Disclaimer: Ok, I actually decided that it is better that I did not own Inuyasha because I don't think I would share him with anyone else…mine mine mine!

Thank you once again to all those who take the time to review, I am always shocked to see just how many there are waiting for me. I feel so loved. Anyway, one with this little story of mine.

Inuyasha stopped looking for Kagome's family as soon as he saw her. There was no way he could miss the grisly message written with human lives that hung before the girl. He watched carefully as she marked herself with the blood of those who had been her life here, in this time.

Sango and Miroku, having told Shippou to stay at the bottom of the well, after having seen the flames, emerged from the burning shelter at a full run. They stopped quickly when they witnessed the human banner written in blood. Sango gasped and fell to her knees, memories of her family and demolished village flashing through her mind's eye. Miroku clutched his staff for support, as well as gingerly placing a hand on Sango's hunched shoulder. Visions of the destruction wrought by his wind tunnel plagued his mind, but he pushed them away violently. He had to be strong.

Inuyasha alighted from the tree branch he had been perched on and approached Kagome. He stood slightly behind her, for once very unsure of what he should, or even could, do.

Kagome felt like she had just snapped out of a trance. She slowly turned from her once family and stood facing the hanyou. Inuyasha involuntarily took a step back. The once bubbly girl he had once known had been obliterated. In her place was a blank faced woman. No emotion. Her face and eyes painfully empty, almost dead. The streaks of blood on her face only set off her lack of feeling.

"Kagome…" Inuyasha began, but was almost immediately silenced by a hand held out in front of him.

"Tell me." She coldly commanded. Inuyasha knew instinctually what she was referring to.

"This place, even despite the smoke, reeks of Naraku. I guess this was his way of demanding your shards." Kagome only shook her head no.

"This was his way of reminding us of just how weak we really are. His way of telling us that only one object could give us true power. His way of telling us, we lack a good portion of that object still, and it is in his possession. His way of a mocking us…" After finishing her explanation, Kagome glanced at Miroku and Sango, who was now back on her feet.

"Leave here. Go back to the Warring States Era. Forget about the jewel. Forget about me."

All three jaws dropped at Kagome's chilling dismissal. They had all expected sorrow, anger, even confusion, not the icy tones delivered to them.

*The death of innocence. How could Naraku do this? I know he is evil, but this served no purpose. None! This whole thing was needless. * Inuyasha thought while he stared at the shell of the woman he once … loved? Was that the term he should use to describe how he had felt about Kagome? This was not the time to mentally argue this he decided.

"Well, go. I told you to leave," Kagome repeated. None of the group had moved at her first bidding. Sango went forward to Kagome, lifting her hand towards her. Kagome merely took a step back, not actually enough to prevent Sango from touching her, but enough to send a clear message.

"If you are sure you wish to be alone, Lady Kagome, we will do as you say." Miroku nodded to Sango and they headed back towards the bone eater's well. Inuyasha, however, didn't follow. He locked eyes with Kagome, his golden ones searching, probing her chocolate ones for any signs of her usual fire, any spark of her old spirit. To his horror, the only fire and sparks were those reflected from the raging inferno of what had once been her home, and sparks were only those snagged and tossed to the wind, swirling upwards to the brilliant stars, but dying long before they could reach the sparkling heavens.

Wowwie, that was a rather long chapter for me. Oh well, I wrote it out before I typed it. Hope you enjoyed it. Yes, it was night in Kagome's time, I had to properly set the scene you know. Hope you liked it, if you didn't, why in Kami's name did you read to the very end?? Well, enough of this…

PhantomLogic