~*~Chapter Four: Death?~*~

~Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha except for one volume of the manga.~

InuYasha crouched down to let Kagome crawl onto his back. "I just hope we don't see Kouga during the way. . ." Kagome muttered. "DON'T EVEN MENTION HIS NAME, KAGOME! That yaro. . .trying to "save" you. . .abandoning you. . .I can't forgive him. . .for doing that." InuYasha yelled. "InuYasha," I asked, "why are you so. . .annoyed by Kouga?" I asked. InuYasha flashed a glare in my direction and simply said, "He called me a FILTHY HANYOU! That. . .that. . .f***in' yaro wolf demon!" "I had no idea that you had that great deal of hate towards him. . ." "SANGO! ARE YOU BLIND?! WE'VE BEEN ENEMIES SINCE HE KIDNAPPED KAGOME!!" "Well, InuYasha. Are you forgetting? I wasn't part of the group when he did." I mumbled. "Feh."

"Well, InuYasha. Where to now?" Kagome yawned. InuYasha looked back at her. "How should I know? Miroku has the map, wherever we're goin'. . ." Miroku looked up at the sound of his name and lazily shrugged his shoulders. I walked inches in front of him, bearing Hiraikotsu at my back. Swiftly, a feel a recognizable hand caress my rear. I slap the face to which the hand belonged to. "HENTAI, MIROKU!" I yelled at the startled monk, who was shrinking in size to my great deal of fury. I picked him up and threw him into a pool of water to the side of the path we were traveling along. SPLASH! Miroku came spluttering to the surface, wiping his sopping hair from his face, pulling a minnow from his mouth, spitting the bad taste out.

I think he was quite surprised, to my unusual reaction.

"My, my, Sango. . ." Miroku started, "you have a temper. Heh. . .did I disturb your lovely rear that much, may I ask?" "Hmmph. Whaddya think? I'm in no mood today. That set-up with Takeda pissed me off. . .it was my LAST nerve! Hunh?" As I looked up from the path, I heard a rustle in the bushes as a short, shadowy figure ran off into the depths of the woods. Kagome looked at me. "Whoever that is, they have a shard in them! C'mon, InuYasha!" InuYasha nodded and picked Kagome back up again, in hot pursuit of the shadowy figure. I ran and ran, Hiraikotsu barely making any weight on me. I ran ahead of InuYasha, curious of the person running, running from us. "WHO ARE YOU?" I shouted, the figure turning his head to me. I stopped dead in my tracks.

". . . . . . . . . . .Kohaku. . . . . . . . . ."

I ran forward again, gaining on my little brother, whom I thought had died. . . "Kohaku! Kohaku, PLEASE! Don't leave me again!" Kohaku paid little heed to my cries of despair. . .tears welled up in my eyes, and blinded me of my sight. I tripped over a tree root and fell on the ground, the grass and dirt, coming up on my face, choking me. I lay there for a few seconds, ten, maybe fifteen, before realizing I was being lifted up by someone. I couldn't see, still blind, from all the tears, but, I knew I was being taken somewhere. . .but where?. . . . .Where?. . . .

I finally realized that whoever carried me stopped. I rubbed my eyes, the tears rolling down my cheeks, my sight regained. I looked up at my carrier.

". . . . . . .KOHAKU!. . . . . . ." I exclaimed, raising my arms to embrace him. How I longed to hug him again. As I wrapped my arms around him half- way, something stabbed my right arm. I winced, looking at my now injured arm. In seconds, blood poured from my arm, making a large puddle in the sea of grass, staining it. I saw that Kohaku's weapon was embedded in my arm. I cried, angry and furious, yet confused, that my own sibling, my own BROTHER, and flesh and blood, was trying to injure me! HOW?! HOW COULD THIS BE?!?!

". . .Thank you. . .Kohaku. . .for bringing her to me. . ." came a cruel, harsh, cold voice. "N – Naraku! How?? What do you want from me?!" I yelled, raising Hiraikotsu to bring it down on Naraku. But I missed. He moved his head as I sliced for it. "Simply. . .your life. . .is all." He chuckled. "Grrr. . .damn you!" I pushed Kohaku's arm away from me as he tried to hold me back, trying to kill the one taking control of my brother's mind. I stopped, turning back at Kohaku. He threw his weapon, straight into my back, as he had before. . .when Naraku instructed him to. . .when my father and his comrades. . .were slaughtered.

I dropped to my knees, burying my face into my hands, tears welling up and forcing themselves to be freed once more from my eyes. "Naraku! Let my brother. . .free. . .stop controlling him! He doesn't deserve this!" I drew my sword from its sheath, and stabbed Naraku, straight in the chest, where his heart, if he actually HAS one, should be. Blood trickled down his baboon coat, staining it. Naraku chuckled once more, but his chuckles were stifled as I chopped off his head. Yet another golem. . .for a kugutsu. . .damn Naraku. Damn him. I crushed the golem before I lost conciousness.

Everything. . .was. . . . .dark. . .I was all alone again. . .once more. . .without my Kohaku. . .or. . . . .my dear Miroku. . . . . .I was suddenly walking down a tunnel, lit with torches. They were dimly lit. As I came nearer and nearer to the end, I hardly knew what to expect. Shrill cackles suddenly filled the air, ringing horrifyingly in my ears. I ran to see what was at the end. Naraku! Kouga was standing right next to him, too, laughing. A string was attached to his neck, like Kohaku. Their eyes were filled with hatred and cruelty. They laughed, like a murderer laughed when killing his victim. I saw a corpse lying at their feet. It was vague to me at first. I came to my knees and crawled over to it, surprised that Kouga and Naraku did not see me. I rested by the corpse, and suddenly knew who it was. . .that black hair. . .that outfit. . .that face. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Miroku. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" I screamed and cried in fury and sadness.

I suddenly awoke, coming to my senses. I panted, my eyes growing wide with fear and concern. I came to my feet, arising quickly, gathering Hiraikotsu, and running back to Miroku and the others. It was about 10 minutes when I found them. They were calling my name. "I'm here!" I shouted, waving my arms. Miroku was the first to hear me. He smiled as I rushed to embrace him. When that was over, I told my shocking experience. . .and. . .what might just happen in the future. Miroku's face grimaced.

Suddenly, he arose. Miroku walked off into the distance, back to where I had just arrived from. "Oh no!" I shrieked. I ran after him, Kagome and InuYasha still dumbfounded, sitting where I left them. A tunnel came into view. "Oh. . .my. . .God. . ." As Miroku started to walk into the darkness, enveloping him, I knocked him down to the ground as something came flying towards us. A blade. I looked up and saw Kouga, with a string attaching itself to his neck. He raised a sword above Miroku's throat, and as he raised it and was about to slice Miroku with it, I jumped in the way, the sword splitting into my side. My eyes suddenly became lifeless. Everything was still and quiet. Was I dead?. . .

A blinding white light came into view. As I looked around, all I could see was. . .light. Was I dead? As I stepped my foot down as I started to venture around, the ground was cushiony, like clouds. I think I DID die. . .A voice suddenly filled my ears. It was. . .calming, reassuring, and quiet. I loved the voice. So velvety. . ."You are not ready to die yet. Go. Go back to Earth. And complete your journey. . .of life. . ." Sub- consciously, I nodded. The light thinned down a little bit, then disappeared.

I awoke in someone's lap. They shifted in their position, I could feel. They were crying. . .whoever it was, I didn't like hearing them cry. It made me feel sad. . .and. . .guilty. . .like. . .I did something to make them cry. But who was it?

My eyes wondered across the surroundings. I was back in the forest again. My mind suddenly remembered those reassuring words. "Go back to Earth. . .And complete your journey. . .of life. . ."

The person was still crying. Mourning. I felt so awful for them. I just wanted to hug them, but my arms felt paralyzed. So did my legs and the rest of my body. My eyes wondered to the wounds in my arm and side. They were pretty large. . .but the blood stopped coming from it.

"WHY?! WHY DID SHE HAVE TO DIE?! WHY COULDN'T IT HAVE BEEN ME?!" came another voice.

I looked up.

"M – Miroku?"

My eyes met his. They softened as they smiled, tears filling them once more. "S – Sango? Is – Is it really. . .you? Oh my God, it IS YOU!" "MIROKU!" I exclaimed, hugging the worried monk. "Oh my God, you're – you're alive! But – But I thought you. . .died. . .?" I looked up at him. "I'm not supposed to die. . .yet. Not yet. There's more to come. . ." I came closer to him to kiss his cheek. He blushed. I think he took my hint: 'There's more to come. . .' "Whaddya mean?" he asked. "You'll see. . .when we're older. . ." I simply responded, happy to be back. "SANGO!" came two other voices. "YOU'RE ALIVE!! THANK GOD!!" Kagome wiped tears from her eyes, and InuYasha smiled to see me. They embraced me, with deep, deep gratitude.

'Thank you. . .' I thought, looking up at my friends and the heavens. 'Thank you. . .' From the corner of my eye, I saw Kohaku, sitting on a fallen tree, and he was slightly smiling. . .he didn't look possessed like he usually did. His eyes were filled with life, instead of that misty brown color. He slowly rose, and ran into the tunnel, disappearing into the darkness, before turning back to smile at me once more, before his eyes turned back into the misty brown of possession, running back into the tunnel.

'Kohaku. . .I will save you. . .one day. . .from Naraku. . .I will. . .I promise. . .' I thought, making that promise in my heart. "I will. . ."

"You will what?" Kagome asked me. "Hunh? Oh, nothing. . .just. . .talking to myself." I lied. She seemed to believe my fib, shrugged, and turned back to InuYasha, cuddling into his lap. InuYasha, unexpecting that, shoved her off, before meeting the ground when Kagome shouted 'OSUWARI!'

CRASH!

I winced. "Ooh, that's GOTTA hurt. . ."

". . .Kagome. . .!"

Kagome looked around and saw Kouga. Oh, dang it. His eyes were lifeless just like Kohaku's. As Kagome started to stand up, I pulled her down and reminded her of what I had seen that could've happened in the future, when I prevented it. "Oh, right. . ." She mumbled, embarrassed. InuYasha stood up and unsheathed Tetsusaiga, holding it centimeters from Kouga's ear. "Don't you DARE hurt Kagome!" InuYasha growled. Kouga looked at him. "You insolent puppy. . .the dog-breath is trying to keep MY woman away from ME!" "GET AWAY FROM HER!!" InuYasha struck the ground in front of Kouga as he tried to reach out and grab Kagome to carry her away. InuYasha stood there, trying to find the Scar of the Wind. "I smell it!" he mumbled. 'Where the winds collide. . .there's an opening in between it. . .this is it! Here it is!' he thought. "Grrr. . .SCAR OF THE WIND!!" InuYasha sliced at the air right in front of Kouga. Kouga was struck badly by the attack. Admitting defeat, he ran off, before grabbing Kagome's waist, trying to carry her off, but to no prevail. InuYasha snatched Kagome and set her down in front of me, and showed off his sword once more to Kouga, who, ran off into the tunnel, not wanting to lose an arm from InuYasha's 'Scar of the Wind.'

". . .We'll meet again soon, InuYasha. . .I promise. . ."
~*~*~*~*~

~FIFTH CHAPPY. . .FINISHED! Ooh, who's the mysterious voice belong to? I wonder who. . .Okay, as you all know, I am now, +InuYashaBishi334+! YAY! Okay, just another reminder, if you're looking for my stories, and LuckyCloud9 does NOT show up, go to ( InuYashaBishi334. 'Kay? 'Kay. Thank you! KAWAII! ^^ I REALLY hope you liked this chapter. It's a lil' emotional, with "me" (Sango) and Miroku and Kohaku. At least, I feel that it is. Anyways, hope you liked! Oh, yea. See that lil' ol' button down there? Yea? Well, say hello to your newest friend, Mr. Button. He likes being clicked on. It makes him happy. Yes it does! Ooh, Mr. Button likes that, don't you, Mr. Button? Yea, you love it, don't you? Yea. . .uh, er, did, uh, you just hear me saying that? Oh, shoot. . .that was supposed to stay in a thought bubble. . .Shoot! ^^' I'm totally humiliated!! AUGH! LOL JK Please review! Luv yas!~

+InuYashaBishi334+ A.K.A. Slinky ((dat's what muh friends call me! ^-^)