Disclaimer: I own Rhiodoru, Karameida, Zaniistar, Kishotaka, Niishi, Yuryu, Akaruihi, Tsuyoihi, and Kiirohana. All other characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi.

Love and Loss

Kagome screamed as Inuyasha suddenly collapsed to the floor.

For the barest of moments, her heart stopped, her lungs locking, her mind blanking.

Dropping to her knees, she grabbed his kimono, hauling him over onto his back, her eyes frantically searching his pale face for signs of life. His eyes were closed, his face scrunched up in pain, his muscles taught with agony.

"Inuyasha," she gasped in a mix of relief and anxiety. For one horrifying moment, she'd thought he was dead. Again.

She glanced up. Sesshomaru was watching, his expression as unreadable as ever. Zaniistar was staring at them, his face ghastly white.

"He's alive," she said, her voice cracking with emotion. Zaniistar sagged for a moment, then started rummaging around on the debris-littered floor for something.

Kagome turned back to the hanyou, pulling his head into her lap. She gently smoothed his blood-matted hair back from his pale face, feeling pain gnaw at her heart as she looked down on him. He had suffered so much, and it wasn't over yet.

His breathing was coming in agonized gasps. His wound had nearly stopped bleeding, but when he'd collapsed, it had torn open again. Frowning worriedly, Kagome wadded up the torn shreds of his kimono and pressed it against the wound. Inuyasha groaned.

Kagome's eyes widened as the realization took her breath away. Inuyasha didn't feel pain when he was transformed. She looked down at his face. The purple stripes were still there. So were the elongated fangs and claws.

Inuyasha's eyes slowly opened, squinting up at her. Golden eyes.

". . . Kagome?"

It was the faintest of whispers, a plea that spoke of indescribable agony.

Inuyasha was awake. He was awake, he was awake! His mind was free!

With a sob, she bent over his head, one hand stroking his blood-streaked cheek. She stared into his eyes, her heart swelling with love. Her Inuyasha was back. He was back.

"Inuyasha," she whispered. "It's okay now, Inuyasha. Everything will be okay."

"Kagome . . ." His voice was weak, so weak. Her whole body ached for him. "What happened?"

She stroked his cheek again, her eyes filling with tears. "Don't worry about it now, everything is—"

Zaniistar suddenly dropped to his knees beside her, clutching something in his hands. "Kagome, I have it!" he gasped, "Let's get that foul collar off him."

Kagome sat back, her hand still gently stroking Inuyasha's cheek. His eyes were flickering open and closed as he struggled to stay conscious. He moaned again.

"Inuyasha?" she asked softly.

"Hurts," he gasped, squeezing his eyes shut as a spasm of pain ran through him, his body arching off the floor in agony.

"Hurry, Zaniistar," Kagome said desperately, "we have to get him out of here."

The dragon raised his hand, clutching a black bracelet tightly in his fist. He reached out to touch the hanyou's forehead and connect their minds.

A scream of indescribable anguish shattered the silence of the night.

: x ∙ x ∙ x ∙ X ∙ X ∙ X ∙ x ∙ x ∙ x :

Sango staggered through the labyrinth of halls, carrying Kohaku and the hiraikotsu on her back.

She had been walking for what felt like forever. The wound in her side burned with dull agony, leaking warm blood over her slayer's armour. Kohaku and her weapon grew heavier with each step.

She wondered where the others were, suppressing a wave of panicked worry for them. Kilala had never come back. She hadn't seen any sign of Miroku or Zaniistar. She wondered what had become of Kagome, Inuyasha, and Sesshomaru. She had been gone too long, far too long.

She stumbled down another hall, coming to a four-way intersection. She breathed a sigh of relief, recognizing the spot. It was where she, Kilala, Miroku, Shippo, and Zaniistar had all separated.

Heading down the hall, she moved quickly, eagerly, towards the courtyard that lay at the end of the corridor, so close.

She burst out into the moonlight and stopped dead, staring.

Empty. The courtyard was deserted. When she had left, the ground had been smooth and swept clear. Now it was littered with debris from broken walls and shattered wood. The dirt was marred with deep gashes and slashes from claws and blades. And, slightly off to one side, was a frightening pool of half-dried blood.

Sango took a couple steps into the courtyard, staggering under the weight on her back. She stared at the blood. So much blood. Too much blood.

Whose blood?

She took another step, her eyes searching desperately for some sign of life. She was reluctant to call out—it was impossible to know who might answer her summons. Naraku could for all she knew.

"So you survived, did you?"

Sango whirled, her eyes falling on Kagura, standing calmly twenty paces away, fingering her fan. How had the sorceress snuck up on her like that?

"I thought for sure Kohaku would kill you this time, but he failed yet again, I see. That seems to be the only thing he's good at."

Sango felt a flash of anger. Carefully, she allowed Kohaku to slide off her back onto the ground. He gave a faint groan. He was starting to come to.

Lifting her hiraikotsu in one hand, Sango took a step towards Kagura. She didn't speak, letting her expression, her eyes, speak for her. You are going to die this night. I will allow nothing else. I will not rest until your lifeblood has been spilled.

Kagura's eyes narrowed. She raised her fan.

Sango, without uttering a sound, charged, closing half the distance between them, and unleashed the hiraikotsu.

The weapon whistled through the air.

"Dance of Blades!"

The gust of wind altered the boomerang's path just enough so the weapon whooshed past Kagura, inches from her head. The deadly blades of air swept past Sango as she quickly dodged. The wind sorceress smiled.

"Think you can defeat me, slayer?" Kagura asked haughtily. "If the monk failed, what makes you think you will succeed?"

Sango stared for a moment as pain lanced her heart. No. No! She wouldn't believe it.

She grabbed the hilt of her sword, drawing the weapon with a metallic ring. She started to take a step toward the sorceress.

Kagura's eyes flicked past her, looking at something behind Sango. Her eyes widened. Flicked back to Sango.

The sorceress smiled.

Sango whirled around.

Kohaku stood ten paces away, swaying slightly, watching her. And behind him stood none other than Naraku himself.

"Naraku," Sango hissed.

It all happened too fast. Too fast.

One moment, Naraku was standing behind her brother, smiling his horrible, cold smile. The next, his hand was flashing out, striking Kohaku's back. Blood sprayed. Kohaku's eyes snapped wide open.

Too fast, too fast.

Her brother fell, crashing to the ground, sprawled in the dirt.

Naraku caught the jewel shard in midair. He looked at her. He smiled.

She stared at Kohaku. Stared and stared. Then—

"Kohaku!" she screamed, pouring into that one cry all her anguish and pain, all her guilt and remorse, all her loneliness and torment.

All her love.

All her loss.

Tears streamed down her face as she realized she had failed. She had failed Kohaku, the ultimate failure. He was dead, and she hadn't been able to save him.

She slowly raised her head, fighting the weight of her grief. Her eyes locked one the figure standing before her. Hate and rage pounded through her.

"Naraku, now you die!" she screamed.

: x ∙ To Be Continued ∙ x :

A/N:

Greetings, oh faithful readers. I apologize for the lateness of this update, but, alas, the holidays are an exceedingly busy time of year.

Mwuhaha, I'm so weird…

Oh, and I just thought I'd give everyone fair warning… I might just be posting chapter teasers in the forum from time to time. :evil smile: If you're interested, of course.

Chapter 37 – Disaster