Light Me A Lantern

by Novaviis

Picking up the pieces after being separated for three years isn't as easy as it may seem. A quiet, burning kind of chaos sweeps through Feudal Japan, and it's going to take a lot more than a fairy tale ending to put things back together. They defeated a man who would become the Devil. Can they survive a man who would become a God?

38. Chapter 38

Listen. This chapter is going to feel like a trust fall. Trust me.

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From the ruins of the fortress on the mountain, the Dragon broke free and soared up into the sky. Kagome watched it with the warm summer breeze on her sweaty skin and the scent of smoke burning her nose. The Dragon twisted and paced in circles as it surveyed the Demon Horde. Masao, suspended in its body, did not move. As the Dragon writhed with uncontainable fury, Masao was its mirrored opposite, dangerously still as he hung in the core of its body. For just a moment, Kagome was reminded of the curls of smoke rising off the tip of freshly lit incense, as she watched the movements on the Dragon, how gracefully it twirled in the air. In the brilliant sunlight of the day, high above the bloodshed and war, it could have been beautiful.

And then there came the came the roar - but it was not the Dragon's. Masao's voice, pitched high and breaking in his throat, echoed down the mountain and across the valley toward the village, rumbling through the seas of green treetops and rice paddies and rolling hills. His back arched with the strength of it as he bellowed into the sky. Kagome turned her body in towards Inuyasha on instinct, stepping closer against his side, her knuckles in a white grip around her bow. Down the mountain face, the horde touched down, thousands of demonic voices raising high as if in an echoing cry to the enraged God soaring overhead. An answer, a challenge, a dare.

She would have missed it at first, had not Inuyasha tensed and held his arm tighter around her waist as he looked down at the scene below. Kagome found it difficult to tear her gaze away from Masao at first, almost afraid that, should she shift her eyes for one second, the Dragon would come rushing for them. However, it was that hand on her hip, pulling her flush against Inuyasha's side as he stared down at the battlefield, that finally drew her attention. Scattered across the field, the transformed generals of Masao's army had been attacking the newly arrived demons. At Masao's call, they all haulted and turned their heads up. For many, it was seemingly their last actions, as Inuyasha's allies cut them down at their first hesitation.

But they didn't stay down. Not for long, anyway. Their bodies began to shimmer, dozens of lights dotted across the valley, until they all began lifting into the air, rising higher and higher above the village and the forest. It wasn't without any irony that Kagome thought, just for a moment, that they resembled sky lanterns. Following their master's call, the lights trailed after the Dragon, as it flew over the other side of the mountain and disappeared.

Confusion broke through the tense silence down below. Every eye that had stopped and turned toward the anomaly, no matter whose side they were on, was suddenly left aimless. Masao's soldiers, the ones that had been left behind by their generals, scrambled into a hasty retreat, called by the lower commanding ranks that had not possessed Godstones. The villagers chased them out, though it was more than likely the descending Yokai who quickened their pace as they pulled out from the battlefield. Some of them cheered - more turned their uneasy fear now toward the demon horde.

"This isn't over," Inuyasha broke the tense silence that had settled over the two of them, a heavy veil Kagome struggled to shrug off so quickly.

She blinked, looking back up at him, the sun glaring in her eyes as it crested above his head. "Huh?"

Inuyasha smoothed his hand over her hip, a small comfort he didn't even seem to be aware of - an instinctual tenderness as he looked away from Masao's retreat and down at her. "This isn't a surrender," he said. "He'll be back."

Kagome nodded, a weak exhale trembling through her lungs. "I know..." she murmured. Masao already had sent for the full force of his fledgling Empire. The lands he'd conquered were answering that call, willingly or otherwise. They weren't far now, and if Masao was regrouping there in retaliation to the arrival of the Horde, then he was planning on coming back stronger. They didn't have time to waste.

Inuyasha knelt down. As Kagome stepped behind him, arms wrapping around his shoulders, his hands were already coming up to hold onto her thighs. Without a spoken word, the two of them headed down the mountain, back into the fray as it died out - for now. The abandoned soldiers were still escaping in droves, some still locked in combat with vengeful demons or villagers, but the closer they came to the valley floor, back into the trampled meadow, the fighting had all but ceased. The dead and wounded were left in the torn-up grass, as the villagers sought out their own and carried them to safety, leaving the deceased behind.

By the time Inuyasha and Kagome made it to the meadow, the Yokai Leaders were already gathering on the same summit that had nearly been Inuyasha's place of execution. Sango and Miroku were emerging from the ruins of the village, with Takuya, Kohaku, Kirara in tow- as Kagome looked over her shoulder to see them at first, she could not even find the energy to wonder when they had all arrived. The three humans and their demon companion had enough sense to stay back from the leaders, sticking closer to the side where Koga and Sesshomaru stood. Trusted, or at least familiar, faces were not something to take for granted.

The leaders, all stood in an incomplete circle, had been starting up a council when Inuyasha and Kagome arrived. Inuyasha cautiously let Kagome slip off his back - she could feel it in the way he gently squeezed his grip on her thighs that he felt uneasy about it. She remained close to his side as he rose to full height, chin high and shoulders squared. Returning his arm to its place around her waist, he walked forward, stepping into the circle with a daring look to his hesitant allies. Kagome did her best not to show her exhaustion in front of them as she stood by Inuyasha. They were a terrifying collection; their forms varying from human in appearance to more beast on hind legs than anything. A three eyed, winged crow woman, a man with the lower body of a snake, and, Kagome noticed with a stunned fascination, a regal woman with long white hair and beautiful robes standing by Sesshomaru. Kagome caught the woman's eye for a moment too long, and was greeted with an interested look-over that she could have sworn was an approval.

A boar demon, tusks protruding from the bottom of an otherwise human jaw, furrowing his thick brows as he looked down at her. "So," he huffed, crossing his massive arms over an armoured chest, "this is the mortal woman that's caused so much trouble."

Inuyasha's hand tensed, dragging her closer as he snarled a warning at the boar. Kagome may have scowled at him as well, if Koga hadn't stepped in between, flanking her and Inuyasha. He glowered at the boar - Inuyasha's display was more than enough, but it never hurt to have a bit of support. Message clear, the boar huffed again but looked away. It was only then that Koga turned his attention down to Kagome, flashing her a wide grin and a wink. Even in spite of her fatigue, Kagome couldn't help the relieved little smile that grew on her face as she whispered a quiet "Hi" to him.

"Well," the Tengu Princess spoke up to keep the conversation moving ahead, "I don't suppose there's any hope that the Warlord has fled for good."

"None," Inuyasha replied tersely. Even now, he was glancing up at the sky, all too aware of the little time they may have. "He'll be back, and we need to be ready when he does."

"We need a plan," Koga nodded in agreement.

The Tengu General stepped up beside the Princess, casting a wary gaze at the sky before looking to Inuyasha. "If Masao is returning with reinforcements, they will be coming from the southwest. Our arrival from the north showed no signs of mobilization."

"We have already driven them from their Northern posts," the Bear Leader scoffed. He towered over them all, more animal in armour than man. "We've weakened them. We can do it again easily."

"Don't underestimate Masao," Inuyasha turned a narrow eye up to the demon. "His men still have their Godstones, and he's draining that power from them for himself. And last time I checked, none of you are immune to it." This last statement he said looking each of them in the eye - Koga and Sesshomaru included. Perhaps more-so to them. The Yokai Leaders all went silent. Those that had spoken up already, in any case. Kagome, a bystander by all accounts amoung this council, could only observe with quiet awe the effect that Inuyasha had on them all. They way he commanded their attention. The way they listened to him.

Inuyasha looked once again to the sky, toward the east, silent for a long moment before speaking again. "If they're coming from the southwest, they'll try to corner us against the mountain. They push us back any further, and we'll be at the sea. So, we need to push them outward. We take the fight away from the village. The hills on the other side of the forest should be plenty of space, it'll be harder for them to gun us down if we have that advantage."

"Nowhere for them to hide," The snake leader sneered in unrestrained glee.

Inuyasha nodded. "That's what I'm thinking anyway. Same rule as always though," he said this with a low shift in his voice, "the humans, the villagers fighting alongside us, are off limits."

"Lot of humans here," the Boar glowered. "How're we supposed to know the difference between ally and foe?"

Koga rolled his eyes. "Well, they'll probably be the ones in Masao's colours shooting at us for a hint."

"He's right," Inuyasha said. "That's why Koga should be the one heading the fight." Kagome couldn't have been half as surprised to hear that as Koga seemed to be. He turned to Inuyasha, shoulders tensing, unable to summon his own voice. Inuyasha spared him. "I'm gonna be busy with Masao," he said. "It's personal. So, I need someone I can trust to keep things from getting out of hand."

Again, Koga didn't say anything at first. Whether it was Inuyasha's words, or the weight settling upon his shoulders, he took his time, took a breath, to gather himself. And when he had, he nodded, grin returning to his face. "Right. I think I can handle that."

Satisfied, Inuyasha turned his focus from Koga to his elder brother, standing on his other side. Sesshomaru had said nothing so far. Shown little outward interest. However, as Inuyasha turned to him, Sesshomaru did the same, his expression giving away nothing. "And Sesshomaru..." he began, pausing a moment. The tension hanging in the air between them was tighter than a bowstring, and Kagome found herself holding on tighter to her own bow as she watched the silent conversation there. Any menace, any lingering resentment or hatred was absent from either brother. Finally, Inuyasha shrugged, a bare hint of a smirk at the corner of his mouth. "Do whatever it was you were gonna do anyway."

Sesshomaru inclined his head. "So, then we are of the same mind," he said evenly. "For once."

That exchange alone signified so much more than what even Kagome could fully appreciate in that moment - a level of acknowledgement. Of trust. As time went on, and the adrenaline ceased its buzzing in her veins, and Kagome found herself leaning against Inuyasha more and more. It had been a long morning already - and they were nowhere near finished. Inuyasha gave Kagome's waist a gentle squeeze to show her without words that he understood.

With the plan set out, and no immediate objection, the Yokai Leaders all readied themselves for what was to come. It was the Tengu Princess that first stepped forward to address the council, her black wings glistening in the midday sun. "Well then," she said. "You all heard the Dog General. Get moving."

Inuyasha tensed. Kagome felt the way his breath came to an abrupt hault in his chest, the way his back straightened. His hold on her loosened somewhat. There was no trace of pride on his face at the unexpected title. His gaze flitted briefly to the woman standing by Sesshomaru. She merely regarded him for a long moment before nodding her approval. Inuyasha's expression was stunned, but measured, as he forced himself to take in a slow breath and let it out with a trembling exhale. He looked almost terrified, and if anything else, resolute.

The leaders parted, scattering back to their own soldiers to relay the information and prepare for the battle ahead. Only when they had left did the others finally approach; Sango, Miroku, Takuya, and Kohaku all rushing up to the rocky hilltop. Kagome was aware of them, their voices and their footsteps approaching, but just for the moment, she pressed her face in against Inuyasha's shoulder and simply caught her breath. Loose strands of hair stuck to her forehead with sweat. She could feel it dripping down her spine. The heat of the day was bearing hard down on her, and the exhaustion of the first phase of battle had taken a lot out of her.

Kagome didn't realise someone was speaking to her until she felt the hand on her shoulder. "Kagome," Sango said, taking her hand and pushing an object into her palm. When Kagome looked down, she found a water canteen, Sango prodding her fingers closed around it. "Here, drink," she urged.

Managing a weak nod, Kagome brought the water to her lips - the moment it hit her tongue, it was almost difficult to stop, the instant relief the water brought nearly causing her to choke. She pulled it back and coughed to clear her throat, looking to Sango with an appreciative smile before drinking again, this time slower.

Inuyasha smoothed his hand up and down her back as he turned to their friends, giving them a quick scan for injury. "You guys are alright?" he asked.

"More or less," Miroku replied, the pain of his previous injuries was still evident in his voice.

Inuyasha nodded, pausing a moment. "And I don't suppose I can convince you to leave for shelter?"

Sango, still hovering nearby Kagome, shot him a sharp look. "You can't," she answered, meeting her husband's eyes. "We've... already worked it out between the two of us. You don't have to worry about us."

"I'll worry about what I damn well please," Inuyasha shot back with a smile - a minor attempt at one anyway, a minor attempt to hide the face that he was damn well worried. Kagome could read the thoughts on his face as they raged like a typhoon in his mind. "Fine, but at least stay with the other villagers. Try to keep them together so they don't get in the way of the Horde."

Miroku watched said horde with a wary eye, the demonic armies all congregating with their leaders. Even the other villagers seemed anxious about their presence, though shockingly neither side acted against one another. "You trust them?" the Monk asked.

Inuyasha considered his words for a moment. "I... trust that we have a common enemy and a common goal. That has to be enough for now. It's all we've got," he said. "Just stay together. That goes for you too, old man."

Takuya smiled, exhausted though he was already as well, shaking his head as he stepped forward. "I am not much of a warrior," the priest said, laying a hand on Inuyasha's shoulder with a firm grip. "But I will do my best to take care of the injured," Takuya looked to Sango and Miroku. "Bring me as many as you can. I will set up a sanctuary in the village, if it is safe."

"Not a bad idea," Inuyasha replied, and then unexpectedly went silent. Kagome hardly noticed at first, as she guzzled down as much water as she could stomach. It was helping immensely, the strength slowly returning to her body. However, it wasn't until she finally cause a glimpse of Inuyasha's face in profile, the low pull to his brow and tense set to his jaw. He blinked as he noticed her watching him, and glanced to Takuya. "Kagome... maybe you should-"

"No."

Inuyasha's sharp, golden gaze flashed down at her. "Kagome-"

"No."

The demons listened to him. Didn't mean she had to.

Were he wound any tighter, he might have snapped in two. As it was, Kagome was mildly surprised he didn't explode right then and there. His expression was hard, but she met it in her own stubborn refusal to budge, a stand-off even their friends could feel radiating between the two of them. Finally, Inuyasha looked to the others, muttered something about "needing a minute", and grabbed her hand. Kagome dropped Sango's water canteen as he pulled her off toward the village. Though she didn't fight it, and he was in no fashion rough, she found it difficult to keep up, stumbling in his wake. As they entered the smoldering ruins of what was left, Inuyasha searched through the village, and headed for the first structure that seemed somewhat intact.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome finally had enough, pulling back hard on their joined hands. "Inuyasha, sto-"

To be fair, he did. For a moment. With Kagome yanking his hand back, Inuyasha stopped and turned to her, using that same momentum against her as he came close. He picked her up, and before Kagome could take a breath, she found herself being pushed back inside that precariously standing hut - half destroyed, with barely three walls left and a patch of singed roof overhead, all personal items scattered and broken across the floor. Her back pressed up against the wall - and Inuyasha was there, hands cupping her face with a gentle and desperate reverence, kissing the breath from her lungs. She didn't hesitate, didn't care to let the disorientation subside before she was throwing her arms around him, giving herself to him entirely. She scrambled to grab onto him, fists closing in the folds of his haori on his back, anything to pull him closer. Inuyasha crowded her senses - after all the time they'd spent away from each other, even with those fleeting nights of secret meetings, it was nearly enough to leave her overwhelmed.

Inuyasha's voice was hoarse when he finally pulled away, pressing their foreheads together. "I want you safe, Kagome," he growled.

"And you don't think I want you safe too?" she gasped, fingers curling into thick locks of white hair.

"Nothing is working," he shut his eyes. "The arrows, everything I've thrown at him - even with my Godstone, nothing's getting to him. I just... fuck, what if I can't... what if I can't protect you..."

Kagome had thought she'd felt heartbreak before; Those sleepless nights she'd stare at the broad night sky in the early years, believing Inuyasha could never love her back. When she'd been young and naive and watched Inuyasha rushing to Kikyo as if it took any capacity of his love away from her. Confusing feelings she hadn't been able to understand herself. Countless times she'd watched her friends suffer. The day the well closed, and she'd believed she would never see Inuyasha again. Kagome thought she knew what it felt like. And it felt loud. It felt like her heart bursting against the walls of her chest with a blast so devastating it could send shock waves around the whole planet.

But that wasn't it. This was. This quiet smouldering within her breast, as she watched Inuyasha doubt himself. As she saw him, vulnerable before her, and afraid. Kagome felt that soft heat dripping slowly through her veins, pooling in her stomach, at her fingertips as she touched him. This was heartbreak, because she couldn't promise him it would be alright. She couldn't stand to lie. Kagome, on some level even she couldn't fathom, knew how this was going to end - how it always was going to end, one way or another. Her hand came up to cradle Inuyasha's cheek, thumb stroking along the sharp line of his jaw. Taking in a deep breath, her chest pressed so close to his she could feel him do the same, Kagome navigated her words carefully. "We're going to find a way, Inuyasha" she murmured. "You and I both know that. We're not giving up here."

Inuyasha gritted his teeth, a spark of that raw determination returning. "I never said-"

"I know," Kagome cut him off. Their noses brushed, lips just bare inches apart. "I know, Inuyasha, but... it's okay to be afraid anyway. It just means you know what's at stake..." She thought back on the Winter Solstice, when they'd had a very similar conversation, in the steam of the hot spring and the crackling fire inside the frozen cave. "I'm not just going to stand back. Not this time," Kagome coaxed him to look her in the eyes again. "We do this together or not at all."

She could see it was a difficult truth for him to swallow. The overpowering instinct to protect and shield was a difficult one for him to reconcile, in bringing her into battle - but she saw the moment he did it. He couldn't do this alone. Neither of them could. That was the whole point.

"Alright..." he muttered, as though to convince himself more than her.

Kagome nodded, throat thick, eyes prickling, unable to utter another word of comfort. What she couldn't say, she showed - she touched, and kissed, and held. In this stolen moment in the middle of a war, it was all they had to give to one another.

And like most things it didn't last.

How much time passed, Kagome wasn't sure. A part of her felt guilty, hiding away here while the warriors human and demon alike scrambled to organize themselves, to prepare for what was coming. But they needed this. Desperately, they needed just a while to themselves, in the quiet shade of that dilapidated hut. Still, it was not long enough before deep, rumbling thunder shook through the ground. Inuyasha's arms tightened around her, pulling Kagome flushed against his body as his head snapped up toward the sky with a snarl. All sunlight was quickly fading, overtaken by a heavy cloud cover churning overhead. Inuyasha and Kagome moved in tandem out of the hut. The sky was going dark. A humid wind began to pick up, and with it, the energy and anxiety of the gathered soldiers. Kagome shifted out of Inuyasha's arms, grabbing his hand and giving it a hard squeeze before stepping away to root around for abandoned arrows to refill her quiver, never moving too far out of sight.

Inuyasha, thought reluctant to let her go, relented. He stepped in the path of a young human about his age, struggling to tie on a bloodstained chest plate - no doubt pillaged from a dead soldier. Inuyasha took the man's arm, eyes flitting between him and the darkening sky. "What is it?" he asked.

"Masao's reinforcements have arrived!" the young man panted as he pulled the sash tight, scrambling to keep a hold on his sickle. "They are coming up from the southwest, on the other side of the fields outside the village - but they've made no attack as of yet."

Inuyasha scowled as he let go of his arm. "Why?"

"I'm not sure!" the young man replied, already running on his original path. "But everyone is gathering at the edge!"

Kagome, watching from where she stooped down next to a grotesque body to plunder its quiver, gathered the arrows and stowed them away. She stood, rushing to Inuyasha, whose gaze was now firmly fixed on the fast-moving clouds. She placed her hand on his bicep, following his gaze. "What is it?" she asked.

Inuyasha glanced briefly between her and the sky and back again, as if to confirm she was seeing it too. He set his jaw, and bent down to invite her onto his back. "We'll find out."

The moment Kagome had settled onto his back once again, Inuyasha took off running, following the flow of makeshift warriors and demons toward the fields on the outskirts of the forest, where the trees opened up to a great expanse of hills, grass blowing like waves on the ocean. The closer they came, the greater the crowds, everyone gathered to fight headed toward their new frontline. Inuyasha easily navigated his way through, bounding over those that did not move out of his way in great leaps as he followed the edge of the treeline. Kagome held on tightly, but even she could not keep her attention from lifting, pulled by an almost supernatural force, up to the clouds as they continued to grow darker, heavier, turning in one direction until at last she recognized the menacing vortex spinning high above their heads. When they finally reached the Demon Generals standing apart from the chaos, the great plains opened up to distant hills and wide expanses of untouched earth. Kagome knew it would all be soaked in blood by the end of this. On the other side, naught but a dark line on the horizon, the full might Masao's imperial army stood waiting for the command to attack. A dreadful anticipation hung in the air.

Further down the field treeline on their side, Kagome could see the human villagers gathering, picking out the forms of Miroku, Sango, and a handful of familiar Wolf demons amoung their ranks. She had only a moment to spare looking at them though, a small voice in the back of her head telling her that she hadn't had the proper chance to speak to them before this, to wish them safety in this, to say goodbye; a thought that did not come without a shiver. Regardless, the moment was come and gone before she could fully take it all in, Inuyasha setting her down as he come to a stop by the other Generals.

"Why haven't they attacked?" Inuyasha asked without preamble.

The Heibi leader stared down the vast expanse of pristine battlefield. "They may be rethinking the battle," he sneered. "With this storm approaching, the rain will render their weapons useless."

"In that case," the Tengu Princess laughed, "it will be all to easy to slaughter them."

Inuyasha listened, their contempt sliding off his back as he shifted his gaze up toward the darkened sky. The vortex was beginning to form a point above the fields, spinning around a singular epicenter. The wind had picked up, but it was nowhere near the strength of a typhoon. It was thick, and humid, but not cutting. Not natural. Kagome, in watching Inuyasha, came to the same horrifying revelation just moments before he said it aloud.

"That's not a storm," Inuyasha said. "That's his yoki."

The great, swirling cloud overhead crackled with internal lightning, thunder rippling through the air. Kagome took Inuyasha's hand in a firm and sure grip, drawing his almost startled attention down to her. He seemed taken aback for a moment by the certainty Kagome projected to him. They both knew - Masao was waiting for the two of them. His obsessions, the catalysts for his rage. Kagome nodded to him in silent resolution, and with just that one gesture she felt Inuyasha strengthen. His shoulders set, his back straighten, a deep breath filling his broad chest. But just as she could sense the dread in his eyes, she knew he could feel the rapid flutter of her pulse through their joined hands.

And, hand in hand, they walked forward. Down into the field, they crossed the flowing grass, approaching the enemy's side. The closer they got, the stronger Inuyasha's grip on her hand. His ears were pinned low, a daring snarl ready to curl from his lips, a menacing sight for anyone who dared fire at them as his Godstone glowed with a threatening red aura. Kagome kept a firm grip on her bow. For better or worse, Masao's soldiers did not fire, though they stood ready with their canons and their muskets loaded, the stench of gunpowder hanging in the air. Finally, they made it to the centre of the field, right in the middle of opposing armies. Nothing between them and the ominous sky. Inuyasha and Kagome looked up into the vortex of energy overhead - demonic or divine, it had all become one in the same.

Kagome felt it first. A shift in the ground, a dead energy biting into her feet, her legs, stinging her skin; not enough to do any damage, but certainly enough to catch her attention. She looked down. All around the two of them, the grass began to die, spreading outward underneath their feet. Kagome moved closer, tugging on Inuyasha's hand. "Inu-"

His grip on her hand tightened to the point of pain. Kagome flinched and tried to pull her hand away on reflex, but he wouldn't relent. The glow of the Godstone hanging from his neck was growing in intensity. Just moments before she feared the bones of her hand would crack and give away, the churning wind picked up, blowing the hair out of Inuyasha's face. She saw the purple markings, the elongated fangs, the blood red colour in the whites of his eyes, pulsing between clarity and demonic possession with the pace of a quickening heartbeat. The vortex began to spin faster. "Inuyasha!" Kagome cried, dropping her bow to hold onto his wrist. It was a conflict between pulling him closer to bring him to his senses, and prying herself away before he broke her hand.

She did not come to a decision one way or the other. Inuyasha let go of her hand, and in doing so knocked her back several steps away from him. Kagome fell back, just barely catching herself on her side. As she landed on the ground, forced to face the damning vortex, Kagome felt the blood drain from her head and right down into the earth below. A great, fearsome head pushed through the clouds - a Dragon bearing its teeth down at them, clouds forming and flowing around its face as if it were part of the storm itself. With another flash of lightning through the clouds, a pale blue glow grew to blinding intensity. The Godstone geode absorbed by Masao now shining prominently from within the beast's neck. Masao's form was not visible at first, and Kagome feared that he had morphed with the Dragon so perfectly that they were forever inseparable. However, through the lightning, flashing now from inside of the Dragon's body, she could make out the silhouette of his body. He had one hand on the hilt of his katana - and the other outreached toward Inuyasha.

The Godstone on Inuyasha's neck began to lift into the air, its cord trashing in the wind. Masao was trying to reabsorb it. And with the power he possessed now, it was possible he could. Inuyasha sunk down to his knees, the pull of the Godstone still trying to drag his body straight up, about to slip around his head.

Kagome lunged for her fallen bow. The moment she had it in her grasp, she rolled onto her back and drew and arrow from her quiver, notched it to the string, and fired. The arrow flew in a spark of rose-coloured energy straight up into the sky. Just seconds before its path would have led it to the Dragon's neck, the Dragon twisted its body in unison with Masao slashing the arrow with his sword. Still, it was enough to break his concentration. Inuyasha's Godstone fell, and Inuyasha with it into a heap of red cloth. He pushed himself up on his forearms, and for a moment Kagome caught a glimpse of his face through the veil of white hair, before he collapsed again. Attempting to scramble to her feet, Kagome never made it further than her knees before an earthquake rattled the ground beneath her. Thrown down again, Kagome struggled to regain her bearings, to persist in getting to Inuyasha at all costs.

The ground gave in between them. A chasm opened up, splitting the earth in two with the power of the Dragon's roar. That split cracked into another, and another, until the earth itself seemed to crumble and break apart. Massive pieces of earth began to lift, suspended in the air, while others gave way and disintegrate. All the while the distance between Kagome and Inuyasha grew. The great divide could have fallen to the centre of the earth from all Kagome could see, perched to the edge and looking down into the endless darkness. Inuyasha still had not moved.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome shouted, holding onto feeble strands of grass for dear life as the piece of earth she was stranded on began to shake and lift.

Inuyasha still had not moved.

Below and around them, the war drums began anew, and with piercing cries the battle flowed down into the field on either side of this enormous hold opening up - an area, Kagome realised, where they would not be interrupted. The deafening explosions of canon fire could hardly be distinguished from the thunder and lightning. Kagome leaned over the edge, the rising wind whipping her hair all around her. "Inuyasha!"

Inuyasha did not move.

The earth began to crumble beneath her. Kagome shifted back from the edge, looking behind her to find it giving away on every side. She had no other choice. She needed to get to Inuyasha. Kagome slipped her bow over her torso and rose to her feet. She backed up as far as she could, letting out a yelp as her foot nearly slipped off the edge. With one deep breath and no time for hesitation, Kagome took off running and leapt over the great chasm. For a moment, she felt weightless, her robes flowing out in her wake - and then gravity took over. Kagome began to fall. It was in that arc that she realised she wasn't going to make it. Heart stopping dead in her chest, Kagome reached out, fingertips stretching for the dirt and tangled roots jutting out from the earth. It wasn't enough. With a scream strangled in her throat, Kagome squeezed her eyes shut.

A hand grabbed onto her wrist.

The sudden stop in momentum bit painfully into Kagome's shoulder. She shouted as she was left dangling, head shooting up. Inuyasha had the transformed tessaiga slammed into the earth, holding onto it with one hand while the other held onto Kagome for all he was worth. The red in his eyes had vanished, but the markings were still there. Inuyasha gritted his teeth, pulling her up hard and throwing her onto solid ground. Kagome rolled onto the grass. As soon as she stopped, she was crawling back to the edge, grabbing a handful of the back of Inuyasha's haori to help haul him up with her. There was no time to stop, no time to fret over each other, asking if the other was okay. They had a second, a shared look, Kagome pressing her forehead to Inuyasha's, his hand coming up to cradle the back of her head. A moment to catch their breaths and then it was back to battle. The Dragon had fully descended from the clouds, and was flying straight down toward them. Inuyasha held onto Kagome tight, and with a snarl at the oncoming foe, the phantom dog reappeared around him in a burst of crimson light.

Kagome latched herself onto Inuyasha's back to free his hands. Now that he was unhindered by innocents or tree cover, he could unleash the full might of his strength. As Masao came roaring towards the, Inuyasha released the windscar, pure golden energy racing to meet the Dragon head on. The Dragon was blown back, crashing into chucks of earth suspended in the air. It came back just as hard, however, the tail of its great body smashing their current foothold into pieces. Inuyasha propelled himself off the ground at the last moment, and began a chase through the floating debris field, jumping from rock to rock. The Dragon, in its titan size, could barely seem to find them through the chaos it had created, never until Inuyasha threw out an attack.

The vortex of its energy swirled faster overhead. An idea formed in Kagome's mind. "Inuyasha, use the tessaiga's Dragon scales!" she shouted.

"I can't," Inuyasha barked, "the vortex is too high up, I'll never reach it!"

"Draw him up with us, then!" Kagome argued. "If he's controlling all this, the debris will rise with him, and you can get closer."

Inuyasha opened his mouth to reply, but the words were ripped from his throat as the Dragon's nearly crushed them in its jaws. Inuyasha slashed the tessaiga through its open mouth, nearly cleaving its head in two had the Dragon not roared and reared back. He pushed off a suspended rock, trying to put as much distance between them as he could. He'd reached the outer edge of the newly formed crater by then, sprinting against the side of the earthen wall as Masao searched for them amoung the flying debris. The White Phantom ran in tandem, the spectre's massive paws leaving claw prints deep enough for Inuyasha to run in with ease.

"That's not the issue!" Inuyasha retorted. "I can't jump that high if I'm carrying you!"

"Then put me down!"

Inuyasha glared back at her. "Are you out of your mind?!"

"Inuyasha, put me down!" Kagome insisted. "Drop me on a rock, I can distract him with arrow fire until you get high enough!"

"There's no fucking way I'm-"

"Inuyasha!"

Kagome's warning came just in time for Inuyasha to leap out of the way as a samurai fell over the edge of the battlefield above, screaming into the unknowable depths below. Kagome found herself looking back, trying to see where he landed as Inuyasha bounded off the debris field and back onto the outer wall of the crater, but there was no end to it. Inuyasha continued to run, eyes on the Dragon as it searched for them. The moment its eyes landed on them, he pushed off the wall, temporarily blinding it with another windscar.

"Don't make me regret this," Inuyasha growled as he began to jump off the suspended pieces of earth again, climbing higher and higher above the crater. It was as close to an agreement as Kagome was going to get. She held on tighter as they soared out. Inuyasha took her as high as he could before the pieces became scarce, finally landing on the largest piece he could find. Kagome stepped off his back the moment he crouched down, quickly slipping her bow off from around her shoulders and notching her first arrow. Again, only a fleeting moment between them, a shared look before Inuyasha was leaping back into the fray.

Masao, the Dragon, the same entity now, had cleared its vision by then. He zeroed in on Inuyasha, but it was little good for a warning, as Inuyasha came crashing down toward it, tessaiga raised high above his head. The Dragon unleashed a beam of devastating light from its mouth, but Inuyasha was just as quick to send it straight back with a backlash wave that propelled the both of them further away from each other. Blasted down into the darkness, Kagome lost sight of the Dragon for only a moment before it came flying out with all its rage renewed.

From this height, Kagome saw the expanse of the battle for the first time. It stretched out on all sides below her, contained between the mountains and the forest, the crater sinking down like a maelstrom of churning earth in the centre of it all. She could hardly tell one side from the other from up there. Kagome shook her head, ridding herself of the sight as she focused on Masao and Inuyasha again. Inuyasha was leading Masao up through the floating field, goading him on with meager attacks not even half his strength - just enough to anger him into following. Kagome tensed her bowstring, training her eye on Masao. Every time he got too close, she fired an arrow. It wasn't enough to even hope to injure him, but it was enough to distract him. He swiped at the arrow, disintegrated it before it could hit, dodged out of the way, in the end always breaking his attention on Inuyasha - just long enough for Inuyasha to land another blow and lead him away.

Kagome continued to cover Inuyasha as he and the Dragon climbed higher. As she thought, the debris field rose with Masao, and in consequence lifted her higher as well. She watched as they finally breached above her, but the piece of earth she stood on drew slowly upward with them as if by a separate force of gravity. Kagome pulled a new arrow from her quiver, emboldened now that Inuyasha was so close, notched it to her bow, and let it fly.

It hit the back of Masao's neck. He haulted in his pursuit, whipping around to seek out his assailant, the Dragon's body curling around him. Inuyasha was on the far side, Masao between them. He couldn't get to her in time. Masao's fury narrowing down to a pinpoint on her, Kagome felt the cold flush of fear his eyes shot through her, from the demon's head and his own whitened glare. The Dragon opened its mouth, a crackling ball of pure light forming in its mouth.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha screamed for her. She could barely hear it over the thunder and the battle, the wind and her own blood rushing in her ears. The energy blasted toward her, destroying the rock she had been standing on. Kagome began to fall through leagues of open air toward the forest below, watching Inuyasha's horrified face rise higher and higher above her.

The last thing she recalled before blacking out was the soft trills in her ears, and the long, slender creatures curling around her body, slowing her descent.

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

She came to with moss tickling her cheek. Kagome moaned as the pounding sensation in her head dulled to a quiet thrum. Her senses returned slowly - the scent of petrichor still clinging from last night's rain, the muffled sounds of a distant battle, all hazy and unclear until she forced her eyes open. She first saw the forest floor, hazy from lingering smoke, the meager light that managed to slip through the dark clouds shining down in beams through the trees. Kagome pushed herself upright. She did not have the chance to wonder how it is she'd survived the fall before the shinidamachū came drifting into sight. They cooed and trilled as they circled around her, half a dozen of them forming a protective circle. In the dismal smog of the forest, the glow of their bodies appeared all the more luminous. They'd taken her to a clearing - and it was only then that she realised that she'd been laid down underneath Goshinboku.

An ear-splitting roar echoed across the sky. Kagome's head shot up, gaze drawn to the sky, where even high above the treetops, the sight was enough to steal the breath from her chest. A great Dog Demon and a Dragon God fought through the thunder and lightning of clouds, higher than the heavens, as large and formidable as the mountains. Wrathful deities warring in the skies.

Motion in the bushes ripped Kagome's attention away from the awe-inspiring scene. She scrambled to find her bow, feeling frantically in the patches of moss and grass. The sounds of footsteps and clanking armour were coming closer. By the time Kagome finally found her bow, three of Masao's soldiers had pushed into the clearing, hideous chimeras caught between human and the demons they'd absorbed. Kagome crawled backwards until her back hit the trunk of the Sacred Tree, hand reaching back to her quiver. She pulled an arrow, notched it back, and shot it at the closest man, hitting him in the shoulder. He crashed to the ground with a shout, his two comrades rushing forward in rage. Kagome reached for another arrow - and found none. They'd all been scattered where she first fell, strewn across the ground and currently being stomped under the feet of the approaching soldiers.

A burst of blue fire erupted from her right. Kagome lifted her arms to shield herself from the flames, but they never touched her. She felt the heat, sinjing the hairs on her arms, stinging her cheeks, but the fire veered away from her. She dropped her arms, stunned by the sight of a boy standing between her and the soldiers - a boy with bright copper hair, and two fox tails. Shippo threw balls of fox fire at the soldiers, managing to engulf one entirely. The third and last, however, managed to dodge out of the way, and was coming toward Shippo with his katana raised. Shippo tried to turn, to throw fire at the man-turned-beast to keep him away, but was unable to land a hit before the soldier swung his weapon down. The young kitsune just barely managed to roll out of the way. But the soldier was right on top of him.

Kagome drew herself onto her knees, stretching out for the nearest arrow. It was down to a matter of seconds as she reached it, quickly drew her bowstring back, and released it into the soldier's neck. She had no time to watch in horror as the man chocked on his own blood because of her. Shippo recovered, and with a growl that made his young voice crack, he pushed his hands out, blue fire erupting and engulfing the soldier entirely. The soldier did not have the capability to scream, crumbling away in black smoke within moments - more creature than human.

Shippo clambered to his feet and took off in a sprint toward her. "Kagome!" he cried, throwing himself into her open arms.

Holding the boy tight against her, Kagome sagged in complete relief. "Shippo," she sighed into his hair, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. She still wasn't used to seeing him in this form, grown so suddenly to the size of a human child, the small sword tied to his side out of place. Kagome held him at arm's length. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm okay," Shippo replied. "I saw you falling. Where's Inuyasha?"

Kagome looked behind her, up at the sky, where the spectral battle was still raging. The Dog took the Dragon's neck in its jaws, but a swipe of the Dragon's claws forced it to release. She did not need to answer aloud, once Shippo realised what exactly it was they were watching. Further into the forest, more shouting and gunfire continued closer to them. The shinidamachū flew frantically around them, heads pushing against Kagome's back to urge her on, while the others flew insistently toward the dark forest. "Come on," Kagome panted as she gathered as many arrows as she could. "We need to get out of here."

Shippo gathered up the remaining arrows, stuffing them into Kagome's quiver. A gunshot went off, the blast of it close enough to ripple through the air. Kagome took Shippo's hand, and the two of them hurried into the forest, following the persistent soul collectors. It did not take long to figure out where they were leading. Kagome allowed them to guide her toward the ancient Shrine hidden in the lush green. Shippo stalled only for a moment, seeing it for the first time, but with a soul collector nipping at the sleeve of his kimono and tugging him forward, he quickly regained his step. The Shrine was a welcome shelter from the raging battle, the canon fire and clang of swords dampened by the thick walls. The shinidamachū guided them into the honden, the main building a sloping tower above the rest of the smaller shrines.

Kagome let go of Shippo's hand once they were inside, breathing in the reverent quiet. It was dark, she couldn't quite see the details even with the iridescence of the soul collectors. Still, there was something achingly familiar about the place. Even as Shippo ran further inside, searching around for anything that could help them, Kagome could not rid herself of the feeling of vibrational energy singing through her bones, something calling out to her. The fighting was coming closer. Kagome gasped and turned toward the entrance as gunfire and shouting echoed toward them through the forest. She backed up slowly, knuckles white around her bow, her other hand feeling out behind her for the wall.

Kagome's fingertips brushed against rough stone. A jolt shot through her, and suddenly the blind darkness was replaced by a burning eclipse. A crack of thunder. Kagome gasped, assaulted by visions of tall red cliffs, an endless dark sea, a Dragon suspended lifelessly in the gravity of a dark moon. Her name, screamed over a torrent of voices. The feeling of falling backwards. All it it melded together, a thousand sensations burning up in a chaotic storm until it became one cry, one vision. A Dragon, a real Dragon deity its eyes flashing a pale blue glow, crying out in an agonized roar.

Kagome wrenched her hand away from the stone, arms wrapping around her stomach as her bow clattered to the ground. She spun around to see what it is that she had touched. The visions were still flashing in her minds eye, residual and fading. Shippo scurried to her side, tugging at her arm. "Kagome!" he cried. "Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah," she muttered. "I'm okay." The soul collectors began circling frantically around the stone Kagome had touched. As more and more of them gathered, thrilling their distress, the soft glow of their bodies provided enough light to see the enormous stone statue of a Dragon bearing its fangs down at her. Shippo clung tighter to her arm. Where Kagome had touched was the hollow shape of an egg, a space where something had been carved out and stolen away.

Kagome, fingertips trembling, touched the space again. And, again, the images and sounds flooded into her. Kagome closed her eyes, welcomed it, tried to understand the howling roar resonating through her bones. The Dragon was in pain. She knew what she had to do.

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

Their swords came to a clash, and Inuyasha faced off with the inhuman white eyes of Masao glaring back at him. He bared his teeth, pushed back against the tessaiga. Surrounding them, the spectral Dragon and Dog snapped their teeth at each other, taking swipes with their massive claws that left trails cutting through the clouds. Inuyasha pushed back again, this time propelling himself back against a floating rock, and using the momentum to shoot himself forward again for another attack. He sliced the tessaiga at Masao, once, twice, over and under hand, but each blow was met with equal force. As the Dragon's claws came down toward him, Inuyasha let himself flip back and fall through the air to the next piece of suspended debris.

All the while, he was distracted. Couldn't help it if he'd tried. The image of Kagome falling was seared into his brain. That terror and rage alone had renewed him, the White Phantom increasing in size to match that of the Dragon with a booming howl. The soul collectors had caught her just as he'd been about to throw himself down in a vain attempt to save her himself, carrying her down to the safety of the forest. That fact alone was the only thing that kept him from following after her. The only thing he could do for her now was fight.

But still, he wasn't getting anywhere. He and Masao were evenly matched in strength. The fight could go on for days like this. Inuyasha was unable to reach the pinnacle of Masao's yoki, and Masao was unable to reabsorb his Godstone. It was a stalemate. All this for a stalemate. Far be it for Inuyasha to admit it, but even he had to admit something needed to tip the scales one way or the other. Preferably in his way.

Inuyasha leapt out of the way as the Dragon came rushing toward him, smashing into the piece of earth he'd just been standing on. He caught himself on a rock further below, crouching as he landed before pushing off at full force to get further out of the way. Once he had Masao sufficiently disoriented, he came up from behind with the meido radiating from the tessaiga. He swiped the blade with all his might, casting dozens of crescent voids hurdling toward the Dragon. Unlike the last time, however, the meidos were unable to seize Masao in the polar pull of his own energy. The Dragon blasted them away, its long body curling and twisting to avoid them - coming straight for Inuyasha.

A dog's savage growl ripped through the air, and this time, it wasn't his own. Inuyasha grinned despite himself, still soaring through his own momentum. Just moments before the Dragon reached him, another white dog came flying up from the battlefield below. Sesshomaru's massive form bit into the Dragon's tail and whipped it down in the other direction, sending it crashing into the side of the crater. Inuyasha landed on a larger rock, feet skidding with the momentum, sword at his side. His own incorporeal dog form looked to Sesshomaru, ears alert, relaxed but attentive with the arrival of an ally. As Masao came flying back up to attack, the two Dog Demons leapt up in tandem to meet him.

Sesshomaru's jaws closed in around the Dragon's head, holding it in place as Inuyasha's spectral form bit into the Dragon's body. Inuyasha raised the tessaiga above his head and came down with all his strength. Bound as he was, the limitations of the Dragon form seemed to take a hold of Masao, and he was just barely able to bring his katanna up as the tessaiga came just an inch from his neck. Inuyasha pushed against the blade once more, gritting his teeth, the fang close enough to draw a trickle of blood from Masao's throat. Masao was not done yet, however. The Dragon shrieked, and the Godstone geode within its neck began to throw out beams to piercing light. Sesshomaru growled, bit down harder, but the whole length of his beast form shuddered in pain.

Thinking quick, Inuyasha shoved himself away from Masao, spun in the air as Dragon scales coated the tessaiga in a flash of gold, and slammed the blade into the Godstone. Masao was able to retaliate for one second, his sword slicing into Inuyasha's bicep as he turned, before he seized up with a thunderous wail. Inuyasha gritted his teeth hard, pressing against the Godstone until finally he felt it crack. The energy released was enough to blast Inuaysha backwards, slamming straight against a floating rock. He dropped on impact, landing on a solid piece of earth. Sesshomaru had already let go of Masao, transforming midflight in a ball of light until he landed next to Inuyasha in mortal form. Picking himself up off the ground with a whince, Inuyasha looked to his brother. Sesshomaru was out of breath, cool composure dropping under the effect of the Godstone at such close proximity. It was miniscule, but Inuyasha saw it - his hand shaking around the hilt of the bakusaiga, the way he shifted his foot to keep himself steady.

Inuyasha held the tessaiga in front of him, steadying his stance. He tore his gaze away from his brother, focusing all intent on Masao. "Go," he said.

Sesshomaru's lip curled, but he did not budge.

"Go!" Inuyasha snapped. "I'm not going to let your pride get you killed!" The deified Warlord was slow to recover. They'd gained an advantage, and he had his brother to thank for that. All of this went unsaid, but all the same understood. Sesshomaru finally looked to Inuyasha. This wasn't taking an order. This wasn't a conceding to Inuyasha as superior - that would never happen and that had never changed. What it was, was respect. Recognition that went both ways. Inuyasha could take it from here.

Sesshomaru, eyes still locked with his brother, stood a little straighter, nodded, and without looking back, flew back down into the fray below. Inuyasha watched him go only for a moment before shifting his attention back to the ailing Dragon. The storm was growing in violent power, the vortex churning angrily. There was no sign of the sun. The fields were coated in drifting clouds of smoke. He could hardly see the fighting through it but for the flashes of the guns. Hair whipping in his face, Inuyasha prepared for the final stand.

And as it finally seemed to come, as Masao recovered and turned his sights on Inuyasha, something changed. By no extension of Masao, the spectral Dragon lifted its head and turned toward the forest, as if called by name, while Masao kept his hatred boring into Inuyasha. Inuyasha scowled as, in time, Masao seemed to notice his lack of control on the Dragon as well, lifting his whitened eyes to see for himself as the Dragon honed in one something neither of them could see. Something at the edge of the forest.

Only after the Dragon turned to race down toward it of its own will, Masao struggling to regain control, did Inuyasha see what it was.

Kagome, walking calmly out of the forest, staring down the Dragon without a trace of fear.

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

As Kagome emerged from the forest with neither her bow nor her arrows, she had only one thought in her mind. Her teacher. Takuya. Or, more specifically, a flowerpot with a single seed planted beneath a layer of fresh soil. She thought of the afternoon a year ago, meditating with her hands hovering over the pot, rolling her eyes fondly as Takuya lectured her on channeling her energy. She remembered the feeling of it, trickling from the top of her head, down her spine and into her hands. She remembered nights spent with Inuyasha's head in her lap, her hands kneading his pain away. She remembered the blooming of a jasmine in her teacup, petals unfurling.

The Dragon raced toward her at incredible speed. Kagome walked forward across the trampled grass, the battle's fury dying down around her, as all eyes stopped to witness this final confrontation. Behind Masao, Inuyasha raced to reach her first. There was no need. Kagome stopped and stood her ground. Both her bow and her quiver were gone.

Closing her eyes, Kagome took in a slow breath. Let it fill her chest and release out her mouth. She remembered the flower. She remembered healing. She had the answer to this all along.

She raised her hand.

Just like that, the Dragon stopped. Her palm to its nose, just a mere foot away from devoring her whole, the Dragon stopped dead in its path. Against the colourless, dark sky stretching on for miles, a burst of brilliant lilac light shone like a beacon from Kagome's palm. In that instant, the debris began to fall, the crater began to stitch itself together, pieces rearranged, reforming, righting itself. The ground shook with the forced of it, the cry of the Dragon and the shriek of the Warlord resonating in one tone. Most terrifying of all, though, was the vortex of Masao's stolen power, spinning faster and faster until it began to funnel down toward the Dragon.

Though Kagome could not afford to break eye contact, from her peripheral vision, she saw Inuyasha jumping between falling chunks of earth. This was a difficult power to hold onto. She braced her free hand around her wrist, pushing hard into the strain of the energy pushing back at her. Through the chaotic wind and blinding lights, Kagome stared through the Dragon's apparition and straight into Masao's eyes as the white glaze left him, and all-too-human irises stared back at her. For a moment, he looked scared. Pleading. Not looking away for one moment, Kagome bared her teeth, and channeled a spiritual healing into him, as if it were the most callous punishment she could give.

"Inuyasha!" she cried. "Now!"

He was moving before she'd even called his name. As the last of the debris fell back into its place in the earth, Inuyasha soared into the vortex, Dragon scales on the tessaiga glinting with her lilac light as he cut straight through the funnel cloud. A shaft of clarity beamed up toward the heavens, as Inuyasha disappeared inside it. Kagome caught glimpses of him through bolts of lightning inside, energy sparking out of control, pulled apart in all directions by the tessaiga. Masao disappeared as the vortex touched down.

And then it was over.

The vortex fell apart. A tsunami of pure energy swept across the battlefield from that epicentre. Kagome was thrown back in the blast, skidding into the grass and rolling until she came to a stop. When the blinding light faded, the vortex was gone. Dissipated into harmless clouds that drifted apart and vanished all together. Left in its place was Inuyasha, standing over Masao, who lie on his back with the blade of the tessaiga through his chest. Masao; choking on his own blood, gasping for air that wouldn't come, entirely mortal as he lay dying in the grass. Inuyasha stared down at him, the finality of it a taught line in his shoulders as he wrenched his sword from Masao's chest with a sickening squelch of flesh.

There was no dignity in this death. No grandeur. Masao gasped and struggled, blood pooling in the dirt, until the last breath left him. His body turned a pure shade of white, the same purity he died in vain for, cold and still and stone until a breeze rolled through the field, and it crumbled to dust. Not a trace left of him or the Godstone.

Well. One trace, at least. The crystal hanging around Inuyasha's neck glowed all the brighter. The White Phantom gave an echoing howl in triumph before vanishing into the crimson crystal. Across the battlefield, there was a great pause, a deafening silence in the absence of gunfire and deathcries. As the storm clouds faded, clear light streamed down from a blue sky, the sun hanging low on the horizon and painting the mountains and tree tops gold. A collective sigh exhaled across the fields. Their Lord gone, with no deterrent between them and the Yokai Hoard, Masao's armies dropped their weapons in a final surrender. A surrender that came with it the tense fear and anticipation of the demons slaughtering them all. What no one expected was for the Yokai to lower their weapons; not drop - lower, driving them off the field and into a defeated retreat. The Godstone was no more, and there was no reason or gain left for them to continue meddling in the affairs of humans.

It was a tentative victory, but one Kagome was all too ready to accept. She rose slowly, scanning the grassy plain, the wide expanse where the crater had been untouched by blood or battle. She stood in the centre of it. Far across, she saw Miroku, Sango, and Kohaku in exhausted celebration with the villagers. And, as she continued in her circle, Inuyasha. Locking eyes with her as the tessaiga transformed in his hand and returned to its sheath. Standing in the daylight. A smile spreading across his mouth. Kagome thought, just for a moment, that everything would be okay after all.

And so it was with no great shock, knowing how everything must be anyway, that Kagome heard the voice of a young girl singing.

Kagome, Kagome...

Kagome went still. A cold numbness spread from the crown of her head down to her feet, blood draining into the ground.

You are no more than a bird in a cage...

A child stood ten feet in front of her, between Kagome and Inuyasha. A young girl in poor robes, a fresh bandage wrapped over her eye. She stared back at Kagome, singing the eerie tune. Inuyasha noticed the change in Kagome, but otherwise did not react to the girl. He could not see her. The little girl smiled.

Crane and turtle, gonna slip and fall...

Inuyasha frowned. He could have said her name. Could have been talking to her, asking if she was alright, but Kagome did not hear a word of it. Did not notice when horror washed over his face and he took off sprinting toward her. All the world narrowed down to this little girl, tilting her head as she sang.

Who's behind you?

Kagome turned around to a crack of thunder.

She gasped as her arms came up around her abdomen, but the air wouldn't come. Eyes wide, breath choked in her throat, Kagome found herself staring back into Yorino's loathsome eyes, as he lowered the smoking barrel of Masao's pistol. Kagome's gaze slowly dropped to her stomach, just to the left of her navel, as warm blood began to seep between her fingers.

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

Just trust me.