Warnings for this chapter: similar themes to the previous one, with character death, emotional abuse and manipulation, and a whole lotta angst. There's something akin to dissociation and way more genuine emotions than it has any right to have.


Inuyasha landed hard against the sloping edge of the ravine. He couldn't grab hold of the rocks which flew past him, but he dug his heels into the solid ground and tried to slow his fall. A few of the clay soldiers fell around him, shattering into pieces in a grim remind of what awaited him if he couldn't pull out of his fall. He bounced off the rocks which jutted from the cliff face, keeping a delicate balance between slowing his descent and fracturing the bones in his legs. He landed at the bottom of the ravine with enough force to drive the air from his lungs, but at least nothing was broken. Besides, he had more pressing things to worry about. Like where were the others?

A whistling sound from above answered most of his question. Shippo glided down on a giant leaf, careening wildly out of control. Inuyasha snorted and leapt at the kit, plucking him from the leaf before he could crash into the ground. He tried to ignore the way his heart clenched as Shippo clung to him with tiny firsts. They landed easily, but the worst was far from over. Inuyasha barely had time to wrap his body around Shippo before the gargantuan form of Hachi slammed down on top of them, only barely slowed by the tanuki's efforts. Inuyasha growled, thumping a fist into Hachi's belly and causing the tanuki to transform.

"Ah, so there you are!" Kaede greeted warmly from Hachi's arms, which trembled as he held the old miko aloft.

"Granny!" Shippo cried out, abandoning Inuyasha in favour of Kaede's embrace. Hachi dropped them with a groan.

"Where's Miroku?" Inuyasha asked, but there was movement from the rubble lining the bottom of the cliff.

A few soldiers, miraculously unbroken, climbed from the shattered bodies of their companions. Inuyasha rolled his eyes, completely not in the mood. "Haven't you had your fill of me, yet?" He took them all out with a few well-placed blows. He ignored the deep scars left in the cliff face from the attack and turned to Kaede.

"Urasue has taken Miroku," she supplied evenly. "She took him from the bridge."

"At least he didn't fall to his death!" Shippo chirped, but Inuyasha wasn't having it.

Orbs of white light began to lift from the soldiers' bodies. Kaede hummed and watched them rise up from the abyss. "Their souls are ascending. Urasue must have imprisoned human souls to animate the clay. Human bones are likely baked into the clay."

Inuyasha's nose wrinkled as he took a deep sniff to confirm it. "Yeah, those're bones alright, and a lot of 'em."

"Urasue's magic is fiendish," Kaede continued, leaning hard against her bow. "Using the bones and souls of the dead- and now she possesses my sister's remains, and holds Miroku captive-"

Inuyasha rushed forward as her legs gave out, catching her easily. "You're wounded old woman. Take Hachi and Shippo and get out of here. I'll get Miroku and Kikyo's remains back."

"I worry that time is not on our side," Kaede said, pushing herself insistently away from Inuyasha's supporting arms. "We may shortly find ourselves face-to-face with my sister."

Inuyasha's blood ran cold. "But Kikyo's dead."

Kaede shook her head. "Urasue has all she needs to revive her. If she succeeds, we shall face a formidable foe. You will need me to have a chance at stopping her."

Inuyasha ground his teeth and shoved Hachi towards the old woman. The tanuki took the hint and transformed, and they all climbed on his back. Inuyasha didn't like it, but she had a point – she was the only one who knew what was going on with Urasue, and he wasn't about to risk Miroku's life on whatever Urasue was planning for him. And he couldn't let that witch demon revive Kikyo, not in some bastardized half-life creation. He couldn't allow that.

He couldn't.

Miroku glowered at Urasue from the stone pool she'd dumped him in. "Do you mind?"

Urasue cackled and continued pouring noxious-smelling liquid from clay jugs into the pool. She moved with surprising ease for her old appearance, and her eyes were sharp. Miroku's lip curled into a snarl, reminiscent of Inuyasha's, but unfortunately it was all he could do. Whatever magics or youki surrounded him, it was incredibly strong. He could barely speak, barely keep enough strength in his spine to avoid slipping under the foul liquid in the pool. He summoned all his strength, put all his focus into a single movement, and tried to flip himself out of the pool. He was met with a harsh whack on the head from the handle of Urasue's scythe.

"You are an insolent one, aren't you?" she observed, an unnerving gleam in her eye.

Miroku grimaced. "If you're trying to make a soup out of me, I suggest reconsidering the spices. They stink."

His attention was drawn from the frankly putrid waters as a young woman emerged from a cave in the mountain's face. She walked haltingly, as though she didn't truly belong in her body. She wore the clothes of a miko, the same as Kaede, but Miroku was distracted from that fact as beautiful woman flooded his mind. And she truly was. She was gorgeous! She was- She was Kikyo, wasn't she? Miroku shook his head firmly. He was not allowed to lust after Inuyasha's old love interest, or Kaede's sister, or a dead priestess. Many levels of not allowed right there. But… Damn.

"So you're dressed," Urasue observed. "I have done well to reshape your body." She turned to smile chillingly at Miroku. "Now all that you require is a human soul, one young and virile and full of spiritual power."

That was the pull that Miroku needed to get his mind back in order. Kikyo was alive – or whatever this was – reanimated by a demon. Said demon was going to take his soul. Not good. His struggles renewed, splashing the liquid over the stone sides of the pool as he thrashed, but he was even weaker than before. Panic began grasping his chest as he glanced between Urasue's grin and Kikyo's vacant eyes.

"Don't worry," Urasue hushed in faux concern. "Your soul will soon be sucked from your body. Then Kiyko will be all better, and you will be a fine specimen of the living dead."

Not good.

Miroku could feel his strength draining with every beat of his heart. His chest tightened as the fumes from the liquid filled his lungs, making it almost impossible to breathe. His vision began to fade and his mind was foggy. A tingling sensation was spreading across his entire body, like when a limb woke up or a million ants running across his skin. He felt oddly disjointed, as though his mind were no longer in his body. He heard Urasue muttering to herself, something about fainting and light. Miroku opened his eyes to see a white light forming around his body. He didn't know how, but he knew it was his soul.

He glanced over at Kikyo, only vaguely surprised to see the same light surrounding her. A thin, ethereal glow stretched between the two of them. When Miroku concentrated on it, sparks of energy and emotion flashed in his mind. Love. Anger. Hatred. Someone else's emotions, not his own. And he could feel her, in a strange way. He could feel Kikyo's spirit reaching out to him. What- Then something happened, something which he couldn't see but felt with every fiber of his being. Inuyasha. Inuyasha was here? The thought resonated in his – Kikyo's? – head. Then pain erupted along his body.

There was a pink light emanating from his chest, where the Jewel shard sat under his hastily patched robes. It glowed ever brighter, joining in the increasingly frantic movements of his soul which shifted around him. Miroku closed his eyes tight, focusing everything on keeping hold of himself- But it hurt! And he couldn't breathe- Consciousness was slipping away from him – Kikyo's grasp on his soul was unrelenting, and she was drawing on the powers of the Jewel – and hate anger love betrayal revenge! Miroku could feel her getting stronger, could feel her rage. It was an integral part of her, something deeply ingrained in her bones.

Suddenly, he understood. Whatever thin sliver of himself remained, he saw what had happened as though it happened to him. She never recovered. The last few moments of her life had been a frantic blur of fear and pain and anger- Betrayed by love- Her soul so full of hate – she must have known that with nothing to stop her, she would wander the world as an angry spirit. So she cursed herself. She couldn't move on, not after what Inuyasha had done to her, but she couldn't let herself harm others, either. She died and her essence reduced to the barest aspects of herself, baked forever into her bones. Love. Anger. Hurt. Betrayal. Revenge.

Inuyasha ran forward blindly, uncaring that the others had fallen behind. He could smell Miroku, smell his distress, but- Something else. Something horribly, achingly familiar. He stumbled to a halt when he saw her, and every other thought fled from his mind.

Kikyo.

She sat, leaning against the wall of the mountain, dressed the same as she was the last time he saw her- And she was looking at him with wide eyes. She was looking at him. She was alive.

Kikyo was alive.

"You survived the fall?" Urasue asked, her voice barely breaking through the wall of Inuyasha's mind.

Kikyo was alive.

Miroku gasped, his own emotions clashing with Kikyo's. Everything was becoming jumbled together, mixing and weaving and tainting. He could hear a voice clearly in his mind, begging "Do not call out for me. Do not call out my name!"

Inuyasha blinked, his lips moved, and the softest word hung in the air. "Kikyo."

Miroku screamed, though it never left his mind. He was dragged out by a thousand clawing hands, pulled from his body and slammed into Kikyo's. She was there, she was in control, and he couldn't stop screaming.

"Miroku!" Inuyasha shouted as the brilliant white light surrounding the monk vanished into Kikyo's body.

Miroku slumped against the walls of the pool, eyes wide and lifeless. Kiyko rose into the air with the force of it. Slowly, the light faded from around her. She touched her face gingerly, eyes closed and expression blank.

"The transferral is complete!" Urasue laughed. "The soul has been accepted by its new host."

"Miroku!" Shippo shouted, running forward before Kaede or Hachi could stop him. He came to a stop in front of the pool, as close as he dared. "Don't leave us! Wake up, Miroku! Wake up!"

Inuyasha's eyes darted between Miroku and Kikyo, utterly torn between the two. He could hear Miroku's heartbeat, sluggish and weak but still there. He could hear Kikyo's breathing, soft and quietly distressed. Their scents mingled and overwhelmed him. He was rooted to the ground, utterly unable to move.

"You waste your time talking to a soulless lump of flesh," Urasue muttered, roughly jabbing at Shippo with the handle of her scythe. "Don't worry, his flesh will not go to waste. I'll eat it later, once we're done here."

"How dare ye!" Kaede hissed, notching an arrow on her bow and aiming it at the demon. "How dare ye use my sister thus?"

"My creation is wondrous, is it not?" Urasue cackled. "Simple ash and soil turned into breathing, living flesh and blood. I am her creator- nay, her birth mother! And her allegiance is only to me."

Kikyo began walking towards Urasue, swaying slightly with eyes still closed. She grasped on to Urasue's shoulders, bracing herself for a moment. The a shot of pink lightning crackled through Urasue's body, travelling up Kikyo's arms and disappearing into her flesh. Urasue fell to the ground, lifeless.

"Inuyasha," Kikyo said at last, eyes staring at the ground. "Why are you still alive? I bound you to a tree with a sacred arrow."

Confusion- hurt- anger- disbelief- Was this even real?

"Yeah, you did," Inuyasha agreed, torn between jumping back, rushing forward, rushing to Miroku- "And I stayed there for fifty years. But now I'm alive and ready to take you on again."

"You vile beast!" Kikyo gasped, finally lifting her eyes to pin Inuyasha with a tearful gaze. "I despise you, you loathsome half-man!"

The insult barely landed – and it hurt, she knew his fears and his weaknesses – when she suddenly cried out in pain. Red light erupted from her shoulder and Inuyasha watched in horror as the crimson spread down her robes.

Claws, tearing and searing, the utter shock bleeding into disbelief- Should've known- Betrayer- Doesn't hurt as badly as the pain inside-

"What's the matter?" Inuyasha asked, trying to keep the earnest sincerity from his voice.

She took her hand away from her shoulder and it was covered in red. "Why did you betray me, Inuyasha?"

"What's going on? Where's all that blood coming from?"

The air was thick with it and it choked him. Kikyo's blood…

"Look closer, Inuyasha," Kaede advised. "Is that not the fatal wound ye inflicted on Kikyo?"

"I inflicted? What're you saying?" Since when- What- How- Kaede thought that he killed Kikyo? Did Kikyo think that?

"Yes!" Inuyasha stumbled back a step at Kaede's words. "It was your wounds that sealed her fate, and ensured her demise."

"There must be some mistake!" His heart pounded in his throat, panic rising in his chest. "I didn't kill her! I don't even remember wounding her!" He would never- Surely they knew he would never-

"Truly? These wounds didn't come from your hand?" Kaede's gaze darted between him and Kikyo. "If not you, then who slew my sister?"

"You are even more vile than I thought," Kikyo spat. "Inventing such feeble excuses. It is most unflattering, Inuyasha. Stop it!" She sagged where she stood, pain overcoming her. "Do you not remember when you told me that you wished to become human?"

Hope, for the first time- hope for an escape- so close to being free-

"Impossible," Kaede scoffed. "He wishes to become a demon!"

"I believed you," Kikyo continued, undeterred. "That day, I carried the Shikon Jewel to you. And you betrayed me. You laughed in my face and killed me, and took the Jewel for your own purposes."

"But Kikyo," Kaede protested. "I can't believe that Inuyasha could have committed such a heinous crime!"

"How could I have betrayed you?" Inuyasha pleaded. "I never would have hurt you – and you say I took the Shikon Jewel, but I stole it from the shrine later that day after you betrayed me!"

"Lies!" Kikyo cried. "That is why I summoned the last vestiges of my strength and bound you to the tree. Inuyasha…"

She moved to him, coming to a stop just before him. He couldn't help but be memorized by her, by the beauty and grace she possessed still. "Kikyo…"

"You and I were fated never to meet again. I bound my soul to prevent this…"

She sighed, grabbing hold of his sleeves. She tightened her grip, and a jolt of pure spiritual power shot through him like a hundred bolts of lightning. He flew back from the force of it, landing hard on the ground.

"Stop this assault, Kikyo!" Kaede cried out, rushing to her.

"Who are you?"

"I am Kaede. My looks have altered because fifty years have passed since your demise."

"Then explain why you would speak on Inuyasha's behalf." She grabbed at Kaede's bow. "Give me this!"

She snatched an arrow and easily notched it, sending it straight at Inuyasha's heart. He barely managed to jump out of the way, the earth shattering under the force of her spiritual power. Inuyasha landed safely off to the side and his gaze shot around frantically for an escape. Kaede grabbed at Kikyo, trying to stop her. Shippo and Hachi had dragged Miroku from the pool, but the monk was still limp and lifeless.

Finally a chance- a purpose again- freedom only after his death-

"You must stop this madness!" Kaede insisted as Kikyo tried to claim another arrow. "Inuyasha is not your enemy!"

"Open your eyes," Kikyo hissed. "You, too, have been taken in by this deceitful monster!"

"You are mistaken!"

"Hand me your arrows."

"I will do no such thing!"

"Kaede!" Kikyo snapped. "Show some loyalty to your flesh and blood, not some devious, lying half-breed!" She tore the quiver from Kaede's back, pushing her aside and turning to Inuyasha once more. "You told me that you wished to become human. You told me that you wished to be with me!"

She aimed another arrow right at him. Inuyasha held his ground, knowing that any movement on his part would lead to her firing. "Wait, Kikyo!" he said instead. "I meant every word!"

"Liar!" Kikyo cried, and he could smell her pain, could feel it as if it was his own. "I was a fool beyond compare for believing your far-fetched tales. My spirit will not forget the hatred you instilled in me. So long as you live, my spirit cannot be freed!"

"Inuyasha," Kaede's voice was alarmingly calm as she knelt by Miroku's side. "You must destroy my sister's body at once. This rebirth is nothing but a deceit of magic. Release the souls within, both Kikyo's and Miroku's."

"It's futile," Kikyo insisted. "I shall not be released until I have carried out my revenge!"

She loosed her arrow at the same moment that Inuyasha unsheathed the Tessaiga. The arrow struck the blade, pushing it back and transforming it back into rusty metal. Inuyasha blinked, taking a step back under the force as the arrow continued to dig into the blade. He distantly heard Kaede's voice screeching "Run, Inuyasha!" The arrow pushed past his sword and began digging into his chest, held oddly suspended by the force of the power within. As it pierced his flesh, agony ripped through his entire being. He screamed.

Miroku's eyes flew open. He gathered the remnants of himself and lunged at Kikyo from within, forcing her back. She fought with a vicious passion that he couldn't match, striking at him with ethereal tooth and claw. He held her back just long enough to gather his soul in his arms and fly from her body. She lunged after him, dragging him back with a thousand hands. He reached out desperately for his body, somehow knowing that if he could just manage to gain purchase in his true form then he could hold out against her. She screamed at him. "No! Not yet! My revenge!" He ground his teeth and pulled harder against her. White hot pain ripped through him as the connection formed between them began to tear apart. Then it snapped. Miroku vaulted back into his own body, and the world went dark.

The arrow disappeared as though it was never there. Inuyasha coughed and groggily sat up from the ground. What- Miroku! The monk's body pulsed with white light, light which seemed to be flowing from Kikyo. The ethereal thread connecting them suddenly severed, dissipating into the air. Kiyko stumbled back, a hand clutched to her chest. Then she ran. Inuyasha stumbled to his feet and ran after her. He vaguely heard Kaede calling after him. He ignored it. He was numb, the world was blurry, but all he knew was that Kikyo was leaving again and she still had some of Miroku's soul trapped inside her.

He watched her move towards the edge of a nearby cliff. She wasn't- She stumbled. She began to fall. He leapt forward and snatched her wrist, digging the claws of his other hand into the dirt and bringing them both to a jarring stop. She looked up at him in shock, something flickering across her eyes. "Inuyasha?"

"Kikyo!" he pleaded, blinking back the tears in his eyes. "You can't go on like this any longer. You must give Miroku back his soul! You must give up this hatred which binds you to this world!"

Kikyo gave him a soft, sad smile. "You are saying you wish me to die, is that it? You wish that I should cease to exist forever?" His heart froze. No. Her expression shifted to one of hatred. "I refuse to die!" She reached up and grabbed onto his wrist with her other hand, sending another jolt of spiritual power through him. "My spirit cannot rest until I see you dead!"

"Don't do this!" he begged through the pain. His grip loosened on the rock of the cliff and they both slid forward. He barely managed to catch them on the edge. "Kikyo!"

They jerked to a stop. He felt her hand slipping. He tightened his grasp, desperately clinging but-

She slipped away.

He watched her fall.

Her scream echoed through the empty chasm of the ravine.

She disappeared from view.

His hand reached out after her, grasping at nothing. Cold, painful numbness spread through him, seeping into his very soul. Not again. He only just got her back… Not again.

Why? Why did it have to come to this? How did it go so wrong? It wasn't supposed to be like this! Damnit! Kikyo! It wasn't supposed to be this way!

Inuyasha drew himself back over the edge of the cliff. He stumbled a few steps away and collapsed. Nothing mattered anymore. The blazing heat of the summer sun, the hard earth beneath him, the scents on the breeze, nothing even registered. He was totally and utterly numb. Only the lingering pain of her spiritual energy pinned him to this world. Without it, he would have easily floated away. Disappeared into nothingness. Simply ceased to exist. He gazed up at the sky, black spots dancing in front of his vision. A bird flew above, far above in the sky. He watched it lazily, for lack of anything better to do.

Then he remembered Miroku.

He was up and running before his mind had time to process it. Everything else was pushed aside, his entire existence sharpening down to one, singular thought. He rushed back to the ledge of the mountain. He saw the tub with its stinking liquid. He saw Kaede, Shippo, and Hachi all clustered in a group. And he saw Miroku, miraculously awake, carefully sitting up with Kaede's help and blinking lost, wide eyes. Inuyasha landed on his knees in front of him.

"What?" he gasped, reaching out a hand to touch the monk before stopping himself. "I thought your soul-"

"It seems that only the remnants of my sister's soul remains in her body now," Kaede interrupted gently. "Miroku's spirit has returned to his own form."

Inuyasha blinked a few times, his eyes scanning the monk for every trace of discomfort, every twinge of a muscle or hint of pain. "You okay?"

Miroku tried to smile with a jaunty "Never better" but it was a feeble attempt. He was pale and weak, his forehead shone with sweat, and he couldn't hide the grimace that formed every time he so much as breathed. It didn't help that under the putrid smell of herbs, the scent of pain rolled off him in waves. Inuyasha set his jaw and tentatively reached out, brushing away the hair that was stuck to his brow. Miroku blinked at him wanly. He sighed and shuffled closer, wrapping his arms under the monk's back and legs and lifting him easily into the air. Miroku murmured something unintelligible and wrapped his fist into the front of Inuyasha's robes.

Hachi transformed and they all climbed onto his back. Inuyasha settled Miroku onto his lap and curled protectively around the monk. Kaede sat down beside him, not meeting his gaze.

"Kikyo?" she asked, barely more than a whisper.

"She ran," he answered hoarsely. "She got to the edge of the cliff and- I tried to grab her, I really did, Kaede. You have to believe me, but- She fell. I couldn't- I didn't-"

Kaede nodded and stared out into the setting sun. "Perhaps it is for the best. She would never have truly been of this world. It is a disrespect to my sister's memory that Urasue would even have attempted to bring her back."

They landed on the other side of the ruined bridge just long enough for Inuyasha and Shippo to wrangle Kaede's horse onto Hachi's back. Shippo had to tie the poor creature down for the rest of the way back to the village, but at least it was better than Hachi's suggestion of eating it. A blanket of shocked silence hung over them all the way back to the village. Thoughts, emotions, sounds, and smells all swirled around Inuyasha without him fully registering any of them.

Kikyo was dead.

After only just getting her back – and not fully, at that – she was ripped away from him again. He didn't get to say goodbye. And she hated him. He knew that, of course – she hated him when they both died before – but somehow, it hadn't registered once she was back. Because it didn't matter. She was back, and all he wanted was to feel her in his arms again. And he would never get that chance. Her body would rot at the bottom of the ravine. And he would be left to mourn her all over again. A deep pang of guilt hit as he realized that he would've been happy to be with her, that he was so close to falling for her again even though she had stolen Miroku's very soul. He couldn't let that happen.

He turned his gaze to the monk in his lap, the alarmingly pale face streaked with sweat. His fingers tangled deeper into the damp hair, the hair tie slipped away to leave the locks unbound. It was his fault, what happened to Miroku. All his fault. And he's almost lost the monk. The thought burned in his mind and constricted around his chest. It wasn't a new feeling, not with all the danger they'd already faced together, but it was different. Because it was his fault. Because it was to the woman he'd loved. Because Miroku's beautiful soul had almost been lost forever. And he truly, honestly didn't know what he would've done if that had happened.

The villagers helped them with a dozen hands – taking Kaede's horse, helping them down from Hachi's back, and ushering them into Kaede's hut. Shippo and Hachi gathered together blankets and sleeping mats as the villagers fetched bandages and water. It was all a bit of a blur to Inuyasha. He lay Miroku down on one of the mats and knelt down beside him. His ears were trained on every breath, every heartbeat, and his eyes never left the pale face.

"I'm alright," Miroku murmured, blinking slowly up at him.

Inuyasha didn't respond, merely curled his body around the monk's and closed his eyes. The heartbeat. The scent, marred by slowly fading pain. The fingers which brushed lightly over his ears before retreating. It was late, or so he thought. It had been growing steadily darker as Hachi had flown them back. They could sleep, and maybe – just maybe – things would be better in the morning.

They weren't.

With his nose shoved deeply into Miroku's shoulder, the nightmares were surprisingly few. Not once did he jolt awake with a searing pain in his chest. Instead it was more intangible, the whisper of a voice or a flash of red, white, and black in the corner of his eye. He woke up frequently, taking a moment each time to track everyone's heartbeat and sniff out Miroku and Kaede's pain before hunkering down and trying to rest again. At one point he caught Miroku in a nightmare. He woke from his doze to the monk's heart hammering in his chest, and the sour tinge of fear creeping into his scent. There was no thrashing about or screaming, just furrowed brows and a slight catch in his throat. Still half-asleep, Inuyasha half-climbed onto the monk's chest and buried his fingers in his hair. Slowly, Miroku's breathing slowed and he relaxed. Inuyasha stayed there until the first tinges of dawn painted the lightening sky.

It wasn't better. There was a deep ache in his chest, a rolling nausea and a tightness in his throat which refused to leave. Guilt and grief slammed into him in waves and it just. Wouldn't. Stop. He stood carefully, taking one final look at all his companions before making his way to the entrance of the hut. That's when he felt eyes on him.

"Where are you going?"

Inuyasha spun around to see hazy violet eyes blinking up at him. "Nowhere. Just out for some fresh air." Miroku shifted and started to push himself up. "No, you stay in bed. You're not recovered."

Miroku gave him a small smile, offered like a sacrifice. "I'd love to join you or a walk."

Inuyasha's eyes darted to Shippo, who woke with a soft trill and blinked back at him sleepily before burrowing deeper into Kaede's side. Hachi was still asleep by the fire, Myoga lying comfortably on the tanuki's belly. No one was watching him, no one was judging. Some of the lingering tension fell from his shoulders and he moved to help Miroku gingerly to his feet.

"If you pass out on me, I'm never trusting you again," Inuyasha warned, receiving a warm chuckle in return.

He did indeed seem better. He seemed stiff and still a little sore, but he remained a solid presence as they walked through the village. The first chorus of bird calls sounded lightly in the air and the summer heat had yet to hit. It was remarkably peaceful. Inuyasha led them to a tree close to the hut, since Miroku was still a little shaky. They settled down easily together, upper arms pressed together and knees touching as they looked out across the rice paddies to the forest beyond.

"Inuyasha, tell me something," Miroku murmured into the still morning air. "Kikyo…you loved her, didn't you?"

Inuyasha's hackles immediately raised, the defensive retort at the tip of his tongue before he had time to question it. But somehow it stayed there, unspoken against the warmth and understanding he saw in Miroku's eyes. He blew out a deep breath, slow and shaky. "Yeah. Yeah, I did."

Miroku nodded, looking away again – giving him privacy even as he pushed. "How did you two meet?"

"She was the High Priestess, the one in charge of protecting the Shikon Jewel," he started slowly, but as he continued the words became easier and easier, spilling from his lips unbidden. "I was just another creature who came after it. But every time I tried, she caught me. She would drive me away or pin me to a tree, but she never even tried to kill me. I only wanted the Jewel for myself – I had no intention of killing her, and it became clear that she had no intention of killing me, either." His voice softened, his eyes glazed over, lost in the memory. "I could see that she was in pain, that she was lonely and longed for a different life than the one she had been assigned. I felt bad for her – guilty, even, that I was one of the reasons why she needed to devote herself to the Jewel. We started talking more and more, and eventually she suggested that I become a full human. It would purify the Jewel and maybe even use all of its power, making it disappear. She would be free from her duty and we could make a new life together."

Miroku watched the tears form in his eyes, the small smile that graced his lips and the mixture of love and anguish on his face that was masked by the haze of memory. "I wanted it. I wanted to live with her." A dark cloud passed over her expression. "But that day, she turned on me. She fired at me, swore to kill me. She betrayed me – as soon as I let my guard down, she tried to kill me! And then she had the gall to say that I attacked her? I managed to dodge the arrows and went to the shrine to steal the Jewel." Inuyasha's gaze fell to the ground and a tear slipped down his cheek. "That's when she bound me to the tree."

Miroku closed his eyes as flashes crossed his mind – glimpsing a red-clad figure from the corner of his eye, a field, a boat, strong arms, a promise, a gentle kiss, a sudden blow from behind-

"I could sense her emotions," he stated, before he could lose his nerves. Inuyasha had the right to know. "When I was in her body. I could feel her there, too."

Inuyasha's eyes snapped to his. "What? You were conscious during that?"

"Mm. I had no control, but I was watching through her eyes, and I could feel what she felt. I could even see some of her memories." He took a deep breath. "Inuyasha, she truly believes that you betrayed her."

Miroku thought of the hatred which sucked his soul from his body, the rage which fueled them. He thought of the moment he saw Kikyo's arrow begin to pierce Inuyasha's chest, of the instant and visceral reaction which pushed his soul back to his body.

"But how?" Inuyasha asked, breaking him from his thoughts. "I was waiting for her when she attacked me. The first time I saw her that day was when she shot at me!"

Miroku shook his head. "I saw it differently in her memories. You attacked her and told her that you had no desire to become human, that you would slaughter the entire village once you had the Jewel."

"No!" Inuyasha leapt to his feet. "No, that's not what happened! I would never!" He turned frantic eyes to the monk. "Miroku, you don't-"

"I could see your expression," Miroku assured. "Both when she bound you to the tree and today, when Kaede told you that you killed her. I have also gotten to know you in our time together. I don't believe that you would ever do something so cruel or needlessly destructive."

Inuyasha growled, his claws curling into fists. "But how does any of this make any sense?"

Miroku sighed and leaned back against the tree, unable to look at the hanyou for the moment. "I have a theory which might explain it. I didn't make the connection until the other day." Inuyasha crouched down beside him, amber eyes burning into his. "Inuyasha, the reason I came to Kaede's village in the first place, that day we first met, was because I was searching for a demon named Naraku."

Inuyasha's nose wrinkled at the name, his ears twitching. "You told me about him before. He's the one who cursed your family with the wind tunnel."

"Yes. I also told you of his shapeshifting abilities. My father told me that Naraku has always sought power, and that once, he almost succeeded in taking the Jewel fifty years ago. In doing so, he killed the priestess who protected it."

Inuyasha's eyes widened. "What? He killed a priestess? You don't think-"

"It's the only explanation," Miroku sighed. "I heard that the Jewel disappeared right after his attack. I had no idea that Kikyo was the priestess that he killed, but she must have been. Inuyasha, I think that Naraku tricked you and Kikyo into believing that you had betrayed each other so that he could take the Shikon Jewel."

Inuyasha snarled viciously, exposing his teeth. "Where is this Naraku? I'll rip him apart with my bare hands!"

"I don't know," Miroku pinched the bridge of his nose. "I don't know what form he's in now or where he might be. However, I'm sure that Naraku will be collecting the shards of the Shikon Jewel. All we can do is hope that we'll encounter him sooner or later."

Inuyasha stared at the ground, his eyes wide and unseeing. His fingers clutched compulsively at the ground, grasping for something that wasn't really there. Miroku curled his legs up and rested his chin on his knees, watching the hanyou and knowing there was nothing he could do to calm his distress. Nothing made sense. Why did Naraku trick Inuyasha and Kikyo? If he successfully manipulated both of them into essentially killing each other, then why hadn't he made off with the Jewel? And the shrine… Miroku frowned and closed his eyes, trying to trace Kikyo's memory with what Kaede and Inuyasha had described. Inuyasha said that he went to the shrine to steal the Jewel, but Kikyo had it with her when she went to meet him that morning. If the Inuyasha that attacked her was Naraku in disguise, then why bother bringing the Jewel back to the shrine for the real Inuyasha to steal later? Though it was the same detail that convinced him of Inuyasha's innocence in the matter, it was the most puzzling aspect of the whole thing.

He thought back to everything his father and Mushin had told him of Naraku, of the little he had found out from his own research. His eyes were drawn to the cloth-covered palm of his hand despite himself. As a child, he'd had similar questions of Naraku's other tactics. Why bother giving your enemies an intergenerational curse when you could just kill them? Why risk giving them a powerful weapon in the process, one which could be used against you? He sighed and closed his eyes again. Nothing made sense.

When Miroku returned to Kaede's hut without Inuyasha, the old miko didn't seem too surprised. She ushered Shippo and Hachi out to gather some supplies for their meal but thankfully didn't push for information while she was alone with him. When Inuyasha slunk back some time later, he was greeted with a bowl of rice and fish and nothing more. When he stated that they would be leaving the next morning to resume their hunt for the Jewel, Kaede merely gathered some supplies for them and wished them well. An uneasy silence had fallen over the group, even if most of them didn't understand its cause. Miroku sat in the corner for most of the day, watching the others go about their business as he made new sutras. It wasn't just about Jewel shards anymore – there was something much larger at foot. And he wanted to be ready for it. He needed to be ready. No matter what it took.

No matter what the cost.


So a bit of justification for whatever the hell I'm doing here. Introducing Naraku as Inuyasha's new target is a huge shift in the plot of the anime series, so I wanted to postpone it until now. (It's revealed in the next episode of the anime anyway when Miroku's introduced.) A bigger shift is obviously Miroku and Inuyasha's relationship with Kikyo. As complex as that relationship is in the anime, the fact that Naraku tricked them is quickly accepted by Inuyasha and isn't really an issue on his end after that. Because of that, I didn't feel that giving a character access to Kikyo's thoughts and memories would really impact the story at all, other than to make her a bit more of a sympathetic character than I felt she came across as in the anime. And forming a connection between Kikyo and Miroku will allow for a bit of the same dynamic as she and Kagome had. If you have any thoughts on my choices here, please let me know! I'd love to discuss!