Disclaimer: Rumiko Takahashi's Inuyasha, not mine.

Notes: Hiya! (again ^^) Greetings. Wow, I just watched this special on Japan on the Travel channel and OMG seriously, I'm jealous. Kind of. I like my space. It's so crowded over there, but still all the stuff they have, hm. BIG, BIG THANX!!! For everyone that reviewed Forevermore! Luvs, hugs 'n cream puffs.

P.S.: This story might become a little darker than any of my other ones just so you know ~ life really isn't all luvs, hugs 'n cream puffs, lol. (I chose the name Kyô because of it being in Alice 19th, and also because it means "to fulfill." I thought it quite appropriate.)

~In Too Deep~

By Ai-no-Tora (Mia)

Chapter 2: Kyô

Kyô was dropped - or literally thrown off a "soul" train, watching as many others zipped hurriedly by like bullets and disappearing into an invisible divide. He then unexpectedly found himself between heaven and hell, set in a place called Inuyasha. He mused, as though the hanyou was such a reputable destination instead of a person; though it was a place where - instead of souls - emotions crowded like the busy streets of modern Japan.

The trains were gone leaving nothing behind but a small window, in which a familiar world could be found, instantly drawing in Kyô's attention.

+ + +

Kagome sighed, brushing her fingers through her long raven tresses as she stood next to Sango outside of an elderly caretaker's house where she found her. Sango had been they're picking up a scroll for Kaede and it was all the way on the other side of the small village but it had taken a while for Kagome to find her nonetheless. Men, women and children alike kept stopping her, receiving stares as always mostly because of her unusual garments of choice. She was also getting annoyed at some of the elders who kept bowing because she was forever stamped as 'Kikyou-no-miko reincarnated.'

Sango hefted her boomerang onto her back; she seemed never to part with it these days just like Kirara who scuttled below her feet and up onto her shoulder. The taijiya stroked the neko youkai before nodding at what Kagome was saying. "So he seemed not himself; what else can you expect from him? He's fully demon in one day, then all human the next, then a hanyou...what is the abnormality in a different personality altogether?" Kagome's face drooped at Sango's words before seeing that she was only joking, chuckling all the while. "I am not serious, Kagome-chan. Forgive me, it's just...well, maybe you should just ignore it for now; maybe he just was not feeling well."

"All right," Kagome gave in. "Anyhow, it's about sundown. They'll expect us back real soon - how does sushi sound?" Sango's eyes lit up; the food of Kagome's world was something to die for. Both then began to trek back to Kaede's home high on the side of a hill, the evening warm and the sky a soft welcoming orange.

+ + +

Kagome handed Inuyasha his cup of Ramen, the day's events already washed away from her mind with the help of the smell of food, her stomach growling and Inuyasha glanced at her, issuing a darker shade of pink to taint her features. "Eheh, gomen...I just haven't been eating lately."

Inuyasha shrugged it off, already shoveling a mouthful of steaming noodles into his mouth. "Whrf wooge yrrh dsh -" He swallowed first with an audible glimp after receiving a certain look from Kagome next to him. "Why would you do that? Your legs can't get any punier than they already are." He began to backtrack as soon as he saw that look on her face, the one that meant not to push it or else she'll say it. "I-I mean, you should eat more, is all I'm saying."

Kagome ignored him. "Hmph." He watched as she stood with her own cup of Ramen and a small container of sushi, and conveniently settling down next to Sango, who took notice of the situation and ignored it, a small smile on her face that she fought to control.

"Kagome-chan, I think we both need to relax in the river tonight," she said simply, her voice low to avoid having Miroku hearing it from the other side of the room where he sat, 'meditating.' Kagome turned bright eager eyes on her, thankful that at least somebody had a great idea.

Shippô started attacking the rest of the food in front of Inuyasha, not daring to touch his Ramen although he was shoved away from the pickles and rice once the hanyou spied that the kitsune already had his fill. "Don't eat so much, piglet! There are other people here too you know." He meant the monk.

His innocent teal eyes narrowed. "Hmph!" So he reserved what was enough for a small meal for Miroku who was patiently waiting for everyone else to get in on the dinner before he grabbed a dish of fish and promptly started to devour that, giving a smaller portion to Kirara next to him.

Once Inuyasha swallowed the rest of his noodles, he set the cup down gently - but the chopsticks clattered to the floor as though he forgot he was holding them. As far as he knew no one had noticed, not even Shippô who was nearest him. Kagome and Sango were busily talking amongst themselves that they didn't notice Inuyasha waving a not so discreet hand in front of Shippô's face, trying to get his attention. "Hey, hey you."

The infant kitsune bared a fang at him, a fish tail hanging out of his mouth. "Cut it out already, I heard you! There's still some left over for Miroku, y'know." He continued eating.

Inuyasha, or what seemed like Inuyasha frowned before carefully asking, "Hey - what kind of youkai are you anyway?" Shippô stopped, almost sputtering on his food before looking flabbergasted, glaring at the hanyou.

"Wha?? There you go again, asking stupid questions! I swear --"

Something seemed to change again inside the half-youkai, once again wearing the usual scowl. "Yeah? You swear what? And I wasn't asking stupid questions, you bumbling fool!" Shippô glanced at Inuyasha's fist which was balled up, knuckles white and watched it alertly so that he might have a chance to dodge it in time. He closely studied him, still chewing on the fish before swallowing.

"B-But you were just --"

::bonk::

Too late. "But nothing! If you want to make an argument out of it then wait until after dinner!" Ignoring anything else that might have been said, he set another kettle of water to boil, ready for another cup of Ramen.

Little did he know that everybody else was wordlessly watching the whole exchange.

+ + +

Kyô watched through the little window that was Inuyasha's eyes and started to chuckle. So I'm some kind of haunting ghost now, huh. "Well, this is a whole lot better than death," he declared out loud, settling back into his little black room of Inuyasha's mind. At least he wasn't hurting anymore, in fact he felt better than he ever had in his whole life. He wasn't feeling the human needs to eat, sleep or even the urge to go to the bathroom for which he was thankful for. He didn't suppose this Inuyasha's mind was that accommodating.

Although if there was one thing he could change, it would be when he could be in control of Inuyasha's body. It seemed like he was thrown in there at inopportune moments. He guessed he would just have to get used to it at some point; wearing the body of a half inu-youkai was something that didn't happen to Kyô everyday after all, maybe he could even help him deal with some problems like his difficulty showing emotion.

He kept noticing where Inuyasha's eyes were focusing as the night grew; it was on that raven-haired girl that he'd seen earlier, the really pretty one - unusually pretty, like she descended from heaven. As he studied her through Inuyasha's eyes, he knew immediately that she was not of this world.

Kyô took a moment to think, closing his eyes and reclining on a bed of nothingness which was more comfortable than anything he had ever felt. What exactly had happened? Well, he had died, that much was certain. He hadn't meant to but he did and now he was stuck in this place - not that he was complaining but he was still confused as hell.

The last thing he remembered was hitting the village man over the head with the cast-iron mallet...then a terrible weight landing on him, taking his breath away...a terrible pain...then nothing. Before he could do anything else, pictures began to be displayed in his mind like moving pictures: first was of the obese man landing on top of him after he'd hit him over the head; another was of a shelf above them with a great big vase that looked like it weighed a ton; the last picture was something he grimaced at. The shelf shook violently, therefore causing the huge vase full of God knows what to land directly on top of Kyô's head, splitting his head open and there was to be more bloodshed afterward.

He gasped, eyes snapping open. He ran a hand through his waist-long black hair, worry troubling his green eyes. So that's how I kicked it, huh. He took a deep breath before tying back his hair with a small ribbon around his wrist; everything he wore right down to the moment of his death was still covering his skin. Wow, I've got to say, it was a great way to end the boring story of my life, he mused sarcastically to himself. Although he just didn't know whether or not he was better off; the village man's daughter had found him after he was almost beaten to death from stealing a measly piece of what looked like bread. He barely remembered what her name was, but she took care of him and restored him as much as she could.

She was a very lonely girl, abused by her father who had went off - he was a traveling merchant from what he had gathered, there were several items that didn't belong in their cozy little home. He had woken one day and tried to call out but his throat was so dry from thirst. He limped as far as he could throughout the house and finding the girl washing herself in the back outside with a buckets of water. He had taken in the sight of her pale skin as he sunk weakly to the floor, her flesh peppered with bruises here and there and every time she had dumped water on herself, her face would twist in pain.

She finally noticed him but didn't make a move to cover herself. "Good morning," she greeted, her voice quiet and small. He tried to reply but instead he mouthed to her. Water, he said. Water. She stared at his lips with blinking eyes, then moved quickly to bring it to him, dishing it out of a bucket, laying him down on his back and tilting some of the cool liquid into his chapped lips from the palm of her hand.

He drank with such hunger and eagerness, she had to repeat six or seven times before he could weakly voice his thanks. There was a silent air about them as she laid his head on her lap; she was still half-naked, her stained cream-white robe draping loosely about her waist but she wasn't doing anything out of modesty as she saw his face take on a reddish stain across his cheeks. There was still the matter of her battle wounds that scarred and marked her; she seemed to know what he was thinking, her slender fingers tracing a certain scar across her collarbone and down between the cleft of her breasts. Without words she told him; it wasn't and couldn't be anyone else but the doing of her own father, her own flesh and blood.

"I don't mind you seeing me this way," she had softly said, gazing down into his eyes. Such painful sadness was engraved into her very soul as it was physically. "All I know is...I'm not afraid of death anymore. I'm not afraid, because I know there was at least one life I had taken upon myself to revive...and that is all I've desired to accomplish with my tarnished life...to be able to show the Gods that even I can be of some use." He found it unusual that despite how sorrowful she was, she shed no tears. Perhaps she'd shed all that she could.

If only her father had not walked in at that very moment, he would have taken her away, far away - wanting to make use of his own existence as well. He wondered now what ever became of the kind, scarred maiden that took care of him and wished her well with all of his might...as well as hoping he had killed the sick bastard that was her father.

+ + +

Notes: I just watched Inuyasha episode...something or another, it's when Inuyasha goes into Kagome's world and helps her with these youkai that spring to life with the touch of warm water/fire. It was hilarious! She was in the middle of a play and Hojo-kun was about to run toward her to embrace her, and then all of a sudden Inuyasha bursts through the stage and says something like, "Bastard, what do you think you're doing?" lol! It's in Japanese so yeah...no subtitles! ^^ If anyone knows what I'm talking about - let me know? Please? Thanx!