Geeze….I was suppose to post this yesterday, but I stayed out late at a friend's watching The Ring and The Frighteners and was too tired to finish it once I got home. ^^;;; Ahehehe…yes. I suck. I know.

Here's where the story picks up hopefully. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed and offered criticism thus far. I really appreciate it. Although, I should probably explain something. I have a tendency to get my stories more in dialogue than detail, I see them in my head and so I know who's talking and what they're saying, but I have a hard time portraying that in text. I've tried a little to fix it this chapter, but I fear it's just part of my writing style. Sumimasen.

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The ruins were a sad thing, a fallen tribute to past glories and beauty. But as sad as they were, there was an eerie stillness that hung in the air, making them more unnerving than tragic. The grounds around were completely silent, not even the whispering of the wind or the sounds of the bugs broke the silence.  Mist closed in behind them as the group moved onward. InuYasha took the lead, marching stoically and silent as the air around them. Silver bangs shadowed golden eyes still haunted by whatever had occurred in the mists of the forest. Kagome stayed next to him the entire time; this poor haunted creature was not the InuYasha she knew, but needed her all the same, perhaps more so. Shippou clung to Kagome, the prevailing mood forcing even the kit to silence. Miroku, Sango and Kirara in her large form brought up the rear, keeping the forward three well within sight, not wanting a repeat of the forest.

They approached what looked to have once been the gates and wall of the palace. The wooden posts were decaying and broken in many places, whole sections felled and moss covered, leaving the castle open for any who wished to enter. The metal of the large gates was rusted solid, the doors eternally in a half opened, half closed position. InuYasha paused before the gates, his eyes still shadowed so that Kagome could not tell what thoughts were going through the hanyou's mind. "Let's go." He said in a harsh voice, and stepped forcefully through the opened section of gate.

Inside was a large courtyard, overgrown and running wild. Grasses and planted flowers grew where they pleased along side weeds. In the corner, a lone sakura tree reached its bear, twisted branches up to the sky.  To the right were what must have been stables or servants quarters, the roof had collapsed leaving them blocked and impenetrable. Ahead lay the main entrance, the wooden beams rotting and covered with moss, the thin wood of the shoji weatherworn and broken. Portions of the outer lying porch had large holes within or had collapsed much like the stable roof.

"Where is it?"

Kagome blinked.

"The shard." InuYasha clarified, tightening a fist. "Where is it?"

Under normal circumstances, Kagome would have been quite miffed that he was using her nothing but a glorified shard detector. But circumstances were anything but normal. He wanted out of here, and as quickly as possible. Well, so did she for that manner. Something about this place struck her as not right, and it was affecting him more than anything she'd ever seen before. She looked and felt around using that other sense that came so naturally. "It's…I don't see one. Not out here anyway. Maybe inside…?" She immediately regretted the suggestion as he went completely ridged.

"InuYasha, you don't have to. I mean, Sango and I can go and…"Miroku began, but was cut off. "Fine." The boy stalked up the stairs and threw aside the shoji, leaving the rest of the group to cast each other worried looks behind him. "Kagome! Let's go!" he barked, causing her to start and glare furiously at him. Scared or not, another command like that was going to get him a first class 'osuwari'. She scurried up the stairs after him. "Hey! I am not your all purpose shard detect…" He was already stalking down the left side of the castle, determined to look no where but straight ahead.

"Are you evening listening to me?!" she ran to catch up with him, wincing slightly as pain flared in her still raw throat.  "Anything?" His voice was emotionless. Growling internally, she reached out a hand and grabbed the red fabric of his kimono, yanking him to a stop. "What is wrong with you? You've been acting strange ever since that village. I get it, this place is creepy. It's been creeping me out ever since we got here, but that is no excuse to…" "DAMNIT! JUST TELL ME IF THERE'S A FUCKING SHARD AROUND HERE OR NOT!!" He roared, flashing fangs and slapping her away.

Kagome backed up until she was against the wall, her brown eyes wide with fear. Shippou squeaked and ran down the hallway, diving behind Miroku who was just catching up to the couple. "I…I…" She could hear her voice trembling and felt tears welling up in her eyes. She had faced him down as a full blooded demon, had faced him down when he was after her blood, but she'd been so scared of him that she had cried before. It was this place, it had to be this place. Sliding down the wall, she felt a tear make its way down her cheek, and somewhere in the background she heard Sango and Miroku approach, but none of it really registered. The only thing that registered was the pair of golden eyes that were round with shock and self loathing staring into hers.

 What did I just do? What did I just do? The thought raced through his mind over and over again as he watched her slump to the floor, still staring up at him with fear-filled brown eyes. A single tear escaped those eyes and he felt a sharp pain in his chest. "Kagome, I…" he knelt in front of her and reached out a hand to wipe that damning tear away. The hand, however, never got that far. "Nothing there." She whispered. It caused him to pause and confusion to cross his face. "What?"

"There's nothing." She was still whispering. "No shikon shard."

"Are you positive?"

"Yes, can we please go now?"

He nodded. This place…this place had caused too much pain already. It wasn't worth it. Even if there was a shard lying somewhere around here. "We'll return to the village." He offered her a hand up. She accepted, still trembling slightly he noticed with a small wince of pain. "I'm sorry…I didn't mean…" he said in a low voice. "It's this place…it's doing something to all of us." she murmured in reply, letting him know he was forgiven. The boy turned to the monk and the demon hunter, arm still around the girl by his side. Sango looked worried. This did not bode well.

"I…don't think we can."

InuYasha inhaled sharply. "What do you mean?"

"The mist…it was closing in when we reached the gates, but as Kirara and I were entering the palace itself, it had reached within the walls. It's just as thick, if not thicker than what we encountered coming out of those woods."

InuYasha stalked past the monk and Sango, directly back to the main entrance door. Looking out, he saw that the girl hadn't been over exaggerating. It was getting dark and the mist had covered the courtyard so entirely that he couldn't even make out two steps from the bottom of the stairs. They had two choices now. One, go out into the mist and risk getting separated and completely lost. Or two, stay in the ruins and wait until the sun burned the mist off enough that they could make their way back to the village tomorrow.

"Shit!" he slammed a fist into the wooden beam next to him. "I do believe that means we're staying here tonight." Miroku said dryly from behind him.

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It was easier said than done. In most of the larger rooms the floorboards had either rotted through creating large holes, or were either similar states of non welcome. The idea of splitting into two smaller groups hadn't even been voiced; no one wanted any of the others out of sight.

"We're never going to find a place to sleep!" Shippou cried in frustration from his perch on Miroku's shoulder. "Well…there is the other wing." Kagome suggested reluctantly. "All the rooms there were consumed by the fire, I highly doubt they'd be anymore suitable, Kagome-sama." Miroku pointed out as they walked back to the main entrance area. Kagome remained silent for a long moment and then spoke again. "Not all. Remember the story the old woman told us? The Princess's rooms were untouched by the fire."

It was long dark by this time, and Kagome had earlier dug a flashlight out of her bag. She aimed the beam in the direction of the burned wing. "I suppose it couldn't hurt to look." Sango agreed. "Very well then, let us try the right wing." Miroku nodded walking towards said wing. InuYasha remained silent.

The wing was damp and still smelled heavily of charred wood and smoke even after all these decades. Kagome's flashlight created grotesque shadows along what was left of the corridors and ceiling. Some large areas were burnt to mere beams and hole riddled flooring, as Sango had discovered the hard way by falling into one. Her foot had sunk in and she had nearly broken her ankle, save for Miroku grabbing her before she could fall. The fact that he had grabbed her around the bust to save her was purely accidental. Really. Well, it was a sweet gesture despite the large hand mark his cheek now sported. Or so he thought.

Finally, the group made it past the last hazardous patch of burned wood and in front of them stood a shoji door that appeared to be in perfect condition save a large layer of dust and some fading of the wood. Miroku stepped forward and slid the shoji open, as Kagome shined her flashlight into the room.

It was amazing.

The room was completely untouched by the elements. A thick layer of dust covered everything, as it did in all the other whole rooms, but this room showed no sign of decay. A few cobwebs hung in corners, but other than that the room was fine. And quite large enough to fit them all comfortably.

A painted screen lay in a far corner and up a bit, along the middle of the left wall was a large wooden kimono stand with a beautifully embroidered, yet dust laden Kimono hanging on it. To the left of that, a large lacquered chest. A table stood along the right wall, on it several finely made dolls, a mirror and combs, and a small box as well as several small bottles. Rich paintings and calligraphy scrolls hung on the walls.

It all seemed so very familiar…and then Kagome realized it. This was the room from the odd dream she had had the night in the village. The room where…She heard a faint whimper from next to her. She glanced over at InuYasha, and blinked in shock at what she saw. The boy looked as if he wanted to break down into tears, but pride was preventing him. As soon as they crossed the threshold of the chambers, golden eyes surveyed the room, flickering to each corner and item in turn. His breathing sped up, he was near hyperventilating and…he had that haunted look in his eyes again.

Kagome handed the flashlight over to Miroku. "Here, you and Shippou-chan and Sango-chan go look around to make sure there are no unnoticeable rotten areas or anything else unpleasant." The monk gave her a curious look, and she quickly cut her eyes to the near panicking hanyou and then back to Miroku. Sango caught on immediately. "Come on, Houshi-sama. Let's make sure there's nothing nesting in here, I don't want to deal with a family of rats again." Realization dawned in the monk's eyes. "Ah, yes, Sango, let's. Dark corners have so many other useful purposes as well." "Houshi-sama!! There's child present!" "Hey, I'm not a kid!" came the squeaky little voice of the Kitsune on Miroku's shoulder.

She placed a hand on the silver haired boy's shoulder and gently led him to the corner of the room farthest away from the other three. "InuYasha?"  In response, he shut his eyes and took a deep breath. "This is it. This is where she died." His voice sounded dead. Before she could respond, the emotional dams broke.  He reached out and hugged her close, burying his face in her shoulder. "This is where she died…Kagome, I can't do this! I can't stay here, not in this room…the palace was bad enough, but not in this room! Not in the place were Ofukuro died!"

Ofukuro…? That means…

She wrapped an arm around his waist and stroked his hair soothingly with her free hand. "It was you, wasn't it? The tale the old woman in the village told us…you were the Hime's child." You were the one I dreamed of. She left that unsaid though, as she felt him nod against her shoulder.

"I hated this place. I hated everyone in it, except Ofukuro. And then…I was there, Kagome. I was in the room, watching and holding her hand as she took her last breath. I…I can't…Stay with me, Kagome? Please? Don't leave me alone in here. Might be able to…not alone though…can't…alone…" He broke off into soft whimpers.  Oh, he sounded so small and lost. Like a little boy who was calling out for his mother, only to find her missing.

Oh, InuYasha…why didn't you tell me? She held him closer, still stroking his hair. "Of course, I'll stay. We're all staying. You, me, Shippou, Miroku, Sango, and Kirara. We're all staying here together. No one will leave you alone." She felt him nod slightly again, and then, so softly she thought she had imagined it at first. "…don't go…" She nearly cried, what had this boy been through in this place? "I'm right here, InuYasha. I'll always be here. I'm not going anywhere." She wasn't sure how long they stayed like that, and if the others noticed InuYasha's breakdown, they never said anything. Something for which they were both grateful.

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Sometime during the night, Kagome awoke feeling a bit crowded. Shippou was curled up near her head, so what was that warmth against her back? She turned and saw InuYasha curled up next to her, his arm loosely around her. She nearly 'osuwari'ed him out of embarrassment and rage, but then a name slipped past the sleeping boy's lips. "Ofukuro…"

He thinks I'm his mother…that he's a little pup again curled up to sleep with his mom. With a sigh, she rearranged the bedding and closed her eyes again.

"Inu-chan…"

Her eyes shot open. What had that been?

"Inu-chan…"

Lifting her head as much as she dared without waking the two sleeping boys around her, Kagome looked around the room. The room was dark, Sango slept on to her left with Kirara curled up by the huntress's head. The painted screen separated Miroku from the girls, but he wouldn't do something like this as a cruel joke.

"InuYasha…"

Next to her, InuYasha sighed and cuddled closer. "Ofukuro…" Kagome frowned. Surely not…

"Inu-chan, come to Okaasan…"

Kagome saw a misty light out of the corner of her eye, beyond the screen. InuYasha began moving slowly, as if getting up like a sleepy child.

"Come to Okaasan, Inu-chan…"

"Ofukuro…?" InuYasha raised his head. Kagome grabbed his hand. "InuYasha, wake up!" she hissed. He didn't comply. "InuYasha!"

"Come to Okaasan…"

Kagome took a deep breath and hoped he won't get mad at her later. "Osuwari!" she whispered. His head thudded softly against the wooden floor, not enough to hurt since he had already been mostly on the ground, but there had been enough force to wake him. She turned to were the light had been. It flickered out the moment he woke. "Kagome…?" He looked at her in sleepy confusion for a moment, then down at the cuddling position they were in and his hand, which she still had a firm grasp on. A blush crawled over his face, visible even in the weak moonlight. Kagome turned bright red and released his hand like a hot coal. He scooted quickly away from her, attempting not to wake the others. Too late.

"InuYasha, if you're going to take advantage of Kagome-sama this late at night could please take it to another room? Some of us would like to sleep…and not be reminded that they will not be receiving the same luxury." Miroku said with a yawn. "It wasn't like that!" the two accused denied in stereo.

"InuYasha, you're as bad as Miroku…" Shippou sat up blearily and looked at the crimson faced hanyou. Sango yawned. "Kagome-chan, are you alright?" Kagome fidgeted still red faced. "Yes…but…we've got problems."

"Oh?" Miroku peered around the screen. The miko nodded, keeping her eyes firmly on her sleeping bag. "Just now, in here…I saw a ghost." Sango and Miroku blinked in surprise. "So this place is truly haunted? That's interesting. That's very interesting." Miroku settled into traditional 'I-am-intrigued-and-wish-to-contemplate-this' pose. "Any clues as to whom our resident spirit is?" he asked. Kagome was silent for a bit; she looked at the boy next to her, who blinked giving her the 'what'd I do' look. Finally taking a deep breath, she spoke. "Yes. I think…InuYasha…that it was your mother."

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Muwahahahahahahahaha!!!! The truth is revealed!!! Kudos to you who already guessed where this was heading. ^_^ 

And yes, how many can now picture Miroku as Captain Jack Sparrow thanks to the 'that's very interest' there in the last paragraph? ……*crickets* Eh…maybe it was just me.

Okay, maybe this chapter seemed a little on the mushy/fluff side, but I kinda felt it need to go there. I mean, InuYasha's been putting up this huge front since they started towards this castle, so somethings gotta give ya know?

*giant neon sign reading 'Hopeless Romantic' with arrow pointing downward appears overhead* Okay, so maybe that had something to do with it too. *whistles innocently*

There are parts of this chapter I'm not happy with, so I may go back and redo them later on. We'll see.

Err…I'm not sure when I'll get the next part of this out. I've kinda got planned out what's going on, but sitting down to type it will be an entirely different story. Who knows, maybe I'll get it out tomorrow. Although, that's about as likely as Sango getting through a chapter without getting groped by Miroku. (Which, yes, I do do that on purpose…I like to kind of think of it as a running comic relief during an otherwise too serious story. Therefore, Miroku must grope/hit on Sango at least once a chapter. Gomen, Sango-chan. ^^;;)