To Live Again

By Rurouni Star

Here it is, the part everyone's been waiting for… or sort of. Kagome will semi meet Inu Yasha. Read on to see what I mean.

Dumdeedum: Someone understands it! I was saying I hated that chapter because no matter how many times I rewrote it, Kikyo ended up sounding so dreadfully OOC! I think her character is just so dratted hard to pin down…

Profiler120: Thanks for the compliment! I have to say, I went to read a few of your stories and was greatly impressed. Keep writing, and I'll do the same. ^_~ As for the 'mutual courtesy' part, he called her human instead of her name.

Dragon of Sakura: *sniff* I feel so very loved…

Suki: YAY! Thank you!

Chapter 12 – Reparations

The cold air had spread to the daytime now, and as much as Kagome hated the clothing that made her look like her counterpart, it did keep her mostly warm. Rin in particular liked to sit in her lap and pull the loose ends of Kagome's hakama around herself. The little girl had slowly wormed her way into the miko's heart, and Kagome had begun to realize that she would probably be crushed if Sesshoumaru ever asked her to leave the group. Of course, the girl had begun to find that Rin was not the only person she was attached to…

Oddly enough, he'd shown no desire to make her leave, even though she was constantly holding them up to help at the villages they passed.

Kagome gave a shiver as the wind she'd loved so much before snuck into her clothing. She hugged Rin closer and the little girl gave a giggle.

Why hadn't she brought a sweatshirt with her before she sealed the well?

Oh yeah. It had been early fall. And she hadn't been planning on sealing it up.

The memories of her little brother, her mother, her grandfather, were slowly fading. It was scaring her how little of her daily life she remembered. She could still remember getting up in the morning and going downstairs to breakfast, but her mother's voice had faded to a dull and aching sadness in her heart. Her brother would occasionally steal one of her books, making her chase him around the house, but she couldn't for the life of her remember his laughter that she'd found so annoying before. And grandpa's stupid little stories about pickles... all she could remember was the part about the well.

Kagome gave a sigh, and rubbed her arms to get the blood flowing through them again. Sesshoumaru, as always, ignored her.

"Kagome-nee-san? Rin is cold again." Kagome gave a small smile and wrapped her arms about the child again.

"You're growing, Rin," she told the girl. "I could swear that yesterday I could fit my arms around you twice!" The little girl laughed and smiled up at her substitute sister.

"Kagome's lying! Kagome's lying!" But the miko shook her head while trying to keep a straight face.

"No, I'm serious. And I know you were at least a foot shorter too."

Sesshoumaru, unbeknownst to Kagome, could hear every word. It constantly amazed him how Kagome could amuse Rin so much with such simple things.

When had he started thinking of her as Kagome? She had been simply 'the human' or 'the miko' before, even if he hadn't said it.

His mind wandered, and he came to the conclusion that it was when she'd slapped him. One couldn't think of the woman that did that as just 'human'.

Jaken stared down at the earth below them that was slowly becoming more barren every day. It would be hard to forage for food in a while. What did his master plan on doing about the humans then?

Whether the toad would admit it to himself or not, somehow Inu Yasha's wench had grown on them all. And, of course, Rin could never be considered a bother anymore. Would they have to leave the two behind?

Kagome froze in the middle of her tickle war with the little girl. Her head snapped up, and she stared directly at a small village below.

"Sesshoumaru," she said quietly. The demon understood immediately, and the cloud lowered. Rin stared at her. She'd never been this serious before, even when she detected a Shikon shard. All in all, she'd only gotten two more since Kikyo had taken hers.

"Kagome-nee-san?" she asked uncertainly.

"I'm sorry, Rin. We'll have to continue this later." Kagome got to her feet as the cloud touched down, and Rin's source of warmth left. The little girl shivered at more than the cold at her sister stepped down. Kagome had an expression of such seriousness on her face that the girl was wondering what could have her so spooked.

"Keep Rin here," she said in a whisper. She knew that both demons had heard her, however.

Sesshoumaru found himself wanting to ask what it was, but the scent on the wind gave him his answer almost immediately. Kagome undoubtedly knew.

"Please," she said to him. "Please don't follow me. I need...I need to talk to him alone. All of them. And you'd fight with him even if you didn't want to."

Sesshoumaru almost denied her request, but his memory suddenly provided him with several instances when the girl had been very close to breaking down when Inu Yasha's name was mentioned. He didn't need to deprive her of her one chance to finish it all.

Although he wondered why he even cared.

Sesshoumaru nodded almost imperceptibly, half hoping that she wouldn't notice. But Kagome did, and she gave him a grateful look before walking away.

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Idiot.

You let him get away.

It's your damn fault.

More people will die.

Go home.

Kagome came very close to turning back at many times. She wasn't ready to face him yet, she reasoned, or it was too soon and he would be angry with her. But she knew the truth. She needed this.

Of course there was a Shikon shard involved. There always was with him. She'd almost forgotten.

An eerie whispering sound reached her ears, and she stiffened a bit. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to sense around the area. There was a whole group of demons closing in on the village. And she was sure that there was blood, although how she knew was a mystery even to her. She kept walking, one step after another, and swallowed, her throat dry. If she went any further, there would be no turning back.

But then, she already couldn't turn back.

The miko began to run, hoping it would give her confidence. It didn't, but she made it more quickly. She cleared the tree line and fell to her knees.

He was there. The red clothed figure she hadn't seen for weeks, months even, was there, standing shakily on his own.

Inu Yasha was there.

Her body refused to move. She'd half expected it to be her mind playing tricks on her. But he was there.

And he didn't have Tetsusaiga.

Her eyes traveled to the three unconscious figures behind him, and the Tetsusaiga, forgotten in the dirt. The mutilated body of a demon, the mark of a spider on its back barely visible, caught her eye. It was an offspring of Naraku, no doubt.

Kagome willed her body to move with all of her might. Her friends' lives depended on her now. Inu Yasha had transformed, and he had never been able to come back to himself without help before.

Her senses picked up no less than ten Shikon shards in the area, excluding her own. One of them belonged to the mangled corpse.

"Inu Yasha," she whispered to herself. "What have you been doing while I've been gone?" She walked closer, and his eyes finally focused on her. But they didn't seem to see her.

Kagome came ever closer, now only separated from him by mere feet.

"Inu Yasha," she repeated, her eyes beginning to tear. "What's happened to you?"

Her only answer was a low growl. She moved for the Tetsusaiga, but suddenly found her arm restrained by his bloodstained claw. Inu Yasha's face was very close now, and she found herself trying to memorize it despite the fact that those claws were digging into her arm.

"Who...who are you?" the demon in front of her growled. "Why do I not want to kill you..." Kagome nearly cried out as his claws dug deeper still.

"My name is Kagome," she whispered brokenly.

"You lie!" he yelled. Kagome was gone. She'd been gone. This was a fake.

Kagome started at a sudden weak meowing at her feet. Kirara had pulled herself up, and was pawing at the enraged man's feet for lack of anything else she could hope to do.

Both she and the miko were thrown away like a rag dolls. Kirara struggled vainly to rise, but had obviously already been quite injured. The poor cat seemed to have broken a few ribs with Inu Yasha's attack, and the pain eventually overcame it, putting her unconscious. It was probably for the best, after all.

He thought she was Kikyo, Kagome concluded sadly. She was surely dressed for the part. "Please," she said, her desperation showing through, "there are more demons coming. Please let me go, and help me fight them." The low growl turned louder and more threatening, and she was forced to do something that would drastically reduce her chances of defeating the approaching demons.

"Osuwari," she said hopelessly. There was a thud, and she pulled herself to her feet with a wince. Before she was even completely up, something wispy and bone-chillingly cold wrapped around her, slithering across her bare ankles and even making her cry out from the cold through her clothing.

"The master didn't say there would be anymore opposition," it whispered in an airy voice. "Who are you, little miko. Why should we not kill you?" More of the wraith-like beings began to approach, and she tried to keep her panic in check.

"Because I can kill you more easily than you can kill me," she informed it calmly, not knowing whether she was indeed being truthful or not. "I've slain much stronger demons before. Granted, you're here in numbers, but how many would I kill before you got to me?"

The thing hissed, though she couldn't see a mouth from which it could let out such a noise. "Quite right, quite right… and he didn't tell us you would be here. It is obviously he at fault. We could go back to our homes without bothering with his conscription…"

Kagome nodded emphatically. "In fact, he's going to be very busy with so many people chasing him. Even if he somehow did want to punish you, he wouldn't have the time or resources." The thing left its place from around her body, and she nearly sighed aloud in relief as the frozen feeling left her skin. She was sure she would find it blue later.

"You are an interesting girl," it told her as it retreated. "Already, I begin to feel weak from your aura. Very well. We shall agree to retreat, but only so that we may defy that hanyou's orders. It is embarrassing serving such a wretch." The other wispy demons converged together to create something resembling a single dark cloud, which floated away on the breeze and disappeared all too quickly. Had her skin not still burned with the cold the thing had left on her, she might not have believed it herself.

Not too far away, a nearby figure loosened his grip on his sword and turned away, walking back to the place he was supposed to be. The girl didn't need to know – ever – that he had come despite her wishes to the contrary.

Kagome rushed to the injured cat, hoping she could do something for her. Kirara was completely unconscious, which would make it easier to treat her. It wasn't that the animal would complain at her injuries being treated – she was smarter than that – but the twitches of pain would have stopped Kagome cold. She couldn't bear to see animals in pain.

Very carefully, she felt Kirara's chest for the broken ribs and let out a breath as she found that they were merely bruised. Even so, the miko bandaged her around the ribs, holding them in place so that they wouldn't shift and cause the fire cat pain. Sango was lucky to have such a loyal cat.

Kagome walked over to her former friends with a tight feeling in her own chest that had nothing to do with broken ribs. All three were still there, she noticed with a pang of relief. She rushed to Miroku to make sure, to touch his face.

He was still there. "I didn't mean to run away and leave you to die, Miroku," the girl whispered to the unconscious man. "I swear, I'll save you still somehow."

Sango shifted next to him, looking as though she'd been trying to take a blow for him from her condition and her position near him. Kagome noticed sadly that it had done no good. The taijiya hadn't changed a bit. Her boomerang still rested beneath her, shifting slightly with her deep breathing. Her face was pained and drawn tight, but she still wore the pink eye shadow. It really was a ridiculous color, but somehow it had always worked for the demon hunter. It was her only concession to her femininity, most times.

Shippo, she nearly cried at. He had grown. He really was a foot taller than when she'd last seen him. His claws were more developed, and he even looked like a decent fighter now. His tail twitched in response to her hand on his cheek, and a claw curled around it with a whimper. He must have been able to smell her, even unconscious. The girl pulled her hand away reluctantly.

Kagome bound their wounds sadly, memorizing their faces. Last, she came to Inu Yasha, who had lost consciousness with her 'sit'.

His face was paler than she'd last seen it. His ears drooped slightly, and he looked so tired that she almost couldn't believe it was him. Kagome reverently replaced the Tetsusaiga in its sheath and took her time staring at him.

She would not get closure this day. But she could try to pretend as if nothing had happened these past few months, if only for a little while.

The girl placed a hand on his cheek, savoring the warmth in him. She leaned closer, and buried her face in his chest. The scent. It was there. The soft fire rat fur rubbed against her face, reminding her of the times when she'd still ridden on his back. A bit of his soft hair brushed her cheek and she wrapped her arms around him forlornly. He was still strong, she found from the muscles she held against her. Her hero was still as strong as ever without her.

She held him to her, not wanting to ever let go, and letting out a sob at the thought. But eventually, she knew, they would all wake. And that wouldn't be the best time to talk. Inu Yasha stirred a little while she cried, but didn't quite wake.

Instead, she took one last deep breath and tried to wipe her tears from his haori. Kagome hesitated as she began to leave, feeling as though something was still left undone.

Of course.

Kagome took the bottle of Shikon shards from her neck and put it into Inu Yasha's hand, closing his fingers over it tenderly. She kept only one, a special one that would need to be used. The miko turned around then, knowing that soon the villagers would be arriving to see if the heroes had prevailed. She'd done everything but what she'd come to do.

When she returned to the cloud, they were in the same places she'd left them. Her new companions.

Kagome smiled timidly at Sesshoumaru, who was wearing the same cold expression. She knew somehow that he'd noticed the tear tracks on her face.

She opened her hand and looked at the single Shikon shard within it, glowing and winking at her as its evil was purged from it. Without warning, shard in her hand rose, almost of its own will, and flew to pierce the demon lord's only arm. He choked in surprise, rage overcoming him as pain consumed him and he clutched his arm. Was this her doing? What did she hope to accomplish?

He didn't have time to finish the thought. The arm had been torn from him.

No. That wasn't right.

The arm was still there. And… and so was the other, which had most certainly not been there before.

Kagome fell to her knees, gasping and clutching at her own arm. It was shaking, as though she had felt what he had, though she hadn't had an arm to replace. Her power seemed drained, though it had gone through the medium of the Shikon shard. Which, the demon lord noticed absently, was still embedded in his new arm.

"Reparations…" Kagome said with a pain-filled sob. "Sorry…I didn't warn you…" Sesshoumaru had only been half listening. He was staring at her in open confusion. She gave him a quivering smile, but couldn't hold it forever. His own arm did hurt, but his demon blood had dulled the sore pain to a twitch of annoyance. Surprising himself, the inu youkai took her hand to help her up, his expression a badly made mask concealing some emotion she had never seen on his face. He noticed almost off-handedly that her skin was as cold as ice.

Rin gazed at her curiously, wondering what her sister was talking about, with 'reparations'. She shrugged as she watched her surrogate father twine his fingers with Kagome's wonderingly, as if amazed that he could feel anything at all. The miko's shudders had decreased somewhat as he took her hand, and she looked up with the demon with something resembling satisfaction, even joy, in her gaze.

"How…it's back…" Jaken was murmuring near her in a gleeful voice. "I knew she was useful, always knew she'd come in handy…" Rin patted the toad demon's shoulder comfortingly as he tried to hold back tears of happiness. Sesshoumaru's servant didn't even bother to express some problem with the girl's work, or even the fact that Sesshoumaru was still holding her hand. He was too distracted to hide his admiration of her behind his usual mask of dislike for all humans.

"Reparations?" Sesshoumaru whispered, and the last pain faded from her arm. His hand dropped from hers instantly. "I do not know of what you try to repair. But I thank you nonetheless."

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Inu Yasha groaned as he woke. He'd done it again, he knew. His demon side had emerged. He flew to his feet, even though he somehow knew that everything was fine. A chain dangled from his fingertips, and he looked down at it blankly.

Kagome... her scent was all over him. Her tears. He remembered the small glimpse he'd had of her face as she cried. He opened his fingers, trembling, knowing what he would find.

Two shards. Funny, he'd expected three.

Did that mean she'd returned home? That she would eventually come back again?

His wounds were bandaged. He clenched his hand tightly and tried to savor her scent.

It had been months. He'd lost all hope of ever seeing her again. Of ever smelling that wonderful scent ever again.

A groan interrupted him. He turned around, slightly annoyed, to see Miroku holding his head in his hands. He'd been hit in the face by the thing's club, and was very lucky to be alive, all things considered. But the monk's hand had come up to his face, marveling at the touch he could swear he'd felt.

The other two were soon getting up too. As soon as he heard Shippo's tears, he knew.

Kagome hadn't been a dream. She'd really been there.

Questions flew through his mind. Where had she come from? How had she gotten there? Why wasn't she at home, safe, where he'd tried so hard to send her? Why, he thought chillingly, did he smell the tiniest bit of her blood from his claws?

Would she ever come back?

A/N: Just a note – some of you might be wondering why I focused so much on Miroku. It's not because of any K/M attitude, although I've been thinking about doing that next as a self-challenge. It's because I think it would have a very big impact on her to see him alive. Kagome's been gone for months, and for all she knows he could be dead from the Kazaana. A friend that was slowly dying day by day would probably get more attention than one she'd thought was alive and well. But that's just my take. ^_~