When the great white dog demon landed, the mountain went into an uproar. Hoards of demons camped out along the cliff-sides, in the caves, and through the wide forests, all raised their heads towards the sky, voices bellowing out in a frenzy, as she descended. Their chorus rang out through the valleys, resonating on the mountain faces.

Shippo had been in the alcove he'd often shared with Inuyasha during their stay here when he saw the white dog falling down through the thick cloud cover. The alcove was at the front of the cave, offering a more open aired view of the surrounding mountain range while still remaining protected from the elements. He and Inuaysha had spent hours up here, sleeping or taking or making lanterns or doing absolutely nothing at all. In his anxious waiting for the return of his friend, Shippo had been perched up in the high alcove, in the company of Master Kenta. He'd spent the past day telling his teacher about his travels since he'd left the Fox Demon Monastery, showing him techniques he'd mastered, and otherwise just trying to keep himself entertained. Kenta, ever patient, simply listened and allowed the boy to do what he needed to occupy himself.

He'd felt it in the stone before he'd heard it in the air. The entire mountain seemed to shake as every demon camped on the mountain side roared in awe at the sky. It pulsed through the mountain, down into the caverns where there Demon Leaders were gathered. The demons inside began to trickle out through every cave entrance on the mountain, coming out like a hornet's nest. Feeling the energy, static in the air like lightning, Shippo had been one of the first to scramble down to the cave floor and run out, Kenta on his heels, to stare up at the white demon descending toward them. The Leaders soon gathered behind him, all watching with great apprehension - all except Sesshomaru, who observed with a narrow gaze and a proud stance.

Shippo ran up to him, his two tails flitting nervously behind him as he looked between the Inu Yokai Lord and the hauntingly familiar dog descending on the mountain. "What's going on?" he asked in a rush.

Sesshomaru spared him only an irritated glance before turning his full attention back to the new arrival.

As the dog fell gracefully toward the mountain, her massive form dissolved into a single ball of light. Touching down at the mouth of an enormous cave, the light slowly began to fade and disappear, leaving behind the human form of Lady Shimonami, and two humans at her side - one, a bewildered Priest, and the other, a distraught young girl. Lady Shimonami's cold gaze swept over the hoard, her lips pursing as she pet her hand over the girl's head. "Ah, I was right," she said with an air of casual disappointment. "You do still live in caves."

The child at Shimonami's side did not seem to be distraught by her being spirited away by a demonic hound the size of a mountain. No, rather she clung to the Noblewoman's robes with a familiar comfort. As she looked out at the gathering crowd of demons, her eyes flickered between faces in search rather than fear. Finally, when Sesshomaru stepped forward, her eyes began to water. She let go of Lady Shimonami's robe, stumbling as she threw herself against him. The Priest standing to Shimonami's side reached out as if to try to stop her, his worried eyes scanning the hoard of demons standing before them - but the girl didn't seem to care.

Rin curled her fists in the fabric of Sesshomaru's hakama, latching onto him as she buried her face against his side. "Lord Sesshomaru!" she sobbed. Anything she'd tried to say after was incoherent, her babbling muffled by Sesshomaru's armour.

Unheeding of the odd looks he received from the other Demon Leaders, Sesshomaru simply placed his hand on Rin's shoulder. He pushed her back with surprising gentleness, holding her at arms' length so he could see her completely. His expression was blank, outwardly the same as his customary cold glower, but to anyone familiar with him, there was a touch of warmth around his eyes. Sesshomaru's gaze traveled over her, searching out wounds and finding none save for the obvious cuts and scrapes on her forearms and calves. "Rin," he said with a low, commanding tone. "Tell me what happened."

Rin stepped back without resisting when Sesshomaru guided her to, holding her sleeve up to her face to wipe her tears away. She couldn't seem to form the words, much less calm down enough to speak.

Sesshomaru lifted his head, looking to the mouth of the cave, gaze sharpening. "Mother."

Lady Shimonami shrugged off her son's glare, moving forward with an elegant step. "I found your girl lost in the woods, Sesshomaru. Really, you ought to keep better track of your things," she admonished with a sardonic smile, tapping the Meido pendant hanging around her neck. "She was making a rather big fuss, too. Heard her from quite a long way."

Sesshomaru's jaw tightened, very clearly not pleased with his mother's usual flippant tone, but nonetheless seemed grateful that she'd kept an eye on Rin through her connection to the pendant. Shimonami had never been overly fond of humans beyond passing interest, but she'd always found the girl charming. Still, Shimonami's verbal dance around the subject only set Sesshomaru's nerves on edge. "Explain," he ordered.

Shimonami only shrugged again, gesturing with a delicate arc of her hand to Rin.

Lowering her sleeve from her face, Rin stood upright, back as straight and strong as possible, even as her eyes still watered and her lips trembled. "I-It's Inuyasha and Kagome," she hiccuped, trying desperately to gain composure. "They were caught by Masao's soldiers. Inuyasha was shot and captured, they're going to kill him in the morning. Please, Lord Sesshomaru, you have to stop them!"

Sesshomaru's shoulders stiffened. With a sharp exhale and a curl of his upper lip, he looked out the mouth of the cave. "That fool," he hissed. "I warned him it was a trap."

A murmur rippled through the crowd. "Well, what the hell are we waiting for?" Shippo moved to step forward, but Kenta's hand was heavy on his shoulder. "Let's go, we have to stop them!"

"Shippo..." Kenta said warning.

Shaking his head, the young kistune looked up at his elder. "Rin said they're gonna kill him in the morning! If we don't leave now, we don't make it in ti-"

Kenta's hand tightened on his shoulder. "Shippo." His voice was lower now, but stronger.

The yokai surrounding them were beginning to stir and shift in agitation. The tension radiating through the air was enough to bind his lungs. But still, Shippo did not listen. He wrenched his shoulder free from his teacher's hold, fist clenched at his sides as he stood in front of the hoard. Glaring up at them, the most powerful Demons in Japan all congregated into one place, Shippo stood his ground. "What, that's it?! You're not going to do anything?!"

The Tengu Princess looked down on him with a sneer. "Inuyasha has only himself to blame. He refused to heed our warnings when he left, and now he is paying the price for his own stupidity. Why should we risk our lives to save him?"

"Inuyasha left because he was the only one brave enough to act when it mattered!" Shippo argued back, all fear of her and the other leaders thrown down the hillside.

From behind the Princess, the Chief of the Boar Demons snarled down at him. "When we sought to act against Masao," he huffed, lips curling over his tusks, "it was you and Inuyasha who berated us!"

Shippo stepped forward. "That's because you didn't fight for anything but yourselves!" he shouted, pointing an accusing finger at the gathered leaders. "Cowards is all you are! You only fight when there's power to be gained. You only put yourselves in danger when it suits you. For months, you've all bickered over maps and strategies, but now that the end is right in front of you, you're too afraid to reach for it!"

"We have lost thousands of our warriors," the Heibi leader hissed. "Do not preach war to us, boy."

"I watched my school get slaughtered!" Shippo screamed. The high, cracking pitch of his voice bounced off the cave walls. Raw with pain and tears burning hot in his eyes, Shippo refused to tone down the strength of his emotions. He would feel, and he would feel everything without reservation in front of the yokai trying to turn a cold shoulder to him. Shippo clenched his teeth. "I watched as an entire monastery of innocent students, my friends, were gunned down and killed without mercy. You don't preach sacrifice to me. Those kitsune weren't sacrificed for any cause. They didn't choose to fight. We were attacked for no other reason than existing! Don't tell me I don't understand what this war means! It's all of you who don't understand, and you never have!"

"Then what," the elegant Crow snapped, feathers bristling along her forearms and back as she stepped forward and loomed over the kitsune, "pray tell, is the meaning of this war? What on earth could you understand? You are a child." Turning to the hoard, the Tengu Princess flared her ink black wings out from her back. "The Humans are growing bold and must be put back in their place. They dare to threaten a power greater than they have ever known. It is time they feel the consequences!"

The demon hoard shook the mountain with their roaring reply. Droplets of water shook from the stalactites on the cave ceiling, dropping down over the crowd in a haunting mist. Every torch hung on the walls, and every fire in the rising alcoves, flickered. The amber light through the mist flashed and faded, illuminating the demons silhouettes. Beside Shimonami, Takuya drew in a sharp breath, realizing for the first time just how many demons had gathered in response to Masao's conquest. They seemed to fill the entire mouth of the cave, emerging from the stone, hovering over one another in a massive wall of horrifying creatures. However, Shippo remained resolute, even as he shook with anger and fear.

"This was never about consequences!" Shippo replied as the roar died down. Even still, his voice could not pierce through low din of rumbling voices. "Inuyasha just wanted to go home! He just-" It was no use. They weren't listening to Shippo any longer, couldn't even hear the boy over their own voices. Feeling himself lose their attention, Shippo's eyes grew wider, red and wet with tears as the last bit of hope began to drain from him.

Only one voice cut through the chorus. Shimonami stepped forward, that single, graceful movement enough to silence the hoard. "So," she said, her tone clear as the single ring of a bell, "that means you'll fight, does it not?"

The Tengu Princess whirled on her fellow royal yokai, her wings lowering to her sides as she dropped her head and narrowed her eyes. "We will fight when we so choose. Not at the beck and call of some Hanyou."

Once again, the crowd roared in agreement. Rin straightened up at Sesshomaru's side, wiping the last of her tears away with her sleeve. With her jaw set and her head held high, she marched before the hoard and stood next to Shippo. For a prolonged moment, she just stared back at the boy. It was the first time, Shippo realized, that they'd seen each other in the past year - the first time they were seeing each other eye to eye, at the same height, since he'd shed his smaller form. In the days before this war began, when Rin lived with Kaede in the village, and Shippo returned occasionally from his studies to visit, they'd always gotten along. They had played together. All of that seemed another life time ago. They had both grown up.

The human girl took the young demon's hand, and turned to glare up at the hoard. "Fine then," she declared, turning her chin up. "If you won't do something, we will." Tugging on the slightly bewildered Shippo's hand, Rin turned her back on the demons and walked toward the edge of the cave, fully prepared to leave the demons behind and face Masao just the two of them if need be.

Shimonami watched the exchange and raised a delicately arched brow, the absolute picture of indifferent calm as she looked to the leaders. "And you?" she said. "You'll not fight for your General?"

"Inuyasha was never our General," the Boar Chief huffed. "He never even wanted to fight this war."

"Well, of course he is your General," Shimonami replied, arms folded into the long sleeves of her fur-lined kimono. "He seems to be the only one here who sought out a definitive end."

Another murmur rippled through the hoard. It was then that the leader of the Bear demons rose to his full height, towering over the assembly as he approached the Inu Yokai. "Lady Shimonami," he said evenly, the pitch of his voice low enough to rumble through the air like a drum, "this war is greater than one Half-breed and his human Priestess. This is a battle for the future of all Yokai. Our very existence is at stake."

Shimonami stared up at the Bear for a long moment. Her critical gaze traveled over his form, decorated in armour and pelts. Of all things, she laughed. The crystal sound of it set every Demon in attendance on edge. A ripple of shock, confusion, and offense moved through the crowd in shifting bodies, clanking of armour, and low muttering. Shimonami smiled, the expression somehow more cold and cutting than any snarl or glare could ever be. "Oh! How quaint," she chuckled, raising her sleeve to her mouth. "You truly believe that any of your lives matter."

Silence. With that one statement, the hoard went entirely quiet. Shimonami had their full attention. The rush of the wind flowing through the mountain passes, the cicadas in the distant trees, and the quiet drip of water from the cave walls were the only sounds to penetrate the silence.

Shimonami dropped her hands down to her side, staring at the hoard with a level gaze. "Oh, please. Don't fool yourselves. This is not some grand cause for the future of all Demons. Kill us all tomorrow, and a million more will take our place the next day," she said with a flippant wave of her hand. "Doesn't matter whether they spring from the ground, or the sky, or some dying human seeking out petty revenge. There will always be demons. This isn't about our kind, this is about self-preservation - which is all well and good, but don't make it out to be anything that it isn't. This disillusioned Warlord trying to play God hasn't the first idea what he is attempting to accomplish and how impossible it is. But," she smiled, almost mocking as she tilted her head. "he is brazen, and he has power. Enough power to kill the lot of you. I know all about your little fight against his soldiers. You were all so riled up for battle, you rushed in without a second thought. For the first time, you were faced with your own mortality - and you got scared." Shimonami let out a long sigh, turning her back on the demons with a dramatic flare. "It really is such a pity to see the great clans that once rallied under the flag of my late husband, reduced to such a pathetic state."

An enraged screech resounded from behind her, followed by the sound of an unsheathed blade. Shimonami rolled her eyes, muttering a "for goodness' sake," under her breath as the Tengu Princess lunged at her, sword drawn. In one refined flow of movement, Shimonami spun around, ducking under the swipe of the blade. As she came up, her arms rose with her in an arc, her forearm blocking the arm of her attacker while her other hand came down over top, snapping the Crow's wrist with a precise strike and seizing the weapons. Her motions were fluid and impossibly fast, a whirl of silk and fur. Before anyone had the time to react, Shimonami had the Tengu Princess' own sword pointed at her neck.

Every Crow demon screeched and cawed in fury at the display, wings flapping in a deafening flutter that pushed gusts of wind through out the cavern. Shimonami was not in the slightest moved by their threat. She stared down the Princess before rolling her eyes again and lowering the sword. "Do not squawk at me," she said as she straightened up. "It's undignified."

The Crow demons were still preparing for a riot as their Princess recovered, but went silent the moment she swiped her hand through the air. She glared back at Shimonami, but knew better than to let her anger get the better of her again. Shimonami regarded her only for another moment before turning her back once again and walking away, sword still in hand.

Sesshomaru had remained still, observing as his mother was attacked and seemingly indifferent to it - but he knew better than anyone there that the Lady of the Inu Yokai could more than handle herself. In any case, she had a tendency to get cross when Sesshomaru interfered on her behalf. Shimonami took her place at the mouth of the cave once again. However, as she stopped, and the energy rippling through the crowd began to calm, it was Takuya that finally spoke up. The Priest had been silent through the entire ordeal, watching the demons in awe. Now, as he stepped forward, it wasn't without hesitance or fear, but a persistence to speak anyways. The demons eyed him carefully, distrustful of the holy man, and maybe rightfully so.

But, when he stopped before them, it was with reverence. Not the hatred or righteous anger they may have expected. Takuya bowed low. The show of respect had their attention. As Takuya rose, he looked up at the hoard, the thousands of demonic eyes watching him, with a pleading gaze. "Great Yokai..." he began. "I'm sure you'll not listen to an old man but please, hear me." When he wasn't struck dead on the spot, he figured that was as much of an invitation to continue as he was going to recieve. "I know that as a Shinto Priest, you may believe I harbour a deep hatred for your kind. I have banished and purified demons in the past, and I would do it again. However, understand that those demons were those that killed and sought chaos without reason, taking more than they needed for sport. As a Shinto Priest, it is my duty to purify for the cause of balance. That is all. I, of all people, understand that there is no life without destruction. No light without darkness. The clearing out of the dead makes way for the living. A flower left for too long in the sun will wither and die, just as it will never grow if it is shrouded in night..." Takuya looked down at his hands, weathered and browned from his years working with the soil - as if it had all lead him to this moment. "There is... a balance to everything. Light does not mean purity, just as darkness does not mean evil."

Sesshomaru went stiff. It was just a bare hint of a change in his demeanor, a slight widening in his eyes. He looked to Shimonami, who smiled back at him in silent knowing - they'd both heard that before.

Takuya's fingers closed into his palms, his arms lowering down to his eyes as he looked up at the demons, weary down to his bones. "I do not ask you to fight for Inuyasha. Or for Kagome. I ask only that you use your powers of destruction to restore that balance."

"And, in any case," Shimonami chimed in, moving to stand beside the Priest. "Inuyasha was the only thing standing between you and that Godstone everyone's so worked up about. What are you going to die if he dies?" she cocked her head. "Find another Hanyou? Force them to channel their Yoki into the crystal? Suppose then you'll have to cower behind them every time Masao threatens you with his little rock. If you ask me, which of course none of you have been wise enough to do, it would be much less troublesome to just take this opportunity to put an end to this."

Shippo, still holding onto Rin's hand, spoke up. "Inuyasha said that if you keep waiting for the right moment, it'll never come... I don't think he ever meant that we should rush head first into battle. He knew what was at stake... but he also knew what was worth the risk."

Shimonami nodded to Shippo. "So," she continued, gliding toward, "you can hide on your mountain if that's what you wish. But if you are going to make war, then by all means," she held out the Tengu Princess' sword, pushing the blunt side of the blade against her chest plate with a piercing gaze. "Make War."

The demon hoard watched in anticipation. Meeting Shimonami's gaze at eye level, the Princess wrapped her hand around the blade, and took it from the Lady of the Inu Yokai. Shimonami nodded, stepping back and turning her gaze to her son. But Sesshomaru wasn't looking at her. His focus was fixed solely on the valleys stretching down beyond the mountain. It was clear, in that moment, that he'd already made his decision. He'd made it the moment Rin told him what had happened. Sesshomaru walked away from the hoard, to the edge of the cave. Koga, who'd been just as silent and resolute, stepped up after him, the Goraishi flashing onto his hand.

Sesshomaru spared his ally a single look before turning back toward the world opening up below. "Follow, if you so choose," he said. "It makes no difference to me."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

There were no windows in this cell. The stone walls were cold and damp, puddling on the ground in rough crevices. The only light in the room was that of the torch lights on the wall outside the cell, and even that came through a small, barred hole cut out of the door. Chained to the wall, Inuyasha slumped against the stone, shivering from cold and blood loss. His wounds were already beginning to close, scabbing over in dozens of small holes. His body had rejected the bullets that did not pierce all the way through. Each one had pushed itself out from his body, agonizingly slow, and clattered to the ground. The sickening clink of lead falling to the stone floor had punctuated the silence all night.

The prison ward was silent, in any case. Aside from occasional soldiers passing by the ensure that their prisoner was subdued, Inuyasha's ear flicked toward distant sounds through out the night. Hammers on steel in an armory on the other side of the Fortress, sharpening blades, and barked commands. They were preparing for a war. Inuyasha wasn't quite sure if they were about to get one, but it was clear they were expecting everything to come to a head by the time the sun had risen in the morning. It was grating, but bearable. He could, to an extent, withdraw his senses into the oppressive, dark quiet of his cell - but that was, of course, only to that extent.

Footsteps echoed against the stone from down the row of cells, growing louder as they approached. Inuyasha saw the shadow on the far wall before he saw the man, just a face glaring down at him through the narrow window. Inuyasha barred his teeth, snarling in warning to be left alone. When the soldier only sneered and laughed, Inuyasha pulled violently against his chains. The soldier flinched back. Inuyasha gritted his teeth, biting back the pain until the soldier had left, just so he could get the last laugh. He winced as he slumped back against the cold, wet wall again. A droplet of water fell from the ceiling and onto his face. It was a bare comfort compared to the agony wracking his body.

He'd survived the volley fire, but it was a slow healing, especially for him. Had he been at his best, he would have been walking out of here already, plucking the bloodied bullets from his skin and flicking them into the grass. Nothing more than a nuisance. Fact of the matter was, though, he wasn't. Inuyasha may have grown stronger in the time he'd been away, but that came with a price. He'd have paid it again a thousand times over, though. In those few, tense seconds before he'd thrust his Godstone into Kagome's hands and thrown her off the waterfall, he'd realized three things:

That he was going to be caught. In that moment, it had been either be save Kagome and take the bullet, or try to stave off the inevitable until they were both taken, and that was just not an option.

That he could not let Masao know about his Godstone. If the Warlord found out how Inuyasha had managed to withstand its power, who knew what he would do? Inuyasha couldn't risk him counteracting the only measure of defend that he had.

And lastly...

Inuyasha's head snapped up to the cell door again. Another pair of footsteps, heavier than the last, was heading toward him with a quick pace. They stopped abruptly just before his door. The light, metallic clinking of keys preceded the forceful turn of the lock. Inuyasha turned his head as intense torchlight flooded into the room, his eyes struggling to adjust to the sudden change. When at least his vision cleared, the door had swung just shy of shut, allowing a sliver of light to spill through at the edges. Captain Yorino stood over him, just out of reach of the chain's limit. Inuyasha found his lips involuntarily curling over his faces at the sight of the smug man glaring down his nose at him. They both knew then that they had been in this same position only months ago.

Yorino said nothing as he appraised him, like a hunter determining the value of his catch. Inuyasha still had a cut on his chin from the man's blade in the village square. A thin trickle of dried blood ran down his jugular. In the burning chaos of the village siege, Yorino had looked no different that one of the demons in the hoard. Even know, with the torchlight at his back, his slitted eyes held an unearthly glow, and the scales running up along his arm and neck shimmered. Yorino curled his lip in disgust right back at Inuyasha, his forked tongue flitting between his teeth. With a rough yank, Yorino reached up and pulled the crystal off his armor and held it out in front of him.

An excruciating blue light erupted from within the crystal. Inuyasha swallowed a yelp like gravel in his throat, sinking back as far as possible from the blinding, holy light. A roar shook through the foundations of the room, so loud Inuyasha's ears flattened against his skull. From within the crystal, the phantom of a blue dragon came spiraling out, nearly too large to be contained by four walls. The dragon lashed as it circled the room, until its empty, black eyes narrowed down on Inuyasha. The hanyou glared up at the dragon, even as he felt himself being attacked to his core by its overwhelming energy. With another head-splitting roar, the phantom morphed and condensed.

When the light faded, Lord Masao was standing in the room. Corporeal and real as the chains binding Inuyasha to the wall. He seemed to take up the entire room with his presence, looming over Inuyasha's form on the ground in full armor. At his side, he had the original Godstone geode tucked under his arm, cracked open and glistening in fractals where crystals had been carved out piece by piece. Staring down at Inuyasha, he released a harsh breath out his nose. "So... it is true."

From behind him, Yorino's lips twisted into a smile. "Now you see, my Lord. I-"

"Get out, Captain," Masao cut him off with a sharp command.

Yorino faultered. The expression dropped from his face, replaced instantly with despair and desperation. "But, my Lord-"

A rush of wind and light burst from Masao, the dragon's head materializing above him and letting out a deafening roar. Masao remained unmoved by the force of his own display, standing deathly still as the Godly beast thundered its fury. "Get. Out," he seethed.

Without taking his eyes off the dragon, Yorino simply nodded. He backed slowly out of the room, nearly tripping over Inuyasha's chains in his haste to escape. He slipped out through the door, slamming it shut in his wake. Inuaysha had to admit that it was rather satisfying seeing the proud Samurai reduced to cowardly trembling as he scrambled away. However, there wasn't much left in him at the moment to take any joy out of it. With the dragon still floating above his head, translucent and ethereal, Masao sheathed his sword and turned to look down at Inuyasha. Total silence overwhelmed the small cell. Even as Inuyasha felt the power of the Godstone biting at his own energy, bleeding his yoki dry, he refused to look away. Inuyasha glared right back up at the Warlord beneath his fringe of bloody, silver hair.

Masao straightened up, meeting Inuyasha's glare head on. "White Phantom," he said as if greeting him for the first time.

Inuyasha said nothing. He grinned, cocking his head to the side with a shrug that rattled his chains.

Masao's lips pulled back in a snarl. "So, it was you, wasn't it? Weakening my territories. Attacking my men. Alive all this time... I did not want to believe it," he hissed. The dragon's tail flicked in response to his emotions, it's long body slithering through the open air. "How did you do it? How did you survive?"

Again, Inuyasha remained silent, jaw clenched tight as he stared up at the manic Lord.

His silence only fueled Masao's rage. "It was Lady Kagome, wasn't it? You tricked her, seduced her into aiding you, and the moment she no longer served you purpose, you killed her!" he shouted as the dragon's thundering growling resonated through the walls. "Well, Hanyou... though I did not wish to believe that you had survived, I have been preparing." Masao reached into a small pouch tied to his belt, next to his ammunition case. From within the pouch, he plucked a small sphere, not even the size of his palm. It was polished smooth, but the pattern of faces glistening like mirrors inside gave away its source - a Godstone. Masao reached to his other side, and pulled out an ivory matchlock pistol. With a crazed grin, hair coming undone from his tie and falling in unkempt strands over his face, Masao dropped the sphere into the muzzle of the pistol. It fell to the bottom of the barrel, the sound like stone hitting sand.

A bullet, primed with a single purpose.

"You see it now, don't you?" Masao said, his voice a near purr as he inspected the pistol. "It was always you, Inuyasha. From the very beginning, it has always been you. You have been the one thing standing in my way after all these years. From the day you met Kaede's sister and brought her to ruin, you have been a harbinger of death and mistfortune. And now, I am going to put an end to it. I pray that your armies come to your rescue tomorrow. Mine will be there to meet them, and I will finally be free to cleanse this land." When Inuyasha once again did not respond, Masao growled, kneeling down to his level and leaning into his face. "Well? Have you nothing to say?"

Inuyasha spat in his face. Masao recoiled in disgust, wiping the bloody saliva off his cheek with his sleeve before lashing out with a roar and bashing Inuyasha across his temple with the side of the pistol. Swallowing back a grunt of pain, Inuyasha recovered, only to find the cold muzzle of the pistol pressed underneath his chin. Masao's finger hovered over the trigger. One shot, and it was over, but all Inuyasha could do was stare Masao down. A grin slowly bled onto his face as blood dripped down from his forehead. Masao's eyes flashed with the cold blue light glinting off the barrel of the pistol. Inuyasha's reflected the torchlight shining in from the cell window.

The mirage of the blue dragon vanished. Masao ripped the gun away from Inuyasha's chin. Rising to his feet, he kicked him in the chest for good measure, watching in satisfaction as the air rushed out of Inuyasha's lungs. Inuyasha doubled over, coughing and clutching at his chest. Turning on his heel, Masao stalked out of the cell door. Evidently, he'd decided it wasn't worth killing him without an audience. Inuyasha, with a bitter sort of humour, couldn't decide if he should feel flattered or offended.

As he slowly regained his breath, Inuyasha sat up and resumed his position leaning back against the cell wall. The darkness returned, and with it the silence. He had hours left until his execution at sunrise. Inuyasha let his head tilt back, finding some manner of relief for his pounding head against the cool stone. He probably should have been more anxious than he was. However, he couldn't really find it in him to feel fear. He'd already settled on his fate the moment he pushed Kagome off that waterfall - the moment he'd realized three things.

That he was going to be caught.

That he couldn't let Masao know about his Godstone.

And lastly, that Kagome would come through for him.

She would understand his plan, that much was certain. That woman was smarter than anything, and cunning enough to see through to his scheme. And, even if she didn't... or even if she understood, but couldn't do it, she would have his Godstone. She would be safe. And with that comfort alone, Inuyasha was content to wait for dawn.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The glow of the barrier guided Kagome through the forest like a beacon. When she'd emerged from the cave, its light had been a bare glimmer through the trees. Even if she hadn't been told by Takuya to go to Miroku and Sango's home for safety, she may have been able to find her way by its light alone. With Jun and Kei following on either side, Kagome made her way through the dark forest until she'd made it out to the small clearing at the wood's edge. The comfortable home sat atop its little hill with a view of the village below broken by a few trees. Talismans sparkled in the trees surrounding the home, casting a violet barrier around the clearing. There was some evidence that soldiers had tried to break in - footprints on the ground in the torn grass, slices in the mud and the trees where swords had been swung and bounced back, but by the time Kagome arrived, it was eerily quiet.

Dozens upon dozens of villagers were crowded inside the barrier. They took up the house, spilling out into the grass surrounding it until they'd taken up practically the entire clearing. Some were injured, many distressed and wailing for lost loved ones and the destruction of their homes. Those at the edge of the barrier flinched back in fear when she approached, wary of the newcomer. It was only when she stepped out of the shadow of the forest that they recognized her. Their voices were muffled by the barrier, but she could at least discern that they were saying her name in clear shock and relief.

Kagome's brows knotted at the center as she looked over the barrier. She lifted her hand, not quite sure it would work but moving on instinct, and pressed it to the barrier. Closing her eyes, she poured her concentration into her hand. A small patch of the barrier began to waver, its light dimming just slightly. Kagome stepped through with ease, and the barrier closed once again behind her.

"Lady Kagome! We thought you'd been killed!" a woman cried at her side.

Kagome did not know how to respond. Her gaze traveled over the villagers. Refugees from a war they had at first welcomed onto their doorstep. Now they sat huddling together for safety, clutching their families close. Kagome looked down at the woman and offered a dim smile, before continuing on toward the house. There was hardly any standing room, but the villagers shifted and moved to clear a path for her, the dogs trotting along behind. She stepped up onto the porch surrounding the home and pulled back the shoji door. Her sacred bow and quiver of arrows had been propped up against it, and fell over as the door as the door moved. Kagome stopped, staring down at her weapons for a moment before lifting her gaze. It took her a moment to pick them out of the crowd, but the moment she stepped inside, she spotted Sango rising up over the rest. She'd been sitting with Miroku and the children closest to the fire in the main room. Miroku broke from his prayer and looked up at Kagome in flooding relief.

Sango nearly tripped her her haste to get to Kagome, clutching Hinata close her her chest. Stepping over the villagers sheltered in her home, she threw her free arm around her friend, holding her daughter to the side. "Kagome!" she cried. "Thank the Gods you're safe. Where are Rin and Takuya? They went to look for y-"

"Rin ran off," Kagome said. "Takuya went after her, they're alright..." Even her voice didn't sound like her own, low and smooth. Kagome almost felt it didn't belong to her, like she was walking in a borrowed body. She shook the thought from her head.

Miroku rose slowly to his feet, grunting as he straightened his back. He was still in pain, his lashings scabbing over and scarring every inch of skin down his spine. Still, though he moved carefully, he joined them at the doorway and embraced Kagome. "We will figure this out, Kagome," he vowed. "I swear to you, we won't let anything happen to Inuyasha."

Though Kagome had returned the embrace, her arms dropped down to her sides at the Monk's words. Her gaze flickered down to Hinata, sleeping peacefully through the tense night, before sweeping to Mamoru and the twins by the fire. "I know..." she murmured. "But... I won't let anything happen to him. I can't let you two risk your lives in this when so much is at stake."

Miroku and Sango exchanged a heavy look. "Kagome..." Miroku began.

Kagome shook her head. Stooping down to the ground, she gathered her bow and arrows off the floor. As she stood she slung her quiver over her shoulder. The entire village had its eyes on her, from those gathered inside the house, to everyone outside in the clearing, bathed in violet light. Kagome closed her eyes, inhaling a full breath. "I'm sorry..." she said, projecting her voice loud enough for everyone to hear. Kagome turned and stepped out onto the porch. "I've failed you." Her focus narrowed down to the village beyond, where the shrine behind her home once stood. The moon's light, faded behind the gathering clouds, just barely glinted off the two gravestones there. Kagome squared off her shoulders and began to walk away. "But now there's something that I have to do."

Again, the villagers parted for her, and Jun and Kei walked along at her heels.

Miroku hurried out onto the porch after her, stumbling and wincing at the ache. "Wait, Kagome!" he called out. "You shouldn't go back there, it's too da-"

Kagome walked through the barrier, its glow shifting and reforming around her.

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It was raining when Kagome made it to the village. The fires had all died out, leaving the air sickeningly sweet and heavy with smoke and charcoal. Ruined huts lined her path, those still standing filled with villagers that had been spared - and those that had not been so lucky. Kagome walked through the destruction, feeling more like a phantom herself as she followed the winding path. Jun and Kei walked ahead of her, disappearing between houses and crossing the path up front, sniffing out the way and keeping watch for danger. As Kagome passed through the village square, her eyes were drawn toward a piece of parchment that had been nailed to a pole staked in the centre.

By order of Lord Masao of the Takeda Clan, the hanyou Inuyasha will be put to death at sunrise.

Kagome could just barely read the paper. The rain was soaking into the parchement and causing the ink to run. Within moments, it was too heavy to stay up, and ripped down the middle from the nail, and fell to the ground. Kagome stepped on the paper as she continued on her way.

The rain had increased to a steady pour by the time Kagome had climbed the steps up to the remains of the shrine. The shrine house itself had been raised to the ground, its contents pillages and destroyed. The two graves, however, remained unscathed. Kagome slipped her quiver off of her shoulder and set her bow down on the ground. She took her time in her movements, unhurried by the rain. It had already completely soaked through her clothes, her hair, glistening on her cheeks.

Lowering herself to the ground, Kagome sat on her knees in front of Kikyo's grave, and allowed the rain to cascade over her. Hands relaxed in her lap, she bowed her head and closed her eyes. The patter of the rain on the stone, and the low, distant rumble of thunder resounded around her. Slowly, the voices of a hundred women all singing in different melodies without words, yet all harmonizing to the same haunting tune, echoed in Kagome's mind. It was not a physical sound, but she could feel them. She could feel every single one of them, all of the lives she'd lived and the ones that had yet been born. Hundreds of women, and she could feel them all in her soul, as real as the cool rain drop sliding down the back of her neck.

"Kagome, Kagome. You are no more than a bird in a cage..."

The words came and went, fading into the sea of voices and contrasting melodies. Kagome lifted her head and opened her eyes. In the reflection of the polished gravestone, Kikyo stared back at her. The deceased priestess sat in the same position, and for a passing moment, Kagome could have mistaken her for her own reflection - in some ways, she realized, she was. However, there was that deep sadness in her eyes, radiating out from within the mirror, that Kagome recognized in one heart beat.

"So," Kikyo began. "Now you understand."

Kagome breathed out. "Yes, I believe so."

From within the reflection, Kikyo shook her head. "Flickering Lanterns..." she scoffed. "I was just a girl when I made up that song. I never thought anything of it, they were just words, it didn't mean anything. I never thought Kaede would ever remember it, but she always did love songs like that... I no idea what it would come to mean." As she mentioned the song, the quiet chorus melded into the tune, and faded again just the same.

"I think..." Kagome chewed at her bottom hip. "I think there was a part of us that knew. We were trying to leave a message for ourselves. It just took me too long to realize it."

The two priestesses, mirror images of each other, sat in silence as the rain continued to pour down.

"You know you are going to die," Kikyo murmured.

Kagome sighed, shoulders dropping. The rain plastered the fabric of her kimono against her skin. "Everyone dies," she replied. "I don't know how, or when, but... yes, I know that. I guess this has always been inevitable..."

Kikyo's face twisted in pain, a weary agony that sank in deeper than her sadness could ever reach. "It's not fair!" she snapped.

Kagome realised something in that moment. It was a single thought, but one that struck down to the core of her. She was older now than Kikyo ever was. In every way, she was the older soul, but here in this life, in this physical body... Kikyo was the younger girl. She was spiteful, and hurt, and upset with the hand they'd been dealt. Kagome wanted nothing more than to reach back through the past, to comfort her. As it was, though, she couldn't. Kagome took her anger in stride, even as she felt it emit from somewhere deep within her own soul. She lifted her head to the sky. Though she couldn't see the moon, Kagome knew that it was there, somewhere behind the veil of black clouds. The moon was there, always changing, but always coming back just the same in an endless cycle. "No," Kagome sighed with a sorrowful smile as she looked back at her reflection. "No, it really isn't. But we both know we'll do it a thousand times over, if it means we get to see him again. And that's the whole point, isn't it?"

Kikyo did not respond. She didn't need to. They both already knew the answer. As her image faded and morphed, Kagome's own true reflection began to take its place, her mind's eyes pulling back to reality. However, as the chorus of voices began to fade along with it, one tune remained.

"Crane and a turtle, gonna slip and fall..."

In the reflection of the gravestone, the image of a little girl with a patch covering her eye appeared just a few feet back.

"Who's behind you...?"

Kagome gasped, head whipping around to look for the girl. No one was there.