of the last few days, Sango was also only half aware of her surroundings. She stood and leapt from her branch, landing silently next to Inuyasha and putting a hand on his shoulder, startling him.
"Your coming with me." She said in a harsh whisper before she took out her fan and the two of them vanished in a small tornado that went unnoticed by those in the camp.
Meanwhile, Kagome's sleep was not as peaceful as it seemed.
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Kagome's dreamscape:
Kagome groaned as she opened her eyes only to find herself directly infront of a horde of Yokai that were only three feet infront of her their jaws wide open in preparation to devour her.
She screamed in reflex and leapt back, her hand reflexively moving towards her bow, only to find the weapon was missing. She began to panic when she noticed that the Yokai were moving no further. She looked a little closer and noticed a faint pink barier holding them back. 'A barrier?'
She looked around for a few moments before the faint outline of a woman formed infront of her, she was almost transparent, the upper part of her body was visible while her legs were nearly invisible, only the small fluctuation in the air outlined them.
"Even here, with your purity, I am still weak." The strange ghost like woman spoke. "But it is only natural, my powers cannot last forever."
Kagome recovered from her slight shock and spoke, having sensed only the pure aura of a miko, not the angry one of a demon, or the sorrowful one of a spirit. As she got a closer look she noticed the tell tale diamond mark on her forehead that identified her as the legendary priestess.
"Midoriko?" She gasped out.
The ancient priestess groaned in pain and clutched her chest, collapsing on her knees as the Yokai continued to slam against the barrier.
Kagome moved forward and tried to grab her only to have her hands pass right through her form.
"I…have…little…time." She gasped as she panted for breath. "You must find him, help him."
"Help who? Who are you talking about?" She called huddling around the struggling spirit.
Her form seemed to fade for a moment before it materialized again. "Naruto." She gasped, further shocking the young girl. "You must find him, and help him, I do not know what intentions the nine tails possesses, its power is too great, and I cannot pierce the veil it has placed between Naruto and myself."
Kagome tried to grasp what the priestess was telling her but it was too much, too fast, so she asked the most obvious question. "Naruto's alive?"
Midoriko, struggled to remain but her form faded out and her barrier dissipated. Her voice, faint and weak drifted to Kagome along the passing breeze. "Find him. He suffers, even now."
With a bright flash of light, Kagome was thrown from her dreamscape and into the world of the living.
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Meanwhile, with Kagura and Inuyasha.
The dog hanyou didn't have a chance to regain his bearings as Kagura's small tornado dissipated a few dozen yards away from the camp, well out of earshot, before the wind demoness backhanded him across the face…hard.
He stumbled back and glared at her, "Bitch, what was that for?" He snarled as he placed his hand on Tetsusaiga's hilt.
Kagura, graceful as ever, closed her fan, crossed her arms and glared right back. "Look, I know what happened is hard for you to swallow but you've got to get out of this stupid funk your in. It's making everyone miserable."
Inuyasha snarled, "Fuck off, its none of your business anyway?"
Kagura snorted, while still somehow keeping that graceful elegance about her. "Yeah right, we're wasting time here, with Naraku weakened his barriers cant be maintained so well, meaning well be able to find that blasted infant and kill it, thus killing Naraku. But with you dragging your feet and moping about, Naraku's going to recover and we'll have to kill him again before we have a shot at the kid."
Inuyasha snarled. "That's all you cared about huh? Heartless bitch, Naruto should have let Kouga have his revenge, seeing as you obviously don't give a rat's ass that he's dead."
As the words left his mouth he saw Kagura's eyes darken considerably.
"Just shut up." She bit out harshly. She looked away, her form tense and rigid. "I do care." She said after a moment. "I care because he was the only one that cared for me." She whispered as she hung her head. "But…" She said after a moment, her voice regaining its former strength. "Just because he died doesn't mean I can sit around and let what he did all be in vain. If you want to repay him for what you did then I sugest you get off your ass and do what you have to do."
She spoke, staring him dead in the eye, ruby red clashing with amber gold.
Before either of them could speak though a scream came from the camp. "AHHHH!!!!"
They both turned to the sound of Kagome's voice and rushed back to the camp.
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Sango absently continued running a stone over her Hiraikotsu.
She had seen it.
His smile.
She had seen it clear as day and it frightened her. 'Everyone I've ever loved is already dead.' The words continued to eat away at her, again and again. She should have seen it, she should have known that he was suffering. Her pain was similar to his so why hadn't she done something?
He had always helped them, always placed the others before himself. She should have helped him. She should have…she should have…
She didn't know what she should have done but she should have done something. Perhaps…perhaps if she had he wouldn't have died. He welcomed death. Wanted it even.
It wasn't right in her mind, someone that always helped others through their pain, as he had done for her, as he had done for Kagome, that he himself suffer silently in the shadows.
Her thoughts were cut off as Kagome's ear piercing scream tore through the night, waking everyone.
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Kagome woke in cold sweat, panting hard as her heart beat wildly in her chest.
The others immediately crowded around her, Shippou who had been scared to death by her scream seeing as he was right next to her recovered relatively quickly and began tugging on her hand. "Kagome what's wrong?" He cried worriedly as Kagome continued panting.
Sango and Miroku were the next to approach her. "Are you all right?" The monk asked.
"What happened?" Inuyasha spoke, for practically the first time in three days.
Kagome looked up at each of their worried faces and smiled, tears of relief and happiness forming on her eyes. "Naruto…he's still alive!"
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Meanwhile a certain blond haired Anbu slowly, painfully opened his eyes meeting the familiar blood red of a certain nine tailed demon who gave a fanged grin.
"You always did need my help, didn't you? Foolish mortal."
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Kinda short I know. Anyway, next chapter is the wonderful and long awaited confrontation between our former Jinchuuriki and the most feared and powerful demon in all the land. Hehehehehehehehehe.