Disclaimer: I don't down Inuyasha and characters in this story.

Chapter 9 – Answer

For a second the girl was silent, as though considering what he had said. It was the truth, she would never comprehend his purpose, even if he had explained it to her, she would never conceive how he had felt, merely waiting, and waiting.. watching the distant horizon for that figure to appear. Nor would she ever understand his disappointment of the fruitless search as the stars appear one by one in the cold night sky, distant as his goal

But he had promised…

That summer afternoon when the sun showered the both of them in its glory, when he held her in his arms and looked into her dark brown eyes that were glittering with tears, when he murmured beside her ear those words that became his only purpose..

I will come back..

I will come back for you..

I promise..

He sighed inwardly, though not allowing it to reach his lips, eyes reverted to the form of the girl and he was surprised that she was looking straight at him, seemingly forgetting that his claws were still against her neck. For a moment he considered simply killing her, in fact, had her appearance not resembled that of Midoriko's he would have killed her already. If she was not Midoriko as she herself had said so, there was no real reason to let her live and it was proper to silence her, he was, after all, her enemy in this lifetime.

"It does appear that I have made a mistake in believing that you were Midoriko.." He told her. It seemed necessary to tell her this, he didn't really want her to die not knowing why. "I do not make this sort of mistake often and I do not think that I will make the same mistake again.

She looked at him with questioning eyes, he didn't blame her, it was too bad that she had resembled Midoriko, too bad that she was born an enemy of youkais.

"We cannot both exist knowing the identity of each other.." he had intended to continue, but she had turned away again so that their eyes no longer met. Her head lowered a little as though in acknowledgment, as though she understood the purpose of his little speech. Perhaps she had accepted the fate also? He pressed his nail harder onto her skin but not yet breaking the skin, if he made it fast, she wouldn't have to endure the pain. It was too bad for the girl, he had told himself, too bad she was only a mistake..

He could feel her artery that pumped with each beat of her heart beneath his claws and aimed, moving the sharp points directly above the target. If he made it fast - and he would, he promised, she would not feel the agony of death as he once had... He inhaled slightly and pushed down, preparing for the spray of blood and the slumping of her body that would surely follow…

Yet the seemingly hollow silence held, only brought alive by his own breathing and the drumming of blood in his ears. He waited, one second, two seconds and looked down. His hand hasn't moved from her neck, nor had it cut her as he had aimed to do so, it was as though an invisible force was barring him, stopping him. He tried again, forcing his claws into her vulnerable neck, yet his hand refused to move.

Slowly, the realisation dawned, together with a sense of surprise and bewilderment. He was being stopped, by the hanyou in him.

The feeling of acceptance, as though accepting the destiny that had been determined hundreds of years ago seeped into her, draining the strength to lash out at the youkai from her. She was welcoming fate as she had so long ago. Waiting with the same placidity with her bow dangling loosely by one hand, eyes fixed on the single figure slowly approaching. No longer was she willing to fight back, no longer was she willing to wait, even when she knew it was only his shell that drew near, a shell that had been taken over by the thousands of youkai that sought revenge.. yet what matter did it make? He had come back.. for her..

A single tear slid down the side of her cheek and she felt his claws press harder, right next to artery on her neck. It felt numb against her skin.. the pain inside was greater.. the helpless longing and emptiness bubbling towards the surface.. a emotion that she knew had not belonged to her. Midoriko? She asked herself, the hidden part of her only visible in her dream, when the conscious part of her gave away to the subconscious.. was I really Midoriko? The girl whom Inuyasha.. no.. the soul inside Inuyasha had sought?

She listened to the question echo inside her mind, asking what seemed to be the second soul inside her shell. The figure that had she had been again and again in her dream slowly surfaced in her mind's eye.. The slender figure in a sky blue kimono..

She gazed at the ghostly shape, so it had been.. true..Kagome sighed.. the hanyou had not been wrong when he called her Midoriko, his soul mate. Even when her pale features showed nothing, Kagome could sense the continual longing radiating from the miko, the yearning for the soul within the youkai who was readying to slay her. Yet why hadn't the Midoriko within her responded to his call? Why was the soul of a human able to overtake the shell of the hanyou whilst the miko laid dormant?

- yet what matter did it make? He had come back.. for her.. -

Acceptance.. The emotion struck her, had Midoriko been satisfied that day? Had she been satisfied by the mere appearance of the man? Even when she knew..

Yet if that had been the case..

Then why were you crying? Why are you still longing? What were you waiting for?

There was no reply from the figure that Kagome questioned, the sound of her own voice echo in the silence of the answer.

He really hadn't came back that day…did he?

The blue aura shuddered as though she had flinched away from those words.. the belief that had held her down. Kagome watched her, knowing that she had finally gotten through to the miko, yet she was not done.

Then why were you satisfied? She questioned again.

Why do you accept it knowing the truth?

Tears welled up in her eyes, Midorikos tears? Or were they her own? Was she crying with the longing soul in her? Feelings that had been locked up, pushed away in denial, forced down by acceptance.. the feeling she constantly experienced in the realm of dreams. Midoriko's emotions.. A small part of her sighed.. they where not her emotions in the first place, on the night she first met the silver haired hanyou, the moment he saved her from the youkai.. those building emotions she had denied and rejected again and again towards the hanyou.. were not really hers..

Were they?

Kagome forced her thoughts away from it, it wasn't really a good time to consider it at this moment. She had another job to complete, she knew, not as a taijia, not as a youkai hunter but herself.. the person who she was. Slowly, she pushed her attention towards the ghostly figure of the miko with a single thought

He is here.. he has come back for you now..

Don't regret again..

End of chapter 9- Answer

AN: Been a while hasn't it … --;;; I know.. I haven't forgotten the story, just didn't have time to finish the chapter ect ect.. exams, assignments .. games ..

Anyways.. I mentioned tragedy last time and got 4-5 reviews saying no.. I suppose it's not fair to change the genre right at the end of a fic, so the genre will stay as it is.. don't worry.

RoseGodess9: wow, that's a lot of criticism in one go. Ok, might take a while to justify all the mistakes you pointed out, some of them I won't be able to and will change.. (eventually, when I have the time to find the mistakes, change and upload. Not any time soon)Japanese vocabulary (I just assumed most people will know since they use it quite a bit in the anime - the Jap version, but I suppose I should have put in the meaning)

Jyaki- youkai powers, aura

Taijya – youkai hunter

Inuyasha passing out: when someone makes a hole in you stomach, it hurts, you loose a lot of blood ect ect and you faint due to the loss of blood and pain.

Grammar mistakes: point some of it out, I proof read some of the chapter and grammar mistakes should have been picked up sometimes, be more specific about what the mistakes are, the way you have put it, it seems that the entire story is made up of grammar mistakes.

Beginning of chapter 8 – well, yah.. I know, sounds weird..

kokoro : --;;;

Lets-Play-With-Matches: TT.. um.. I'll.. try to make it less confusing? So sorry! I've kinda noticed the problem since I haven't updated in a while.. when I went back to read the entire story.. I got really confused to where it's going too.. but! It's all good now.. I hope

sashlea : Midoriko's erm.. original lover straight from the anime.

Shin: In the original anime, Midoriko's lover did kill her, but he was possessed by youkais when he did it. Midoriko knew he was possessed and fought the youkai inside of him for .. think it's 7 days before they were both killed. Hmm.. could be wrong, you might have to look it up if you haven't seem the anime version of it.

THANK YOU to EVERYONE who reviewed, and I know there was a lot of you who did, Thank you for the support.

RicePaper