Well, I said I'd start the next chapter, so I did…the only problem was that it took me long to finish it^.^  I love twisting my own words to work in my favor!  Well, anyway, onwards.  Make sure to read carefully, and don't get confused.  I'll give a recap at the end, cause I think I succeeded once again to confuse myself with my writing.  I do that.

You probably already know this, but I'm a philosopher.  Not really, I'm only 16, but I love philosophy.  I'm willing to bet you kinda already knew that.

Onward!

Disclaimer:  Once again, I'm broke, in debt, and without a way to get more money.  I need film for my camera!  Well, that's all.  I don't own Inuyasha.

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*Destiny.  Let's elaborate on this.  People travel, following their destiny, but sometimes they run into someone else and decide to travel with them.  Both people are following destiny, but there's something else.  Have you ever heard of the line, "we were destined to meet"?  It can't be.  Destiny is not laid out, not written, only started.  You have to write that part on your own.  So when two destined paths cross, then fate occurs.  Think about it.  Destiny plus Destiny equals Fate.  It's simple, right?  Not at all.  You are fated to meet, not destined, although that can work as well.  When two destinies are intertwined, it's only natural that you work together to accomplish the goal.  However, you still have the choice to continue on your own or work together.  So it is still destiny, yet sometimes it's fated to happen.  Things are just getting more confusing the more it's elaborated on.  Two intertwined destinies are fated to meet, but what they do after the encounter is up to them…it's destiny.*

"Kuso.  This fog is too thick!" shouted Inuyasha.  "I can't see anything."  He kept walking through the purple fog, heading in the same direction he had started in.

"The human soul is made of four parts."  Inuyasha stopped walking.

"Miroku?" he asked.

"Mind, heart, spirit, and will.  The heart and the mind have been saved."

"Where are you?!" shouted Inuyasha.  He soon got his answer.  The purple fog began to be pulled into a single source.  The winds were strong and it could only come from one thing.  The Kazaana.  Miroku had opened the kazaana.  Inuyasha ran towards the area where the fog was being pulled in.  He soon saw the houshi, standing in the middle.  There was something else there.  Inuyasha's eyes went wide.  It was Naraku, the evil hanyou himself, dressed in his baboon skin.  Miroku looked like he was struggling.

"Give it up, houhsi," said Naraku.  "You can't win."  Inuyasha kept running towards them.  He suddenly heard a buzzing sound.  He looked up and saw a swarm of Saimyousho flying towards Miroku.

"Miroku!" he yelled.  But it was too late.  He had already drawn some in through the kazaana.  Miroku looked drained.  He closed the kazaana before any more could enter.  He then fell to one knee, breathing hard.  Naraku just laughed.

"You will never defeat me.  Shine…houshi."  And with that, he was gone.  Miroku collapsed onto his back right when Inuyasha got there.

"Kuso.  Naraku already left."  He looked down at Miroku, who's face was pale.  "Daijoubu, Miroku?" he asked in a quick voice.

"Inu…yasha…" he said in a pained voice.  "I couldn't do it…I couldn't kill him."

"It's alright.  Let's go.  Kagome can fix you up."

"I'm afraid it's the end this time.  I feel so weak."

"Miroku, ikuzo."

"Leave me.  I'm not worth it.  I'll just die anyway, so what's the point?"

"Miroku, listen…"

"Go," cut in Miroku.  "Leave me here to die.  I'll never destroy Naraku.  If the poison doesn't kill me, the kazaana will."

"Urusai!" shouted Inuyasha.  That was about all he could take of Miroku's wining and pessimism.  Who ever thought that the optimist in their group was the biggest pessimist inside.  Miroku looked stunned.  He turned his surprised features towards Inuyasha, who was standing over him.

"I'm sick of you and your wining, Miroku!  I'm not just gonna leave you here to die.  We will beat Naraku, you baka!  So stop moping around.  Do you think all of us are without a care in the world?  You're not the only one who thinks we might not win, but we have to try!  If you give up now, then you're already dead!  Don't you want to live?"

"Watashi…"

"Well, do you?  If you don't, then I don't care, but like I told you, you're not gonna die while I'm around.  I won't abandon you, none of us will.  Don't you understand?  Or are you too stupid?"

"Inuyasha…"

"Now get up!  We gotta get going.  We won't let Naraku win this, all right?  We'll kill him before you die.  The kazaana won't kill you, you got that?  We won't let it."

"You may not have a choice," said Miroku with a faint smile on his face.  The look implied that he thought Inuyasha was being foolish.  "If it's my time, then it's my time."

"Will you just shut up?!  Since when did you become a pessimist?"

"Inuyasha…you're such a baka."  There was a small amount of humor in his voice, which brought out a faint smile from Inuyasha.

"Whatever.  Ikuzo, bouzu."

"Houshi desu."

"Whatever.  Now come you.  You gotta live out your life to its fullest.  Everyone is waiting."

"Alright…"  And with that, the scene faded, being replaced by the fog.

******

"Yume," said Cycil, staring up at her master.  Yume seemed to be deep in thought.  "Is the slip still going on?"

"Hai."

"How are they doing?"

"I don't know.  I hope they make it.  This is a slip, so I can't tell if they'll make it or not.  This is the one chance we have to completely control our own lives."

"Yume…that stuff you had been talking about…what does it all mean?  What's the significance?"

"To tell you the truth, there really isn't one.  All I can tell you is that the soul is a contradiction, pure and simple."

"A contradiction?"

"For ever emotion, there is a counter emotion.  Good and bad, happy and sad.  There are so many.  Every light has its shadow; everything easy has its toughs.  Nothing is truly one or the other.  So you see, depending on the views of others, you may be considered as evil or pure, because everyone sees things differently.  All creatures are walking contradictions, however…there are exceptions…such as Naraku.  He is not one bit good.  All he wants is death."

"So you're saying that all creatures are contradictions?"

"Exactly."

"What about you, Yume?  What are you?"

"I'm a contradictions as well.  No one is perfect, Cycil, no one.  Remember that.  Miroku-sama has contradictions within himself and they have to fix them, turn them into the opposites.  People can be saved this way."

"Even if their soul wasn't shattered?"

"Of course.  Even then, people can change with the help of friends.  It's that simple."

******

Sango walked slowly through the fog, unsure of where to go.

"Houshi-sama…somehow…I feel like this is all my fault."

"There are four pieces of the human soul."  Sango stopped and looked around, not saying anything.  "Mind, heart, spirit, and will.  The mind, heart, and will have been saved."

"Houshi-sama!" shouted Sango as she ran forward.  The fog suddenly lifted and she found herself in a grassy field near a familiar temple.  It was a beautiful day, but the atmosphere hung heavy.  Something had happened to cause such an ill feeling in the area.  She walked around, looking everywhere for any sign of Miroku.  As she neared the huge crater near the temple, she heard soft sobbing sounds.  She stopped to listen and then walked slowly towards the crater.  When she got to the edge, she looked down.  There was a young boy, holding tightly to a staff.  He was on his knees, his head low, and he was crying.

"Houshi-sama…" said Sango quietly.  She began to walk carefully down the side of the crater, having to catch herself from falling a few times.  She soon was able to walk easily and approached the sobbing boy.

"Ano…" she started.  The boy quickly whipped his head around to look at Sango.

"Who…who are you?" he asked.  Sango studied his face.  He had the same raven hair and midnight blue eyes.  The staff in his hands was undoubtedly familiar.  He was Miroku.  There was no denying it.

"Sango," she answered simply.  Miroku nodded and then turned back around to face the stone statue in front of him.

"Why are you crying?" asked Sango.  She knelt down next to him.

"Chi…chichiue…he died."  There were tears streaming down his face.  Sango had never seen Miroku cry.  He must have cried it all out after his father died.  "I'm…all alone now," he continued.

"That's not true.  You have Mushin-sama."

"Demo, chichiue was the only person I had who understood me.  He tried to pretend nothing was wrong.  I watched him die, Sango-san, I watched him die."  There was a painful twinge in her heart.  She wanted to cry for him.  He had watched his father die at such a young age.  She knew what that was like.  She had watched her own father die.  There was something else Sango wanted to know…something Miroku had never mentioned.

"Ano…what about your okaasan?"  Miroku froze.

"She…died when I was born.  I never got to know her.  Chichiue said she was beautiful.  I wish I could have seen her.  In a way, I guess you could say that I killed her."

"You shouldn't say things like that."

"But it's true.  And now chichiue is dead.  I'm all alone now.  I miss him so much."  Sango wanted to comfort him.  He was so sad.

"What if I were to tell you that things will get better.  You won't stay lonely."

"Nani?"

"Yeah.  In a few years, you'll meet some very unique people, who you will eventually come to know as your friends."

"They…won't be scared of me?  Of this?"  He glanced down at his kazaana.

"Of course not.  They won't fear you at all.  You'll be their friend."

"How do you know?"

"Trust me.  You won't be alone for much longer.  You just have to wait."

"What if they don't want to travel with me?"  He loosened his grip on the staff and looked down at his right hand, now covered in a purple cloth, sealed with a rosary.

"They will, and you know what?  They'll love you so much that they'll do anything for you, even risk their own lives for you."  She reached out and touched his right hand with her fingertips.  He flinched slightly, but soon relaxed.  "And you know what else?  All of you will travel together for a single purpose.  They will all want to kill the creature that gave that to you."

"Naraku?"

"Hai.  They will all have a strong reason, but their second reason will be for you.  They will want to save you."

"Sango-san…do you mean it?"

"Of course I do.  These people will love you, no matter what you do.  Even if you get them in trouble, they will still stay with you, and if you try to leave in order to save them, they will go after you anyway.  They will be true and loyal friends, no matter what."  Miroku smiled slightly and then turned around to hug Sango.

"Arigatou, Sango-san."

"You're welcome."  And with that, the scene faded back to the swirling purple fog.  She stood up and looked around.  'What's going on?  Is there something more we have to do?' she thought to herself.  Suddenly, a figure appeared a few yards away from her.  He had a solemn look on his face.  Sango just stared at him.

"Houshi-sama…" she said slowly.  He didn't move.  He just held her in his gaze.

******

"There's more to it, isn't there?"

"More to what?" asked Yume.

"More to the human soul."

"Hai."

"What is it?"

"It's the very core of the soul itself.  It's called the essence.  It's the core of all emotions.  If they aren't able to save the essence, then everything they have gone thought will be for nothing."

"Yume…"  The dream weaver closed her eyes.  'I should check up to see how Kirara is doing.  Miroku-sama can't survive if his body is destroyed.'  Yume concentrated and was silent for a while.  Her eyes suddenly flew open.

"Cycil," said Yume.

"Hai?"

"Go help Kirara."

"Nani?"

"Youkai are attacking the mountain where they were at.  It's Naraku.  He's trying to take advantage of our work."

"So you want me to leave, right?  What about Siria?"

"She still needs to rest."

"Wakaru.  I'll be going now."  Cycil walked off into the darkness.  'Hayaku, Cycil.  There isn't much time left.'

******

Kirara gave out a mighty roar and bit down into the back of a giant youkai.  The snake like youkai screamed in pain and then fell to the ground, but more came to take its place.  Down a distance on the mountain was Naraku.  He was just watching, waiting for the youkai to reach Miroku's body.  Naraku laughed to himself.

"This is the perfect opportunity to kill that houshi.  The others aren't even here."  Naraku didn't know that Miroku's soul had been shattered, or that the rest of the Inuyasha-tachi was inside his soul right now.  Naraku just laughed and watched as Kirara struggled to keep the youkai at bay.  Suddenly, a beam of yoki sliced through some of the youkai.  Kirara looked up towards where the beam had come from and so did Naraku, who was now ticked off that someone had done that.  On top of a ledge on the mountain stood Cycil, her bat like wings out and her arms crossed.  Kirara recognized her and began to growl.  Cycil smirked, showing her fangs.

"Relax, koneko.  I'm not here to fight you.  I'm here to get revenge on that worthless hanyou over there."  She pointed to Naraku.  "So how about we team up and take care of these youkai?"  Kirara stopped her growling and then turned back towards the youkai.

"I'll take that as a yes.  Let's go."  Kirara and Cycil began attacking the surrounding youkai, using their claws and other random attacks.  Cycil took the first chance she had to go after Naraku.  She used her claws to swipe at him, but he easily evaded the attack.

"Temee," cursed Cycil.  "You're the one who tricked Siria.  I won't let you get away with that."  She swiped at him again, but once again, she missed.  Nothing was going right.  She tried once more and missed, but that wasn't going to stop her.  She spread her wings and flew back to the ledge she had been standing on.  She pointed her finger at Naraku.

"Shine!" she said as a small point of light formed in front of her finger.  The light soon erupted into a beam of yoki, which was heading straight towards Naraku.  He just smiled.

"You can't win," he stated.  "It's useless."  The beam hit him head on and he disintegrated, leaving only a kugutsu doll behind.

"Kuso.  He was just a kugutsu.  What a waste of my time."  'But still…I promised Yume that I would take care of these youkai for them.'  Cycil turned around and blasted a few more youkai.  Soon enough, the battle was over and Cycil and Kirara had won.

"Well, it's been nice working with you," said Cycil as she flew into the sky.  "Maybe we can do this again sometime."  Her voice sounded slightly sarcastic, but she couldn't help it.  That's how her voice normally sounded.  She took off and flew far away from the mountain.

"Yume, I'm done."

'Good job Cycil.  I'll bring you back now.'  And with that, Cycil slowly faded out and soon disappeared altogether.

******

"Houshi-sama, nande koto wa?"  There was no response.  He just stood there.

"You…should have left me."

"Nani?"

"You shouldn't try to save me.  It's not worth it."

"Urusai!" shouted Inuyasha.  Sango turned around and watched as the hanyou appeared from the fog.  "Will you cut that out already?  I'm sick of you and your wining."

"Miroku-sama, we'd never leave you," said Kagome as she appeared next to Inuyasha.

"Yeah Miroku, don't you understand?" asked Shippo, who was standing next to Kagome.

"It's just not worth it.  If you let me die now, it'll save you the grief of losing me later.  This way, you won't feel as much pain.  You can't become any more attached."

"But Miroku-sama, you don't understand.  We already care too much about you to let you die.  That's why we did all of this.  Are you going to just give up?  If you do…"

"What Kagome-chan means, Houshi-sama, is that if you give up now, it'll hurt us even more."

"Nani?" asked Miroku.  He looked surprised.

"If you die now, it'll hurt because it would mean that you just gave up.  It'll feel as if we let you die.  We don't want to feel that way.  If you die later on, it'll still hurt, but we won't have been able to do anything.  Right now, you have to decide.  We've worked so hard to save you.  If you die now…it'll feel like we let you die, and that's just as bad as killing you.  Don't you get it?"

"Watashi…"

"Kuso, Miroku.  Are you brain dead?  We're trying to save you, because we want you to stay with us," said Inuyasha.  "So stop acting like such a baka."

"Inuyasha is right Miroku," said Shippo.  "You're our friend, so please don't go away.  We'd miss you."

"Demo…"

"Houshi-sama.  We don't care what you think right now.  We want you to stay with us.  What about you?  Don't you want to be here?  Be with us?"  Miroku started walking towards them slowly.

"I…I don't know…"

"Aren't we your friends?"

"Hai.  You are, demo…"  He was now only a foot away from Sango.  "I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't.  If you die now, you'll be hurting us more.  We wanted to save you, so we came here.  Please understand.  We'd do anything for you, Houshi-sama."

"I…"  Miroku reached out his cursed hand and lightly placed it on Sango's shoulder.  "Watashi…"  Sango didn't flinch under his touch.  She just looked into his pained eyes, which were now brimming with tears.  He quickly placed his other arm on her shoulder and drew her into a hug.  "Wakaru.  Arigatou."  Sango was blushing, but she hugged him back.

"Everything will be alright, don't worry."

"I won't…"  And with that, the scene faded to black and Miroku went along with it.  The next thing the Inuyasha-tachi knew, they were being pulled away forcefully, as if a strong current had picked them up and was pulling them.  There was a light ahead of them and it continued to grow, until in engulfed them.  Then the scene changed to that of the mountain.  They all stood around, totally confused as to what was going on.

"We're…back," said Kagome as she looked around.  They then heard a mew from Kirara, who was now in her chibi form.

"Kirara," said Sango happily.  She picked up the small neko and hugged her.  She then noticed that there were a few scratches on her.  "Nande koto wa?"  Kirara simply mewed.

"There must have been a battle," said Inuyasha.  "I can still smell the youkai."  Kirara mewed again.

"Wow…good job Kirara," said Shippo.  "You did a great job getting rid of them."  Kirara wanted to tell them that she had some help, but there was no way she could, so she just mewed again and hopped out of Sango's arms.  That's when Sango remembered about Miroku.  She walked over to his still form and looked him over.  Nothing.  He wasn't waking up.  'Oh Kami…were we too late?'  She kneeled down near him and listened carefully, a solemn expression on her face.  The others soon noticed.

"Sango-cahn?" asked Kagome.

"Is he…" started Shippo.  Sango continued to listen carefully.  That's when she heard it.  His breathing.  It was slow, but she could hear it.  She watched as his chest rose and fell slowly.  A smile embraced her face and she looked up at the others.

"Yatta!  He's alive!" she exclaimed happily, sending Kagome into a small cheer and causing a smile to grace Inuyasha's face.  Shippo was hugging Kirara and cheering as well.  They had done it.  They had pieced back together a shattered soul.  They had just made history.

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Okay, no pun intended on the history thing.  Um…there isn't much to say, except…no more school!  I'm free!!  And lonely, but free!

READ!!!  Okay, this is just a small thing that may clear up some stuff, cause even I need to read over this.  Okay, with the soul shattering thing, I know I wrote a lot of confusing crap, but I'll clear it up right now, okay?

First off, there was kokoro, which is heart, mind, spirit, and will.  Then there were the negative emotions, like doubt, fear, pain, and contemplation, and their opposites; hope, tranquility, courage, and decision.  Then there was the thoughts themselves.  I'll gonna explain each senario.

Kagome:  Kagome saved his heart, which was dealing with fear.  The heart senario was something that hasn't happened, which was why it was his fear.  Kagome saved him by giving him courage and strength by reassuring him it wouldn't happen.

Shippo:  Shippo saved his mind, which dealt with contemplation.  The scenario was something that could have happened.  Miroku could have either run away or have gone back, so it might have happened, meaning there was a choice involved, thus the contemplation theme.  Shippo saved this part by helping him make a decision, which was the opposite of contemplation.

Inuyasha:  Inuyasha saved his will, which dealt with doubt.  The scenario was something that could happen in the future.  Miroku might encounter Naraku and die from it, and he was having doubts about the outcome.  Inuyasha saved him by giving him hope for the future and telling him that he wasn't going to die yet.

Sango:  Sango saved his spirit, which dealt with pain.  The scenario was something that had happened before, a memory that was completely his.  This was his pain, the thought of being alone after his father died.  Sango saved him by reassuring him, giving him a sense of peace and tranquility.

Then there was the essence, just like the base soul of the shikon no tama.  It was the source of all his emotions and what he really felt.

Did that make sense?  I hope it did.

Saimyousho –the poison insects Naraku uses.

Ikuzo –let's go

Urusai –shut up

Watashi – a very formal way of saying I

Desu –I am.  Miroku is saying "I am a houshi"

Chichiue –a formal way of saying father

Wakaru –Understood, I understand, I know

Koneko –kitty

Nande koto wa –what happened?

Yatta –he/she/I/you/we/them did it.  It can mean all of those.

Goodbye for now!