Summary: Kagome woke up in hell following the final battle, still a human and a Miko despite her unexpected descent. Alastor, fascinated by her in every possible way, finds her amusing and decides to take her under his wing. Kagome is determined to find her way out of hell, but Alastor has his own intentions for lending his help- and not all of them are good for the good-natured Miko.

Pairing: Alastor/Kagome & Charlie/Vaggie.

Disclaimer: I do not own either series. Each belongs to their rightful owners.

Note:
Flashbacks written in bulk italics.
Lacks canonicity.
Reuploaded!

Chapter Three

To say she was irritated and embarrassed would be a massive understatement. She slowly pushed herself back onto her feet, folding her arms over her chest with a huff as she looked away from everyone in the room. The towel at least covered her decently enough, but she still felt exposed. There was no way to see through it, nor did it show too much of any part of her, but… Kagome huffed and turned glowing blue eyes up at the tall demon she stood beside.

"I don't like you right now," she stated, her tone flat.

Alastor laughed, and if looks could kill then he might as well just dropped dead right then. "Oh, Darling," he said, coming up on her otherside, much to her ire. He leaned down closer to her, a smug smile on his face. "You and I both know that's not true."

Her expression soured even more when she knew she couldn't deny that claim. She still very much liked him, no matter how annoyed she was. She huffed, cheeks dyed bright pink. "Just… clothes. Now, please," she demanded with a hand going up to cover her eyes. There was an underlying threat he could pick up, one he knew that wouldn't be very fun or entertaining for him, to say the least.

She didn't react when she felt a familiar power swirl around her. Before she could blink, her towel was gone and was replaced by her dress. Once that was done, she sighed and removed her hand from where it rested over her eyes. Only then did she finally let herself survey her surroundings.

She knew out of prior experiences that Alastor simply wouldn't pull her into any sort of dangerous situation. In most cases, all a demon had to do was get a step too close and they'd suddenly be dragged to the shadows and never seen again. Still, she glanced up at him, not bothering to hide her befuddlement.

All she got in response was him beaming back down at her with his brilliant smile. She arched a brow, knowing very well that he was up to something. What it was, however, she couldn't figure out.

"Al, what the hell are you-?"

"This darling right here is Kagome!" Alastor exclaimed, cutting her off without hesitation as he held both of his hands out while he motioned to where she stood, eyeing him with a displeased glare on her face. Recalling the people that had been behind her, Kagome turned to face them, blue eyes surveying each and every one of them as she looked them over. A look of broad confusion washed over her face, and the glare fell entirely as it got replaced with pure curiosity. "Truly one of a kind in hell, being a human and all!"

"Oh… hello. Nice to meet you-!"

"Oh, no way!"

Kagome was cut off mid-sentence when an excited squeal came from one of the demonesses in front of her. She arched a brow, more confusion twisting her expression. When the same demon suddenly raced forward to her, her confusion was replaced by surprise. She stumbled back out of reflex. Based on her aura alone, Kagome could tell that this demon had no intent of harming her, so she kept her energy buried down to be sure she didn't accidentally burn her with it.

"An actual human!" she exclaimed. A brief glimpse of apprehension appeared on Kagome's face when she got up close. She was able to hide it before it was actually seen, but the gleaming sheen was still present in her eyes as she tried to keep a bit of space up. Alastor was quick to notice, his smile fading a slight bit before he could prevent it. He snaked one hand around the upper part of Kagome's arm and tugged her back several paces. As he did so, the end of his microphone prodded the demon on her shoulder, keeping her from getting too close, the gesture a potentially lethal warning.

Only then did she notice the trace of hesitation that glimmered in jewel-like eyes, and Charlie abruptly straightened her posture. A half a second later, she backed down on her own. As she did, Alastor's smile returned to its usual, bright fullness and he all but tugged Kagome into his side, a frustrated huff coming from the small girl.

"S-Sorry!" she exclaimed, and Kagome's gaze landed right back on her as she began to speak. "I've never met a human before, so having one in my hotel is just… amazing!"

Kagome glanced up at Alastor before turning back to the demon rambling across from them. She could sense her nervousness, and she quickly was able to realize it was mostly due to Alastor at her side. Many demons feared him, for good reasons, she knew, but she wasn't about to stand by and watch all this unfurl. Kagome moved without warning, ducking out from under his arm without a trace of hesitation. Once freed, she flicked her hair over her shoulder and offered the demon in front of her a smile. Though it was small, it still radiated genuine kindness, and she hoped that it reassured her some. "Sorry for all of that," she responded, and she saw as the demon clasped her hands together with a muted, excited squeal. "You just took me by surprise is all," she continued. "No harm done, right?"

She spoke to the demons across from her, but she also spoke in hopes it'd reassure the imposing figure she'd found a friend in.

The blonde across from her nodded, and she took a step closer, the action encouraged by Kagome's calm smile and stance. "I'm Charlie," she said, introducing herself. "Your name is Kagome, right?" she asked, and when Kagome nodded, Charlie smiled brightly. "It's so nice to meet you!"

"Why does he have a human with him in the first place?" Another female demon came up beside Charlie, glaring at Alastor with one eye. "I- You-! Humans can't be here! It's physically impossible."

Kagome glanced at the demon, her smile turning strained a bit. She saw realization flash through Charlie's eyes as she processed those words.

"Wait, Vaggie's right," she said, bringing a hand up to comb through her blonde curls for a second or two. "How are you here?" she asked. "A-Are you-?"

"Dead?" Kagome finished for her. An unsavory expression appeared on her face as she glanced away. "Yeah, I am," she said. "I'm not really sure how I'm here, still a human, but I am," she said, her voice going quiet. She didn't exactly feel up for explaining her entire situation. She was already feeling put off with herself more than enough due to all of her struggles in trying to get to where she was meant to be. She subconsciously reached up to fiddle with the Shikon no Tama, only for her fingers to grasp at the collar of her dress.

She then remembered that, after her last attempt, she'd gotten so aggravated with the entire thing that she'd put it far away from her. Out of sight, out of mind. She knew where it was, and she knew it was safe, so she found it easy to lower her hand and forget about it again.

Kagome shook her head, sighing softly, before looking back at Charlie. "You said this is a hotel?" she said, hoping that she'd pick up on the cue to change the conversation topic. Luckily enough, she did, nodding eagerly in response.

"Welcome to the Happy Hotel!" Charlie exclaimed, and Kagome arched a brow.

"What's the deal with this place?" Kagome asked, motioning around. She thought of how to continue, not wanting to insult the kind demon she'd met. After all, there weren't many kind ones lurking in hell, it seemed. "It… It seems pretty empty, I mean," she said, waving a hand to motion around them as she spoke,

"We don't have many guests yet," Charlie said, her shoulders slumping some. "Our focus here is rehabilitation!" she said, perking up some. Kagome tilted her head to the side at that one. "Our goal is to help demons leave hell and be accepted into heaven, as a way to help with our overpopulation problem."

"Oh!" Surprise washed over her expression as she processed those words. Her eyes lit up in intrigue. "Does it work?" she asked.

"Ah… well…" Charlie looked away, folding her arms over her chest when a troubled expression spread across her face. "Things haven't gone as planned, really…"

"What do you mean?" Kagome asked, only for Alastor to step in then, humor leaking into each word.

"That's why I'm here!" he exclaimed, and she noticed Vaggie's expression soured at the sound of his voice. He chuckled, ignoring her glares, as he patted the top of Kagome's head. "I happened to witness their whole little fiasco on the picture show, so I'm taking it upon myself to lend them a helping hand!"

Kagome arched a brow at his generosity. "Uh-huh," she responded flatly. "So you actually believe in her goal?"

"Oh, of course not!" he responded with a cheerful laugh. Kagome nodded. "This is nothing more than an investment for even more ongoing entertainment for myself!"

"There it is," Kagome sighed, pointing at Alastor as she rolled her eyes. "So why'd you bring me?"

"Because this is just the job for you!" he exclaimed, and Kagome stumbled back when he suddenly spun her to face the rest. "I listened and listened to what dear Charlie said, and at once I thought, huh! Kagome would surely enjoy this!" He laughed and ruffled her hair. She glanced at him, lips pursed in a small pout.

"Listen you-"

"Who better to help with a failing attempt at redemption than a being of pure light, after all!" Alastor exclaimed, cutting her off by covering her mouth with a hand so she'd go silent. "I believe we've found the second best place for you in all of hell, my beloved fallen Priestess!"

Kagome snatched his hand from her face. "The second?" she asked. "Wouldn't this be the best?"

"Oh, don't be silly, my darling Doe!" he responded with a laugh, flicking his hand a few times before he smiled down at her. "There is no better place for you than right beside me," he said, "but there's no changing that one because, even here, we'll be right beside each other."

"Wait!" Vaggie cut in, glaring up at Alastor as she sized him up. "You just said priestess, didn't you?"

Alastor looked down at her, a smug smile on his face. "Yes! You heard that properly."

"How is that even possible?"

"What's it matter!" Alastor exclaimed, pulling Kagome back under his arm and unceremoniously shoving Vaggie away from her with a pleased smile on his face. A second later, he grabbed Kagome by her hand and twirled her in a circle. "What do you say, Darling?" he asked.

Kagome latched onto his wrist once she'd stopped spinning so she didn't lose her footing, and she looked up at him, curious. A second later, she smiled up at him.

"Sure!" she said once taking a second or two to think it over. She wasn't so sure how it would work out- demons like this were in hell for a very good reason more often than not so the odds of them wanting to willingly change seemed unlikely, to say the least, but she wasn't one to fully dismiss the idea. Her smile widened a fraction as she pulled away from him. "After all, what else do I have to do?" she added on a second later, her tone going flat.

Dumb jewel.

She moved away from him and went to rejoin Charlie. "So, do you have any guests yet?"

"We have one!" Charlie said, her eyes lighting up at her agreement to help out. A second later, she motioned to the third demon there. "Angel Dust!"

Kagome nodded and turned towards the demon. There was a bit of apprehension in her when she realized that he was a spider demon, but, thankfully enough, he was nothing comparable to her past history with the type. She kept that in mind as she offered him with a friendly smile. "It's nice to meet you, as well!" she said, her tone cheerful.

"Yeah, yeah," Angel responded with a wave of his hand. "Say, can I ask you a question?"

Kagome arched a brow and nodded slowly. "I- Sure, I- I guess?"

"Be honest, those things real or did ya' get work done?" he asked, pointing at her chest. Her head went empty in a single second as she processed those words.

"... what?"

"Are you fucking serious?!" Vaggie's voice overshadowed her meek response. Angel glared at the other woman and scoffed. "What the fuck is wrong with you?!"

"Oh come on!" Angel shot back at her. "It's a serious question! If she got work done then it looks great!" he said as he threw his arms up in the air.

"..." Kagome was silent for a moment. Charlie looked between Vaggie and Angel, her lips contorted into an uncomfortable frown. She looked at Kagome, about to apologize for the comment, but Kagome shook her head.

"I-It's fine," Kagome said, her voice breaking up the brewing argument. "Definitely not the worst thing I've been asked before."

[With the Inutachi]

It was like a heavy weight resided on her shoulders as she soared through the sky, aboard Kiara's back. She kept her attention glued to the earthen grounds below her, looking for any sign or trace of the raven-haired Miko. No matter where she searched, there wasn't a single sign of her to be discovered.

The sun would be setting soon, and with a defeated sigh, Sango patted Kirara's back to signal her to return back. A defeated, deep growl rumbled from the saber-toothed cat's chest as she resigned and listened to her master, turning and heading back to the village.

It was quiet on the trip back, and before long, familiar silhouettes of huts appeared in her line of sight.

"Sango!"

She glanced down at hearing her name get called, brown eyes landing on Miroku as he stood waiting for her to land. She urged Kirara down to the ground, and as she got off of her back, the demon transformed back into her smaller form. Sango picked her up and tucked her against her chest, petting her back gently in thanks of her assistance.

"I take it you didn't have any luck, either?" Miroku asked, his tone somber as he spoke that question. Sango answered his question when she looked down at the ground between them.

"It's been months," she said, her tone dying to a weak whisper. "We haven't found a trace of her, no matter where or how hard we search…"

Miroku nodded in agreement. A second passed, and Sango picked her head up.

"Is Inuyasha back yet?"

Miroku shook his head, a complicated expression appearing on his face as he glanced back at the village that was behind them. "That makes it three days since he left this time," he said. "Hopefully he'll be back before sunrise, but for all we know it could be another week again before he shows back up."

"He's taking this so hard…" Sango whispered, her voice heavy. "You can tell when you look at him. He blames himself even if he's not saying anything."

"I know," Miroku responded. "He shouldn't, but I don't think anyone can change his mind about it." He heard Sango hum in agreement. "Naraku managed to trick all of us, so maybe all of us should share in the blame."

"Kagome wouldn't want that," Sango said abruptly. "You know that just as well as I do."

Miroku smiled, but it was strained. "I know," he said. He glanced over his shoulder and sighed. "Now if only we can convince Inuyasha of that…" he muttered.

"I don't think you'll be able to," a new voice cut in, and both of them turned towards the source. Kikyo was heading back into the village, a look akin to exhaustion on her face as she paused beside the two. "To Inuyasha, this situation is heavy," she said. "He feels so much remorse for not only leaving her on her own, but for falling for another one of Naraku's illusions. He promised he'd protect her, but he wasn't able to follow through on that promise. Everything happened so fast, but he can't let himself accept that."

Sango frowned and nodded. "Did you have any luck?" she asked, only to feel her frown deepen when Kikyo shook her head.

"I'm not able to feel her half of our soul, and I'm not able to feel the jewel anymore," Kikyo said, her tone conveying her troubles. "It's as if both her and the jewel have vanished, but I don't understand how. If she had gotten absorbed into the jewel, then the jewel would have still remained behind." A troubled light spread through her eyes and she glanced down. "Naraku's death is just as suspicious…"

Dark smog drifted in through the horizon, and they all knew all too well what it was. The miasma was spreading fast through the area. No one could react quick enough when Naraku changed course, crimson eyes seeking out the priestess on her own. He lunged to find her just as the smog enveloped where she was.

Before anyone could go to her side, a familiar figure fled from the smog, a hand covering her nose and mouth when the poison-polluted air continued to spread.

"Kagome-!" Sango glanced down at the ravenette as she came to a halt, her eyes straying up to meet hers. "What's going on?"

"Naraku used that as cover to run!" came her responding cry. "We have to leave before we're caught up in the miasma cloud!"

There was no time for a response. The miasma was spreading fast, and Kagome led the way as they fled for cover.

Or, they thought it was Kagome. They'd been deceived by one of his illusions. Once they'd gotten away, something strange happened. Kikyo mentioned feeling a powerful burst of spiritual energy back at the battlefield, and in the distance the miasma began to dissipate as it was purified in a mere few seconds of time.

At the same time, the figure they'd assumed was Kagome faded away as well. All that remained was one of Naraku's tools that he used to make puppets. Miroku's wind tunnel sealed up at the same moment, and they knew at once that Naraku had just been killed.

"Damnit!" Inuyasha snarled. "That bastard tricked us!" Gold eyes glared at the spot where the Kagome puppet had been before turning around abruptly.

"Then that means-!" Sango was cut off when Inuyasha growled.

"Kagome's still back there," he said.

"Do you think she killed Naraku?" Miroku asked, glancing up from his curse-free hand and to the path they'd just come from. "She must've been the one to purify the miasma, as well," he said as a follow up thought.

"Who cares about that?" Inuyasha responded. The next second he had taken off, racing back to the place they'd just left. "That means she's still there!"

When they arrived back, they were greeted with an utterly empty clearing. Sacred energy encompassed it like it was seeping out from the ground itself, but there was no sign of Kagome or Naraku.

Not just them, but the jewel as well. At first, they'd thought the jewel had achieved what it wanted, and that both of them had been drawn into the jewel, but the jewel's sudden disappearance proved that wrong. It would have stayed behind, even if they'd vanished entirely.

With no trace or sign of her, they did the only thing they could do, and that was search high and low for any glimpse of her. They refused to give in.

The idea of never knowing what happened to her was a possibility that was all too real, and none of them were ready to face the reality of that.

oOooOooOooOo

Night had fallen hours ago, but it didn't deter him any. Yet again he was pulled back to that spot, a wave of volatile emotions swirling up inside him. By now, everything had gone back to normal at this place. The heavy remnant of spiritual energy took a while to fade, but after three months, there seemed to be nothing left of it.

He came to a halt, dropping down into a seated position in a familiar spot. Long locks of silver hair fell over his shoulders, and his bangs concealed his eyes from view as he sat cross-legged.

It couldn't be possible.

Denial was like a poison he kept consuming, but he couldn't let the thought of any other outcome settle in his head. He refused to believe it, refused to accept that she wasn't going to come back.

One of the first places he'd checked when it became very clear of her missing status was the other side of the well. As if, by some odd chance, she'd been taken back upon Naraku's abrupt defeat. She wasn't there, though. The thought of going back through, having to be the bearer of bad news, was a weight on his shoulders. He knew her mother suspected something bad when he hurried to find an excuse to flee back to his time. He couldn't accept the idea. How was he supposed to?

His vision blurred, the anger and guilt inside shifting to a suffocating type of pain. As a tear fell down his cheek, he slammed his fist into the rocky ground he sat on.

"Damnit!"

More tears followed the first as a dam burst in him. The skin on his hand ripped and split open as he repeatedly slammed it into the ground beside him.

"Come back to me, Kagome."

His desperate plea went unheard, a cold wind being the only response he got in return.

Auroua-chan: Reuploaded!

So, a bit more was revealed in this chapter- such as why the rest left Kagome there on her own. They were tricked and fooled by Naraku, but Kagome doesn't know that. If and when she learns of it, you can imagine the whirlwind of emotions she'll feel.

Also don't worry- we'll get to Kagome and Alastor's ears very soon. (after all, in the three months she's been there, who's to say that she hasn't tried to touch them yet~)

In the next chapter, Niffty and Husk will be introduced.

Anyway, that's it for now! Thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! Hopefully I caught all the errors before posting, but if not sorry.

Please remember to Review&Favorite&Follow, thank you!

Bye for now~