Chapter 37 – Letting Go of Memories, Forever

Sesshoumaru growled a little, flicking the blood from his claws, before glancing around the village they would reside in for a short time. However, though he hated to admit it, Katana would probably influence him to stay longer then needed. These, after all, were her friends, ningen as they may be. That, as well, disgusted him, but he pushed it away, remembering the skill he'd seen the taijiya and houshi use many times. True, they were not youkai or hanyou, but they were strong minded, and held great strength within their hearts. Though he hadn't had many friends throughout his years, he could respect these people for the weakness they hid by showing compassion and love for others.

Forcing his face to remain calm, and collected, Sesshoumaru tried his hardest not to sneer at the ningen who were currently surrounding his intended mate. He fought not only his own feelings, but also his thrashing beast, which, apparently, didn't approve of one simple fact: there were males, lots of males, surrounding her, staring into her demonic beauty with lust. True, some youkai were said to be as beautiful as the kamis' themselves, who would mate with the weakest, but kindest, of ningen… but Katana was not that type of demoness.

No matter what those ningen males' thought…

…His intended was not some piece of meat for their pleasure.

Most of the women, however, drug their males away, making his fire die a little, until another male would approach her. The mark on her neck told other youkai she belonged to him, but ningen could not tell the difference. He was sure that within a few hundred years they might find a better way to mark each other then a pitiful ring on the finger, but… ningen were not that bright; not bright at all. The women, though, seemed to see the way he lifted his lip in displeasure, before dragging the men who might have been married, but wanted to rut with his woman. He would not allow that; he'd allow her to couple with another youkai if they beat him in battle for the right to mate, but never before.

Another male, obviously more hopeful then the others reached out to touch Katana's hand, as she continued to speak with her taijiya friend. They were discussing the current crop production, and a way to bring less water when it rained, but more from the river when they had a dry spell. Sesshoumaru, seeing the male reach out, intending to touch what belonged to him, snarled loud enough for him to hear. Instantly, the male took his hand back, before a woman – an older woman, who looked to be his mother – began scolding him, until she finally drug him away.

Katana cast him a glance, but in the end merely raised a brow. When he did not answer, she gave a silent sigh, and turned back to Sango, who was talking about all the things they were currently teaching to some of the younger men, who would one day protect the village. She ignored the people praising her in the simple duty of protecting the village. It was not something she merely did, but was something she would always do. She had a feeling that someday she would need to disappear for a while, before rejoining the world using her cover-up spell, which would hide her markings, and pieces of her aura. Enough to make others think she was nothing but a little speck that could easily be wiped from existence. They, of course, would only find out too late that she was not when they came to destroy her, whether it was with holy energy, or demonic.

Stopping her friend with the lifting of her hand, Katana finally asked, "The hotspring I remember nearby if still there, isn't it, Sango?"

Sango blinked in surprise, before nodding slowly, "Hai, Katana, it is."

Tilting her head, Katana narrowed her eyes in thought, before catching Sango's brown ones with her own. "Do you still have my bag, Sango?" though her voice was chipped in ice, Sango, the brave and talented taijiya, never flinched, or tried to look for a means of escape. She would have suspected that Sango would be repulsed by what she became, since she did kill youkai for a living, yet the woman continued to treat her as if they considered each other sisters.

"Hai," Sango replied, the image of the large yellow bag coming into mind. There were only a few items that had been taken from inside, since they'd decided that when Kagome returned they'd return to her, her belongings. She smirked, though, before saying, "But I'm afraid we don't know what's still useable."

Her voice seemed to drop ten degrees, "What happened to it? Those items, at least most of them, should have lasted through almost everything. I'm sure some of them aren't useable because of age, but that shampoo, and conditioner had a three-year limit on them." Seeing Sango's mouth open to say something, she continued, "Don't ask me how the liquid was supposed to last that long, I am youkai, not a scientist."

"What?" Sango asked, blinking in wonder at the strange word her friend had used. "What is a sci-ee-nean-tist?" she asked, completely confused.

"Scientist, Sango," Katana replied. "The person who designs it… who puts it together."

"Oh," Sango said, feeling like any idiot for not figuring that one out. Her futuristic friend would always be able to outnumber her when it came to language, though, since in Katana's time there was lots of what she called slang. It was newer words that didn't exist in this time, making the language a bit easier then it was now. According to Katana when she was ningen, children were always trying to find the way around big things.

Tensing up, Sango spun around suddenly striking the male who'd placed his hand on her backside across the face. Gasping, she watched as Miroku fell to the ground, knocked unconscious from her blow. However, even when she went to his side, shaking him to try and awaken him, Miroku continued to stay in his daze. She hadn't struck him that hard in a long time, and Miroku only struck her when her hardheadedness got the better of her. However, right now, with everyone watching, she wished he wake up.

Shippo smiled a little from atop his mount, watching as Sango tried to revive Miroku like she'd tried many times before. Of course, by now Keade would have ushered everyone back to his or her job, but Keade was gone. A pang was signaled in his chest, and Shippo gave a soft sigh. He'd always miss Keade because she had taken care of him the most while Katana was gone. Now that she was truly gone from the world it was hard to believe that only a few weeks before she'd been standing above him before leaving over to give him a pat on the head. He'd always miss that pat on the head, since that little boy Bank was always getting it from Katana. It'd been a while since he'd gotten a pat, so he'd decided that when he got one he'd merely accept it and move on. It wasn't like he, a full-blooded kitsune youkai, needed to have a pat on the head every hour of everyday.

Still, even after all these years of the group trying to recover the shards many times, since Naraku never seemed to die, it was amusing to see Sango try the same old trick to wake her husband. Sure, back when they hadn't shown it to each other, Sango had merely moved away, but after a while they began coming closer until Sango would begin sitting beside Miroku, trying to wake him every five minutes or so… even when she'd hit him pretty hard with her hiraikotsu.

Even Sesshoumaru cracked a smirk as the taijiya slapped her husband across the face while their two daughters came to the scene, shaking their father's shoulders. However, though he and Katana might be able to smell the fact that the man was conscious, he was acting like he was still unconscious. Then, suddenly his hands shot up, and began tickling at his family members. It was a touching scene, but he got a flash of Katana playing with two small pups, one silver haired, and one black haired. They would cling to her sleeves, while begging for her attention, until finally she sighed and gave in, beginning to play with them; dance around with them like any mother inu would, until finally she turned back into the lady who ruled beside him, instead of the sweet and caring mother who merely loved her pups.

He would be proud to be apart of something like that.

Katana gave a short laugh, tilting her head back to show off glinting fangs. She knew people backed away from her, finally seeming to understand that though she was beautiful, she was a predator. She could rip them to shreds. Still, seeing her friends play in such a way made her feel younger, more human. She was not, however, and the tingling of her demonic power told her that. Never again would she be ningen, and she'd have to accept that, even though at the moment she wanted nothing more then to be playing with them as well… she could not, however, for in this form she could easily hurt them. Not until she had pups' of her own, since they would be the only ones to be able to take her rough housing.

Reaching out, Katana gripped Sango's arm, pulling her from the others playing on the ground. They seemed to finally notice that others were watching and moved apart from each other, Miroku patting each of his children on the head. She was more fixed on Sango, however, and smirked. Sango smiled nervously back at her, probably understanding that she wanted to see her bag. After all, then she could use the things she'd left in the feudal era, not only being more advanced then everyone else, but also… well, she could finally shampoo and condition her hair. Sure, herbs worked fine, but her mother had always bought her this certain kind that made her locks tingle afterward.

Giving another small laugh, Sango said, "So… Katana, what can I do for you?"

Closing her dark blue eyes for a moment, Katana replied, "I believe we both know what I want, don't we, Sango?"

"Hai… of course," Sango frowned, letting the saliva building in her mouth slide down her throat. She felt like the back of her throat had suddenly went dry, and really didn't know what to do about it. Sure, she knew that Katana wouldn't hurt her – she hoped, at least. However, Katana was still a youkai, and could easily hurt her if she chose to. She just hoped she didn't choose to hurt her too badly.

oOo

"Inu… yasha…" was whispered into his ear. He shut his eyes harder, not wanting to be disturbed for the moment. However, the demoness who continued to poke him in the arm was persistent and continued to call his name, trying to wake him from his slumber. Not wanting to get up, though, Inuyasha rolled to his other side, flicking his ear back against his head to ignore Kanna. Still, he knew he should get up, since he'd been sleeping for most of the day, but his eye still hurt a bit, and he didn't feel like traveling more then he already had.

Kanna did not think the same thing, though.

Frowning, Kanna placed a stray hair behind her ear before readjusting the silver band that wrapped around her head. Afterward she watched as the inu-hanyou retuned to his dream, snoring in his sleep lightly. Her lips turned outward in a pout, as she reached out to grip his shoulder once more. She knew that it might take a while to get him to come to consciousness but that was something she was willing to risk. After all, Inuyasha, though blind in one eye now, was everything she had to hope for in the future. He was the only thing she had to look forward to, since she was positive now that Naraku would not allow himself to die alone. Either Kagura or her would go with him…

In a way she hoped it was Kagura. She did not wish to leave Inuyasha all alone in the world. He'd already been alone for far too long. Even when he was traveling with his friends he was alone since they barely knew anything about him. All they knew was that he could protect them. However, she could protect Inuyasha, so he didn't need to worry about that. Still, if Naraku were to kill her, bring her back into his body, then Inuyasha would be alone again; she didn't want to do that to him.

She never wanted to hurt him - emotionally or physically.

Still, step one was to get him up! She'd been looking into her mirror again, and though she wasn't sure if she could she was going to try and transport them both through it. Once she did – if it worked – then they'd be at the entrance of the beginning chamber to the 'River of Fire'. As she'd said many times before, it wasn't very secret since where it was hidden could be found by anyone who actually looked for it. Still, in order to begin her plan she needed him up, or it might not work. Hell, it might not work in the first place, and she'd have to go back through to him before taking him there on foot… or air.

Smiling at the memory of flying, Kanna wished to do it again. It was strange since as incarnations' Kagura and her shouldn't be able to transform at all, yet she had. She'd become a phoenix, albino, but with the fire abilities that any would have. She'd never actually heard of a phoenix youkai, though, which was why after she'd finally gotten around to thinking about it, it was strange that she'd become one. Perhaps it was merely because of Naraku's extra power, more maybe it was her desire to protect Inuyasha that transformed her into a creature of light, instead of darkness…

Perhaps…

Sighing, Kanna decided to go against her feelings and dug her claws into Inuyasha's shoulder. She felt him wince beneath her, before he jerked away from her, his beautifully golden eyes shooting open to stare at her. His hand had gone to his swords hilt, before it fell away as he stared at her in confusion. Watching him, though, she knew that she was going to get a mouth full. It wasn't like she cared at the moment, but she knew that he was going to start yelling any time soon.

Sure enough, Inuyasha's mouth opened to show off his fangs, before he yelled, "What the hell was that for?" Kanna knew that he hadn't meant it, but she didn't like to be yelled at and her control snapped. Sure, she knew that she shouldn't have done what she did next, but she wanted to get out of there as fast as she could. After all, she'd noticed that everyday Inuyasha was growing closer to her, and she wanted to reach the point where he finally stripped her of her clothing and ravished her body.

"Quiet Inuyasha," Kanna snapped, grabbing his shoulder to hiss in his face. She shook him a bit, before growling, "I know where the 'River of Fire' is! Do you want to go there or not?"

Blinking in confusion, Inuyasha nodded in agreement. However, his head dropped a little, and he mumbled, "Kanna… I didn't mean to yell at you… I-I'm sorry."

Happiness surged into her bones, and Kanna smiled. "Its alright, Inuyasha," she replied, reaching her hand out. She wasn't sure what had brought on the impulse, or why Inuyasha allowed it, but she leaned forward until her lips pressed firmly against his own. When she felt a heat build in the center of her stomach, however, Kanna began to move away, only to feel Inuyasha's hand cradle the back of her head, bringing her closer to him, before he suddenly pushed her away.

Looking at the now blushing demoness with his only useable eye, Inuyasha stood to his feet. His hand gripped her forearm, hauling her to her feet, before saying, "Come on, Kanna, I want to be there before dawn."

In her daze Kanna merely nodded and began walking off into the forest. Her lips still tingled and she couldn't help but wonder why Inuyasha had pulled her closer only to thrust her away. Perhaps he'd finally decided how disgusting it was to be around Naraku's creation, or perhaps he merely realized he did not want to rut with her. Either way she hoped she hadn't done something wrong.

However, if Kanna had merely looked into Inuyasha's lap she'd find that both her thoughts were wrong. The hanyou was currently trying to get rid of his sudden erection, while moving to walk behind her, hoping that his discomfort wouldn't be noticeable. He was sure it was, though.

oOo

"Here Inuyasha, you try," she called from within the lake. Her arms and legs moved to keep her afloat as she went to splash Sango once more. When she did, however, she noticed that Inuyasha still had not made a move to get in the water, and turned to him, frowning. "Oh, Inuyasha, it's not that bad!"

Miroku, swimming somewhere off to the west, called out, "Yeah, are you a… what did you call it, Kagome? A chicken, I believe?"

Smiling, Kagome continued with the thought, "Yeah, Inuyasha, don't be such a coward!" She allowed her hands to echo her voice toward him, but Inuyasha seemed not to notice, merely continuing to play with the small fire he'd created.

Sango, swimming close by her, said, "Maybe he can't swim?"

Inuyasha must have heard it, for he called out, "I can swim just fine!"

Smirking, Kagome replied, "Sure you can!" She knew that Inuyasha didn't like to be teased, but she couldn't help it. True, she'd seen him swim many times to save others, but he hadn't actually swam, but merely waded around.

The hanyou huffed, before saying, "You've seen me swim before, wench!" He turned his head toward them, his puppy-dog ears twitching toward them, before shooting backward when he noticed the water coming toward him.

Kagome splashed water toward her hanyou friend again, knowing that within moments he could move. However he seemed to be surprised for he allowed the water to wash over his head. Laughing out loud, Kagome heard her other friends begin laughing as well. However, it was Shippo who jumped on Inuyasha's head, causing the hanyou to fall forward off the ledge before into the water. The kitsune managed to jump away in time, laughing his head off, while Kagome began laughing harder.

It was then Inuyasha's head shot up from beneath the surface, a twinkle forming within his eye. Within moments Inuyasha was playing with them, splashing them with water, while Kagome watched from the sides, trying not to get soaked more then she already was. However, Inuyasha seemed persistent, and she was pulled back into the fun a few minutes later…

Katana blinked at the bag, shaking her head suddenly. Why the memory came to her was bewildering. Perhaps it was because she was currently with someone who had no fun at all, or perhaps she was trying to tell herself that everyone needed fun or their lives were nothing besides meaningless. Then again, it could just be her mind telling her that she missed Inuyasha and she wished to run to him, once more cuddling herself in his arms.

At this thought, however, she glared at the large yellow bag that contained most of her old belongings. Inuyasha was tricked, yes, but he had still taken her love and thrown it in her face. If he had truly loved her then he would have killed Kikyo long before she could try anything. When she did, Inuyasha still did nothing, merely accepting the fact that he was mated to the woman he told her many times he did not care for. It was obvious which he truly loved. Inuyasha obviously wanted the real thing instead of the copy, which was exactly why she was no longer the copy. She was a demoness, which meant she could not be the copy to a filthy clay pot.

Sesshoumaru seemed to sense her anger at the situation for he turned his head toward her curiously. Shippo, as well, turned to look at her as she continued to glare at the large yellow bag. Both of them seemed to understand that something about it was upsetting her for they came to her side, watching as she lifted her lip in a snarl, her claws twitching to tear the material apart.

Trying to calm herself, Katana remembered the vow she took. It not only calmed her mind, but also allowed her to see what she was about to do before she ripped the poor, defenseless bag to pieces. She'd vowed that even if she ever forgave Inuyasha she would never return to his side. Her plan was to kill him, not become his near lover again. No, her plan, however, was turning away from that. There had to be a way to let it go, however! There had to be a better way than simply shoving the memories into the back of her mind and trying to forget all about them.

The sky above began to change, the sun sinking away to leave only a faint hint that it was still there. However, even in the dusking light many creatures were scurrying about, some trying to find there way home before the night finally set in, while others woke from their day time sleep. These creatures watched as the drifting clouds turned into a rainbow of different colors, mostly purples and pinks. The sky turned from light blue to nearly black, as the stars began forming in the great expanse. Meanwhile, Sister Moon began rising over the hills, trying to reclaim her nightly domain, while the small pack below continued to trek forward, never really noticing how much time had passed.

The great amount of time that seemed to merely drift away also brought on the quick change in temperature. The once warm air turned to a bone chilling degree, telling those who did not notice the change in atmospheric coloration that it was finally time to settle into their beds if need be. Those creatures that barely noticed the cold air merely moved on, such as the youkai walking through the forest to the Southern Castle. The place they should reach within a day or so, before they waited patiently for the yearly ball to commence.

Katana sighed, remembering the time when she'd hit Inuyasha in the back of the head with a snowball. However, she shook that away, looking over at the bag once more. There had to be a way… surely these memories would not haunt her forever? How was she to move on with another male if she was always turning toward the past, wishing that she was there instead of her current position? She would not make it even a century before she killed herself… of that she was sure. If she did not merely accept that things had happened and would not come to pass again… then she would die a miserable death, while the man she once thought she loved would move on with another female, forgetting all about her. Even Sesshoumaru, the youkai who was courting her, would move on as if she were never there. True, even he might look back at his memories, but he was strong enough to merely know that he was in the present and the past was the past. That was where it should stay! Then why could she not do the same?

Staring at her shadowed eyes, Sesshoumaru felt something inside of him wish to move to her side and cuddle her until she went back to the near emotionless demoness he knew and thought of. He knew that someday she might become more open with him, but for now he would accept her for whom she was and understand that this was her decision. He did not know where to start, however, so he sighed, saying, "Katana?"

She blinked a few times, finally realizing that he'd called out to her, before replying, "Hai, taiyoukai?"

"What is that strange contraption used for exactly?" he asked trying to get her away from whatever was bothering her. He watched as her eyes lit up from their darkened state, obviously knowing the answer and happy to tell him that she was intelligent when it came to the matter.

"It carries things," was her simple answer.

"Is it endless?" he asked, staring at it, wanting to contain as much information about it as he could.

Smirking, Katana said, "Iie, it only carries as much as you can stuff into it. Much like a saddlebag." She wasn't exactly sure why Sesshoumaru wanted to know this, but it was nice to know she knew more then the taiyoukai. Of course, that was only because the device was not from the time Sesshoumaru was currently in, but it felt good to know more then he did.

"Ah," he mumbled. It was a strange looking thing, actually. Two straps to wrap around the person's back like a travel bag, yet much bigger. How she fit so much stuff inside of it was a mystery, but it was even more of a mystery of where she got it. Perhaps it was from where she came from. He'd never really understood that, though he'd heard Inuyasha yelling about the future a few times. Perhaps that was truly where she came from? Or maybe that was just so others did not realize she was from a much more advanced civilization that existed along side their own.

The distraction did not last long, however, for Katana felt her mind travel back to her past once more. Then her beast reared its head, roaring inside her mind, while her miko side took action, pushing into her thoughts. Growling at them both, Katana tried to smash them down, but decided it was best to merely move away from her new pack before she hurt them. She did not want to know what would happen when both sides of her took action at the same moment.

You worry too much, Master Katana, her beast snickered, showing off its clicking claws by raising them higher then its paw. They scratched the ground, before she finally moved off the path.

"I will return soon," Katana sighed, knowing that every pair of eyes were following her. Not only of her small pack but everyone who was also traveling beside them. The ones who'd insisted on being there to help their lord and lady until they reached the Southern Castle. She did not need help, but it was good to know that so many people would do so much for her. It had actually been a while since anyone wanted to help her with anything… or even become her friend. Probably because she hadn't been around others for so long since her training time with her two teachers – that, of course, was not for pleasure, though.

While her mind was occupied, Katana's feet seemed to merely lead the way to where she knew she could relax for the moment - maybe not her instincts, but at least her mind. After all, she needed to think on a few things before she continued on with her life. If she did not then she might end up thinking she'd done some things wrong with her life and wish she could have done them differently. If that happened then she'd probably spend all her time stuffing her nose into different incantations trying to find a way to undo what could not be rewritten, or change the future. However, if she continued with her line of thinking then she would not care, and try to change the future anyway, instead of letting time run its course.

Glowing eyes from within the forest watched as she moved silently through the underbrush, past the trees, simply moving forward to wherever she was going. These different creatures did not understand what was happening, but they did know that this new creature moving through their domain was not only strong, but also intelligent, for she seemed to know exactly where she was heading. However, if they'd known anything, they would have known that her feet were merely leading her in the direction she wished to go, but the demoness, herself, knew not where she was going.

Weaving easily through the trees, her feet moved forward in a quick rhythm, the beat never ending, yet never changing. Her mind was elsewhere, for she did not know what to do… for once in a long time. She knew that Sesshoumaru – no, all youkai could show emotions, but merely decided against it, since staying emotionless was best for battle. She knew that within time she could fall in love with another, and if that person was Sesshoumaru then he could end up loving her as well. However, if she could not let go of her old emotions, finally moving toward the future, then she would forever stay in the past. She would never move on, or learn what true love truly was. She would forever live with a broken heart; bleeding deep within her chest, trying to make her find the man who was more frightened of her now then ever. The same man who knew that one-day she would kill him for his stupidity.

She would never love Inuyasha again.

That meant she had to love another, or at least become infatuated with another. How could she do that when her heart was elsewhere? How would she ever move on? She would have to, or she would die in the end. In order to live she'd need to accept things.

Without realizing it her beast brought her feet to a stop, while she merely gazed out in front of her with a glazed pair of eyes. Her mind was traveling between the future and the past. Now, she knew that a few weeks ago she hadn't been paying much attention, but she'd felt another presence at the time she'd returned to the past. It'd felt so… well… it had felt like herself, yet with a strange aura mixed within it. Perhaps it was her, trying to tell her that her life was now in the past and that was where she ended to go. Or perhaps the other figure knew this would happen to her and wanted to make sure she returned to this time. Whatever the reason, she did not understand, since if it had been her, she could have stopped this from happening to her. There might have been consequences for her actions, but she would not be going through this at this time. She would not faced with this, and Inuyasha would already be out of her hair. Then she could have moved on! Or… maybe she would have been stricken with grief because she'd killed him. Kikyo did not matter, but Inuyasha might have been different. Perhaps her future self knew that.

Or perhaps she was merely being a bitch again.

Giving a soft laugh, she thought, that would not surprise me - not at all.

Blinking away the thoughts, Katana finally gazed around her surroundings. Her eyes widened a fraction, feeling both halves of her swirling with happiness at their doing. She was standing within a clearing, one where even the worse eye could see the pregnant moon. Moonflowers were spread across the entire clearing, seeming to be sucking in the moons own shine, making it their own. It would not be surprising, since their white petals, tinted with light blue, seemed to look like a reflection of the moons bright glow. Of course, she knew that the sun was giving the moon its glow, but it was still beautiful to see.

Stepping forward, Katana suddenly took a step back when hundreds of fireflies suddenly shot into the air. They, along with some of the petals she'd dislodged, lifted into the air around her, creating an even more beautiful glow in the night. All around her, if she looked properly, she'd see that they were everywhere, even as she began walking out into the middle of the clearing. Still, what seemed like millions of little fireflies rose around her, each looking like it was apart of the sky. However, if Katana had looked hard enough she would have noticed that they burst into small silver bits, her miko side shooting them back up into the sky as if they were stars. She, however, was merely watching as these things happened closer to the ground, wondering what was going on exactly.

Surely, something this beautiful could not be her doing.

Turning her face upward toward the moon, Katana saw the image of Inuyasha's face form over the surface. It looked much like the mirror she'd looked into two years ago, except when Inuyasha turned away from her he did not look back. He seemed to begin walking away, for his form began fading out of the moons light. Katana, feeling something within her growl with displeasure at the situation, glared up at the moon, watching as the image suddenly burst into flames. Not wishing to break whatever spell was happening, Katana forced herself not to take a step backward, and continued to watch.

The flames moved to cover the entire surface of the moon, before, like a dying phoenix, another, more beautiful image formed in its place. However, bangs of silver covered the eyes and forehead, the image so faded she could not see who it was. It was then Katana finally let out a growl, asking in their ancient language what was happening around her. Though she got no answer, the image began to become solid, while her heart began beating faster, telling her that her feelings had already changed. That she might not be completely in love, but that she no longer felt even hope for a relationship with Inuyasha, but with the person currently staring down at her from the moon.

Closing her eyes for a moment, Katana knew that she'd already put the past behind her. No, not in the time she had been away from the Shengoku Jidai, but in the few hours after she'd left her taijiya and houshi friend behind in the Village of Edo. Within no time, while staring at her bag, and traveling with her intended mate, she'd pushed the past behind her, ready for the future.

The image of a cocky smirk, perfect fangs, glowing golden eyes, four magenta strips, silver hair, and a blue crescent moon told her that. However, when she turned her eyes back to the moon once more, she only got to watch as the image burst apart, her miko side dying down inside her, while her demonic went dormant for a moment, making her feel almost like a normal ningen. However, the power was still flickering inside her, and she gazed up at the moons blank surface, a single name forming in her mind.

She turned from the clearing, moving back toward the trees, her nose picking put the scent of her new pack. Her eyes lit with happiness, knowing that she could move on, and when she went for Inuyasha's head she would not grieve afterward but simply know that once upon a time the hanyou had been apart of her life, but her new forming love was now with her. She no longer needed Inuyasha, for she had another, more intelligent and powerful taiyoukai who would never turn his back on her. Who would forever watch her with eyes glowing with loving care once they mated; a male who would never turn to get pleasure from another female, only wanting her body, and mind. Nothing else would be good enough for him, for he was a taiyoukai.

He was Sesshoumaru.

OoO

KibaSin

I would have updated Monday, but I caught a cold. Actually, I think its worse then a normal cold; I think it's the flu, or something close to it. We were just lucky that my sister had to go up to the hospital for platelets, and blood. However, she spiked, so she has to stay up there to get more until she can stabilize. We're not sure how long that can take, since sometimes it takes two days, sometimes it takes elven. We're not sure, but we do know that it's a good thing I caught my cold when she had to go up to the hospital. Hopefully I get rid of my cold before she comes back, since she doesn't need to catch it.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the story thus far. I'm trying to go from dark, and evil to easy going. However, the story is darker then anything I've ever written, so its hard to figure out how to completely change the way its been thus far. I know that in the end they should be happy, but… well, I'm still thinking of ways to make it not so happy, yet happy for most. Perhaps I'll kill another character! Not just Naraku, but a character you'd least expect, since Inuyasha is on the top of that list somewhere. Of course, I'm still thinking about whether or not to kill him. Probably won't, making his life miserable, instead of merely killing him. Yes… that sounds perfect in a way.

Well, I have to be getting to bed, since I wrote this the night before I actually updated. So, I'll tell you about the next chapter!

Next Chapter:

Chapter 38 – A Dangerous Path Part I

You'll finally get to see the dangers Inuyasha and Kanna will have to face to get to the final chamber where the River of Fire lies. However, what truly lies in that inner chamber? Will they even be able to make it inside?

Kiba