A/n: The last chapter was only made to answer some questions and as a segue way into this one. Now, I can get back to the main plot…it's 'bout damn time right. I hope you enjoy and I apologize for any grammatical errors.

~Chapter 25~

They traveled in complete silence; a silence that was so rife with tension that Kagome was nearly afraid to breath. Her 'plan' was not received well by her friends and especially by her son and Sesshomaru. It was upsetting to her that her decision was hurting the people around her, but they needed to understand that this was their only chance at surviving.

She understood where they were coming from though, if she had been any one of them she would be upset too. She had told them in very few words that she was going to let the Darkness reach inside of her; the possibility that the Darkness might take her soul before she was able to pull her 'sibling' inside of her was very real. In the two days since she told them what she intended to do all of them had had communicated very little with her; she knew it wasn't anger that drove their silence—it was their fear.

She was afraid too, because despite the uniqueness of her soul she was still very much human. It was her soul that was eternal, but her physical body was fragile, she was very aware that she could die. The thought of her dying weighed on her just as much if not more than it weighed on her friends. She didn't want to be a martyr. She didn't want to die. She understood she had a responsibility to carry out the promise that her first incarnation had made to the Light—but that wouldn't keep her from hating the fact that she once again was left with no choice. She was human after all and despite what others believed she was prone to bouts of selfishness. It didn't make her a horrible person—and she supposed her understanding that she was selfish, but also selfless was one of the reasons the Light had chosen her in the first place.

As she was lost to her thoughts they had finally come upon the edge of the Aokigahara forest. She had been to the forest for the first time when she was thirteen during a field trip—even after 500 years it had remained beautiful if not a little frightening with the sinister history surrounding it.

"Hey Sesshomaru? Can you feel that?"

Kagome turned slightly towards Inuyasha in question just as Sesshomaru softly agreed, "Hn."

"They're all over the forest."

Instead of asking what they were talking about Kagome reached out with her aura and tensed when she felt countless auras probing back with curiosity and fear.

Inuyasha scanned the forest from left to right and whispered, "What—who are they?"

Kagome breathed, "They're survivors."

Miroku came to stand beside her with wide eyes, "They're so many of them…why would they hide here?

"I told you—the Darkness fears the mountain, it won't come near it. The real question is how they knew to come here."

It was hard to describe how she felt; that so many had found a place to survive, there were so many in the forest that trying to single even one out was overwhelming. Too late she realized that if it was overwhelming to her then for Rin—

Sesshomaru had told her of the little demon's gift and how difficult it was for Rin to control it. She quickly turned to the girl and knew immediately she was right to be concerned. Rin's fingers were clenched in her hair as the heels of each palm pressed down against her temples. Her eyes were clenched shut as her entire body trembled.

Kagome and Sesshomaru both turned to aid the poor girl but before they could offer her any help Shippo lowered his head to hers. There were no words spoken obviously on Shippo's part but when Rin's eyes opened to reveal the receding panic and pain in her lavender gaze, Kagome knew that there was some form of communication happening. Kagome had not been unaware of the pair's odd staring contests; the difference this time was that it was quite evident that they were speaking to one another and her son did not look like he wanted to tear the little Inuyoukai apart. She found herself intensely curious as to what her Shippo had said to Rin but as long as the child was okay then Kagome would put it to the side for a later time.

"Rin."

Rin slowly turned to her guardian, blinking lethargically before whispering, "I'm fine…I'll be fine."

Kagome asked, "Are you sure Rin? There are a lot of thoughts in that forest and if you are in pain now, it will only get worse."

Rin glanced back towards Shippo before answering, "I'm sure."

Kagome really had no other option but to take her word for it so she nodded and turned back to the forest. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly before she took her first step into the forest and the others quietly followed. Ever since she had stepped foot in the past she had felt the turmoil of the land; it was as if Japan was crying out in pain and begging to be saved. In the 'sea of trees' before them Kagome could not feel anything other than peace. It wasn't perfect, but in the forest that so many in the future feared—she felt safe.

She could feel the presence of the survivors all over the forest, but she saw nobody. If not for her being a miko and able to sense the presence of others she would have believed them to be alone. Despite knowing there were practically surrounded they continued forward—until they were approached they would make their way to Mt. Fuji.

Aokigahara was not the kind of place one went for a nice hike. In some places the trees twisted and turned in such a way that it was hard to navigate through them and in other places the ground was so uneven that it was difficult to keep her feet firmly on the ground. It was interesting though to see so much wildlife in a place that was known almost as a chasm of emptiness—she had wondered where all the animals had fled to, it made hunting for food outside of the forest hard when there were so few animals around.

The journey to the mountain was exhausting, more so because they were all working on very little sleep. They had made their way through the forest for over two hours before Sesshomaru stopped and Kagome knew then that they were about to meet at least one of those who had found refuge in the forest.

Sesshomaru's chin rose slightly as he said a name, "Tamotsu."

They all watched as a youkai; a Daiyoukai, jumped down gracefully from a tree and rose before them. He was quite obviously a jaguar—his hair fell around him in silky waves of gold and black and wrapped around his leg was his tail. At first the only marking that was visible was a black jaguar paw print on his forehead but as a sliver of moonlight penetrated the shelter of leaves above she could make out barely visible spots all over the frame of his face, neck and arms. His chartreuse green eyes were both weary and wary—he possessed the same unnatural and delicate beauty that her Inuyoukai did.

"Sesshomaru—I had thought perhaps you had fallen victim to this evil. I should have known better it seems."

"Hn. The East has fallen then?"

The jaguar sighed and shook his head, "I am not sure. My clan and I were not there to see its destruction. The West?"

"This Sesshomaru's home still stands and serves as a refuge for those fleeing the Darkness."

Tamotsu's brow furrowed in confusion, "Then why have you come here?"

It was Kagome who turned the question on him, "Why have you?"

The jaguar turned his green eyes on her and hesitated, looking at Sesshomaru then back to her before answering, "Those of us who could feel its presence growing stronger before it arrived began to prepare for it. The East did not have the protective barrier that the West does; so instead we prepared for war. An…an elder came to us with a warning. She insisted we set aside our pride if we wanted to live and if we should decide against heeding her warning that we would surely die. As we watched even the animals flee we followed—we attempted to save as many as we could on our journey here. The Hawk and Shadow youkai scout for survivors when they can—their endeavors have been quite successful. Now, what is it that brings you to this forest if you have safety behind the Western walls?"

Sesshomaru looked down at her, "My intended means to reach the holy mountain; it is her—our hope that what she may find there will help us to defeat the Darkness."

Tamotsu's eyes widened, "Defeat? The elder said it was not possible."

A soft feminine voice echoed around them, "It is not possible for us to defeat this evil."

They all turned to their right as a stunning female came out from behind a tree; the youkai's eyes were hypnotizing as they moved like shifting fog that seemed to follow Kagome as she gestured to the nervous miko, "But it is quite possible for her to defeat it."

The beauty of the youkai was unsettling and she did not look like an 'elder', but very little in the world surprised Kagome anymore. She had a cascade of powder blue hair that fell to the back of her thighs, and from either side of her head protruded two horns that rose like spirals and shown like opal. She had a tail trailing behind her, nearly like that of an ox. The entire frame of her face was outlined by shimmering opalescent scales and upon closer inspection Kagome realized that the scales covered every visible part of her body. The young miko had seen many beautiful demons, both male and female, but this one was unrivaled. Kagome wondered who she was but before she could ask, Inuyasha of course asked as rudely as he possibly could, "Who the hell are you?"

The youkai turned her unnerving milky eyes to the hanyou who seemed to shrink into himself, unable to handle the intensity of her gaze that almost seemed unseeing. "You may call me Akiho."

It didn't take Kagome very long to realize that Akiho was not as she appeared; she was not a youkai, she was something that Kagome had yet to encounter. Though they were all curious they had little time to spare with questions that could be answered later; there was one question though that Kagome needed the answer to. The elder obviously knew more than maybe even Kagome did and the possibility that she might prompted her to ask, "Will I find what I am looking for in the mountain?"

Akiho smiled sweetly at her, "Yes," her smile slowly disappeared as she turned to look further into the forest, "if you walk just a bit further you will feel it. This is as far as we will go. I am not sure if it can harm us as it is, but I would not want to take the chance. You though little miko; it cannot harm you."

Suddenly Akiho was blocked from her view when Sesshomaru stood in front of her. His aura wasn't necessarily threatening but it was certainly protective. "You mean to say that my mate must travel alone to the mountain from this point; you would believe that we would accept this. She will not go alone."

Akiho's chin rose as she stared down the dangerous Daiyoukai, even if she did fear him the mists of her eyes revealed nothing. Her voice remained steady as she countered Sesshomaru's angry calm with a sereneness that was impressive, "It is of course your decision my lord, but consider this; your intended is far safer without you."

She turned to Kagome then, "The burden you carry is a heavy one, but it is not one that you must carry alone. Your safety is of the utmost importance to more than your friends. I would not ask that you go alone if you were in any danger. If you allow them to follow you, you may not live to regret the decision."

Kagome shook her head in confusion, "If it is still trapped how is it a threat?"

"There have been a few who have attempted to brave the remaining forest to the mountain; the darkness inside of them was influenced to a dangerous level, so much so that the only way to keep the others safe was to kill them. Darkness is something we all possess and in this place, it can be taken advantage of if we dare to get close enough. Before the Darkness escaped, this forest was not known as a peaceful place and it was the Darkness' doing. The remaining fragments of this evil still effects Aokigahara, but its reach is limited now—from here to the mountain to be precise."

Before she could even process the warning the forest came alive. There were demons, hanyou and humans alike; those who had heard stared at her with overwhelming hope in their eyes. To be looked at with such reverence was frightening and she slightly wilted beneath the weight of the lives that rested on her shoulders. The fear on her face must have shown because Akiho smiled and her tone became a little maternal as she went to stand in front of the scared miko, ignoring the Inuyoukai who still shielded Kagome enough to hide half of her body.

"It is a frightening thing for one who would rather not be seen, but you are strong enough to do this. After you return from the mountain, you will have proven to even those who doubt that you offer them a way to live rather than survive; you will then have beings willing to fight by your side. They would not allow you to fight alone if you give them the chance; give them a way to defeat the Darkness and they will be your strength."

Kagome pressed her cheek against Sesshomaru's arm, her hand tangling in his hair as she whispered, "I don't want to be followed, especially when I don't know where I'm going."

Akiho turned and slowly scanned those to her left and then those to her right before looking towards Kagome once more, "They are capable of making their own choices. Would you deny them if they were to choose to follow someone who offers them something that no one else can? If you were them, would you not wish to be given the chance to not only fight, but to win?"

Kagome was completely aware that she was being manipulated and though she didn't like it, she understood what Akiho was trying to do. She was torn between being irritated and impressed and gave the woman a non-threatening sneer and huffed, "You're very good, I feel a little suffocated in the corner you backed me into."

Akiho preened a bit, "Yes well, it is to be expected of someone who is as old as I am."

Sesshomaru looked down at her, his gold eyes reflected his unmistakable displeasure as he could read her decision on her face. She preempted what was most likely going to be an autocratic response that she would have found both exasperating, if not a little endearing.

"There are so many ways for this to go wrong Sesshomaru, but if it goes right—I need to take this chance. I believe her and I am pretty good judge of character. Please, even if you don't like it I need you to support me."

He didn't move, but she didn't need him to make some grand gesture, the softening of his eyes and the simple "Hn", was perfect.

"Thank you."

She turned back to Akiho, "I'm ready."

Akiho laughed, the sound husky yet feminine, "It is quite obvious that you are exhausted. You need to rest; climbing a mountain is no simple task. Tomorrow you will go, for tonight just enjoy the small bit of peace we have found here."

~oOo~

Kagome left at sunrise, trying not to look behind her in fear that she would run back to where she knew she was safe. She knew immediately what Akiho had been talking about almost a mile further into the forest. It left her feeling…violated. She reached up and braced herself against a tree and took a shuddering breath, fighting off the want to run away from the malevolence that seemed to dwell within even the tree that lay beneath her fingers.

She dropped her hand and forced herself to continue on, her will only growing stronger as she realized that despite its presence it didn't touch her. Just like Akiho said, she was in no danger from it…yet.

She had been told that she was the Light and that she could stop the Darkness. She had been told that she would live forever when she finally was able to merge the Dark with the Light, and that she would live her eternal life always having to make sure that both remained balanced. Everything that she had recently learned about herself had been told to her; she hadn't felt any different. Being able to walk through the forest and feel the evidence of what Akiho had been speaking about—realizing that she was immune to its influence was the first time that she had to really face how different she was.

For hours, she walked, left to the silence and her thoughts until finally she reached the mountain. She supposed the Darkness was in one hell of a rush to get out of its prison because she couldn't imagine any other reason for it to not notice what it had left behind. As she stood at the base of the mountain she closed her eyes and placed a shaky hand on her chest over her heart; with a deep breath, she struggled to calm herself.

She was not ashamed of her fear, in fact she intended on embracing it once she was able to open her eyes. She wouldn't ignore that fear was a factor in her choices, but it was more the fear of what would happen if she didn't succeed. She took in another deep breath and when she exhaled the tips of her lashes fluttered against her skin as she opened up her eyes to look at the mountain she had to journey up. She let out a miserable groan as she came to the realization that it was a damn good thing she had rested first; the climb up Mt. Fuji looked long and more than a little grueling.

She was surprised that though the climb was difficult, it was much easier than she had thought it would be. There were steep areas that she had to be extra careful with and as the air became thinner she slowed down; the last thing she wanted to do was over exert herself and risk getting acute mountain sickness. She had to take more than a few breaks, but about 5 hours later she finally made it to the top, cursing when she finally caught her breath. "It's not enough that I have to irrevocably alter my soul, but I had to climb all the way up the mountain to do it," she whispered to herself before turning to stare out at the horizon.

It was beautiful—it was like a sea of clouds. She wanted to pretend that the view was all she had made the climb for but when she felt as if anchors had latched themselves onto her ankles and began to pull her down, she was forced once again to face reality.

It wasn't so much a visible thing as she had imagined when Bokuseno described Mt. Fuji opening up to drag the Darkness into its depths. It was as if she had no form as she was pulled just as the Darkness once was. It was an odd thing to describe; how she felt no fear despite being drawn into the darkest place she had ever been. She wondered how she would see the Darkness in a place so… dark.

Her body jerked as she came to a stop, her feet dangled as she floated in the safe embrace of Mt. Fuji. She saw it then…it was like little worms made of Darkness, so much darker than the blackness that she was surrounded by. She wondered how she was supposed to draw the slithering pieces of Darkness inside of her, it wasn't like she could ask nicely.

She remembered then, why her friends had been so upset by the thought of her standing before the Darkness and letting it reach inside of her. It could force the Light from her body…just as she could force the Dark into hers. She waited like a predator for its prey, her heart pounding with trepidation as a fragment of the Darkness instead tried to attack her. It felt just as she thought it would, it was cold and ugly as it surged viciously into her chest and tried to wrap around her soul. She instinctively grabbed onto the end of it and though she couldn't see it she felt it struggle. Her breathing became harsh as the struggle between them became a battle; the entirety of what the Darkness had left behind struck her all at once. It was painful but Kagome knew that it might be and gritted her teeth against the need to grasp her chest.

Her soul seemed to expand and the slithers of Darkness suddenly weakened as she grew stronger. She realized that having something to fight for would ensure her success and then the Light inside of her pulled, more like hauled the Dark inside of her—the battle was over and she promptly passed out.

A/n: I am officially exhausted. I tried to research the time it would take to climb up Mt. Fuji and the view once up there, but then I just decided to make it up as I go. I hope I wasn't too off and that you enjoyed this. Please Review!

I have been asked a few times about the new fic I was thinking about posting. I wasn't sure if I should because of BTLOTM and Tightrope (which I haven't abandoned or forgotten), but then I just decided to see what people think about it and then go from there. It's called In the Shadow of Her Soul and I am posting the first chapter to see how well it is received. So if you'd like, check it out and give me a bit of feedback. I would appreciate it.

~Inari