Seconds that felt like hours passed in a tense, crackling silence in which two pairs of eyes were intently trained on the red haori sleeve

…that had suddenly gone slack.

Age of the White Dawn

Chapter 19: Mirror, Mirror


Sango blanched and her eyes widened in disbelief while Miroku bowed his head and whispered a silent prayer for his newfound companions. He was slowly allowing the sleeve to slip through his fingers, when it just as suddenly became taut. Biting back a cry of joy, Sango and Miroku watched in anticipation as one clawed and sandy hand broke through the surface of the quicksand. Another hand slowly followed, almost as if it were some creature from the deep testing out its new environment and, finding it to its liking, eagerly bursting onwards. In this same fashion did Inu Yasha, with Kagome held tightly to his chest, emerge from the quicksand, both greedily and quite audibly gulping in vast quantities of air.  

With new vigor, Sango began hauling the pair to solid ground, aided halfway by a semi-sandy Miroku. When the sand-encrusted pair reached the relieved pair on solid ground, they promptly collapsed into a boneless heap on their backs, causing Sango to follow suit only in concern rather than weariness. 

While watching Kagome breathlessly attempt to convince Sango that she was okay, Inu Yasha absently debated whether he should removes his arm from about her waist yet, but then noticed how her head was still resting comfortably against his shoulder and decided he could wait a little longer. After all, there were definitely more pressing matters to attend to. Like how he had almost lost Kagome. Like how she could've died. Like the way his chest had constricted so painfully when he couldn't find her in the quicksand. Like how she could've died. Like how happy—no, how jubilant, he felt when his hands encircled her small, thing wrist. Like how she could've died. Like how he still felt, though he would rather kiss Miroku than admit it, scared at the idea of losing her. Like how she could've died. It all came down to that really. What if he hadn't smell how she had disappeared? What if he hadn't found her in the quicksand? What if she had died?

'But she didn't die,' he mentally snapped, 'You saved her and she's alive right next to you.'

'But what if you weren't there to save her? What would she have done then?'

'…shit.'

He shook away his stupid thoughts. He had saved her right? Right! Then there was nothing to spaz out about. 'Feh. She's just a weak wench any way,' he thought smugly, successfully boosting his ego.

Opening the eyes he wasn't aware he had cockily closed, his breath hitched in his throat at the sight of two stormy gray eyes staring inquisitively up at him. He probably would have lost himself in those eyes that he tried so desperately to avoid, if Miroku's ill-concealed snickering hadn't snapped him out of the light spell he had fallen under. Clearing his throat, he tried to school his face into on of irritation, try being the operative word, and "smoothly" asked,

"W-what?"

Her lips curved into a shy smile, "Thank you."

He looked momentarily surprised—he hadn't been shown gratitude in so long—but then returned the gesture with a quiet smile of his own.

"Inu Yasha, you dog!" Miroku crowed, earning him a bop over the head from Sango.

"Ignore him," Sango smiled, but then damage had already been done and the pair had sprung apart like they'd been lying next to a naked Naraku.

"F-feh," Inu Yasha recovered first, standing up and brushing off his pants, "couldn't have you just dieing on us…wench."

Kagome stared up at him for a moment before she angrily pushed hers elf off the ground. Despite the fact that she was shorter than him, she suddenly appeared to be towering intimidatingly above him, the loose sand sliding off her shirt adding to the effect,

"E-excuse me?! You mean after all that you still don't know my name?!"

For a minute, Inu Yasha appeared daunted, but, smirking, he crossed his arms and tossed his head, "Hmph. How dumb do you think I am? Of course I know your name, wench."

"Well obviously you don't if you keep me wench instead of Kagome."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" He took a step closer to her, glaring daggers.

"What do you think that means?" Not to be intimidated, she took a step closer as well.

"Er, well…fuck you!"

"Screw you, you stupid jerk."

"Bitch!"

"Stubborn, thick-headed mule!"

"Quicksand diving wench!"

"Jerk!"

"Wench!"

"Je—" Kagome froze, eyes crossing as she comprehended just how close she was to Inu Yasha's bare, muscular-but-not-too-beefy chest. She looked away, gray eyes wide as saucers, to hide the flush creeping up her neck.

"J-jerk."

"Is that the best you can think of?" He taunted, puffing out his chest proudly and utterly oblivious to the source of Kagome's discomfort.

She forced herself to shoot an icy glare at him, 'Look at his face, look at his face, look at his face…'

"SI—"

"You guys, you guys, stop!" Sango cut in, to Inu Yasha's relief and Kagome's disappointment. Separating the glowering pair and handing Inu Yasha his gritty haori she requested, "Can you at least stop arguing until we get out of quicksand country? I don't want something like that happening again; I was really worried about you guys."

"You guys?" Inu Yasha echoed, giving Sango a strange look.

"Well, yeah. I was afraid I wasn't going to se eyou two ever again."

"I must confess," Miroku joined in, "even I was concerned when it took you two so long to escape the quicksand."

"That's so sweet you guys," Kagome beamed.

"Feh. There was no real danger," Inu Yasha half-heartedly muttered, something akin to pleasant surprise in his eyes.

"Aw, how sweet," a familiar female voice sarcastically gushed from behing the group. As one they all whipped about to face the owner of the voice, Sango and Inu Yasha drawing their respective swords while Kagome fumbled for an arrow. Miroku tightened his grip on his staff, but at the same time gaped up in awe at the elegantly dressed woman atop the large floating feather, completely disregarding the pale, waif of a girl standing in front of her. One could practically see the drool dribble from his chin when her lips curled into a crooked smile,

"I hope I'm not interrupting something."

"Kagura," Inu Yasha spat, stepping forward. The rusty katana clenched in his hand transformed as the corner of his lip lifted slightly in a growl.

"Cute trick, but I didn't come here to play with you," she sniffed loftily, gently pushing the small girl accompanying her forward. Expressionless, vacant eyes stared straight ahead as she lifted a circular mirror, the size of her head, in front of her and turned lsowly towards Inu Yasha, oozing an eerie childish malevolence.

"Your soul is mine." Like her physical appearance, the girl's voice was monotone and bland, but the inu hanyou was too busy bristling at her threatening words to make such observations. A fang overlapped his lower lip as he growled menacingly at the girl in hopes of intimidating some kind of reaction out of her. He hated to be a softie—and he sure it was all Kagome's fault that he was—but that idea of attacking a little girl just didn't sit well with him.

Kanna's small, chubby hands merely tightened their hold on the mirror, which she pushed away from her body and aimed at Inu Yasha. Reluctantly he darted towards the girl, sword raised upwards; maybe if he was fast enough he could lob her head off in one easy, painless, blow. He was about a foot away from the girl, who, to his surprise, seemed unaffected that he was going to decapitate her, when the most dreadful feeling he ever had the displeasure of experiencing bowled him over like a juggernaut, sending him staggering to his knees. Vaguely he registered the sound of tetsusaiga clattering to the ground, but decided that choking down the urge to weakly curl up in pain was, at the moment, more important than retrieving it.

The nauseating wave of pain soon passed, leaving a weary ache in its wake. Shivering at the uncomfortable twinge at his very bones, Inu Yasha remained hunched over on the ground, hiding his attempts at regaining his composure but still tense in case of an attack. His head jolted upward at the rapid crunch of shoes against dirt, but he lapsed back into his prior position upon discovering it was only a distressed Kagome running towards him.

He did a double take. Wait. Huh?

Why were her eyebrows creased downwards like that? She didn't look angry, she looked almost…concerned, but for who? He shifted his head a little and checked on Sango and Miroku who appeared to be faring well against Kagura, her little sister Kanna just mutely watching them go at it from the side lines; they were fine. But if Sango and Miroku were fine, then who…

'Baka. She's running to you, she's concerned for you.'

'For…me?'

His eyes widened fractionally in surprise. She was worried? For him? Even if she was fully aware that he would only betray her in the long run? Why? A stab of pain raced through his chest, causing his molten eyes to narrow and his teeth to instinctively clench together tight. Something was still wrong with him. The least he could was warn Kagome of his condition right?

"K-Kagome, stop!"

Okay, that command sounded weak even to his doggy ears.

Then again, Kagome was never one to obey a command, strongly delivered or not; for example, the sound of her name had slowed her pace, but she continued steadily towards him despite his command not to, hands reaching soothingly out towards him, gray eyes filmed over with concern. But not pity, he realized. Pity and concern were so often mis-used, more often pity being felt when he only wanted concern. He'd hate it if Kagome simpered over him because she felt obligated to due to his circumstance. He'd much rather have her quietly fussing over him out of genuine worry, much like she was doing now.

Though feeling more than a little disembodied, Inu Yasha was aware of the close proximity of the young schoolgirl as she knelt by his side. She placed a tentative hand on his shoulder, eyes locking with his,

"Inu Yasha, are you okay?"

She had such a soft voice. Usually he found it annoying, especially when she said that cursed s-word, but now it sounded soft, quiet and even shy. It reminded him of pressed flowers.

"Inu Yasha?"

This close he could see the way her hair fell into her eyes, as well as the light, golden spray of freckles across the bridge of her nose. Why did he suddenly find that so endearing? Freckles were a testament of human's worthlessness, proof that they were susceptible to something as weak as sunlight. Yet, they fit her somehow, intensified her sunny nature—

He tore his eyes away from her face just in time to see Kagura swoop down towards Kagome's unsuspecting form. A growl tore itself from his throat as he forced down the pain and lunged towards Kagura, intent on ripping her to pieces, only to be knocked down by a wave of paralysis followed by another sensation similar to the first he was struck with.

It felt like someone was slowly sipping out his insides, and the sick part was that it didn't hurt. There was just an emptiness that should've ached like some festering, gaping wound but since he was so numb, there was nothing but a hole. Just the sensation of something being leaked from him, like syrup from a tree, only painless, like someone was…was sucking away his soul.

Blearily, Inu Yasha noticed that Kanna, who had suddenly appeared in front of him with a mirror, had deemed him finished and had moved on to take away Sango's soul, not even bestowing the courtesy of a warning, as she did him, just gliding up behind the distracted bendela and ripping her soul into her mirror. The girl suddenly turned ashen and tumbled to the ground, a look of surprise on her face. 'I must look the same way. How funny,' Inu yasha thought absently, his eyelids beginning to grow heavy.

"Sango!"

'And there goes the houshi.'

He knelt down beside her, an unsteady hand reaching to touch her cheek. When she failed to slap his hand away and he successfully managed to cup her cheek without coming to bodily harm, he snatched his hand back, a look of utter astonishment and maybe even horror painted on his face. Inu Yasha would've smirked or even laughed if he could actually feel amusement. Instead he just watched through half-lidded eyes as Miroku began muttering something under his breath, facing Kanna but not looking at her. A strong gust of wind began to howl, but Kanna just continued gazing at the houshi with her stagnate stare, even when her mirror consumed his winds and even a little of his soul, she didn't blink. Binking was a waste of time any way.

"Inu Yasha! Inu YASHAAA!" Unhurridely, the said hanyou slide his gaze over to Kagome and her teary gray eyes. Tears. How funny. Why was she crying? It was just a waste of energy, a means of venting an emotion that would do just as wel packed firmly inside or not existing at all. And yet she continued wasting energy, crying and calling his name. She struggled violently against the woman called Kagura whose arms were wrapped about her waist. Kicking and screaming, she called his name angrily now, reaching for him,

"Inu Yasha you stupid jerk! Snap out of it! Help me! INU YASHA!"

Kagura clapped her hand over Kagome's mouth, sniffing disdainfully, "Fool. Can't you tell that your precious lap dog is gone? Forget him, Naraku has some one to introduce to you."

Kagome refused to comply and turned hopeful, yet pleading eyes to him. Though muffled, he could hear her voice whisper, concern and quiet confidence soaked into every syllable,

"Inu Yasha."

She had confidence in him; confidence that he would save her. She trusted that he would help her and not abandon her.

Something stirred deep within him. He wanted to—no, he NEEDED to save her. If he could feel, the emotion would have been fiery hot, but because he was so numb, it was more like a mantra being whispered into his ear. 'Save Kagome, save Kagome, save Kagome…' Like a poisonously sweet drug, it dripped into his system, doing quite the opposite of real drugs and clearing the haze of his thoughts.

'Get up. Get your lazy ass up and help her.'

'But—'

'NOW.'

Clumsily he pushed himself off the ground; his right hand brushing against the hilt of the sword he had dropped earlier. Standing up all the way, he indifferently stared at the magically transformed fang hanging loosely in his hand, looking everything like some long soldier roused from his bed at 3 AM to fight. Truth be told, Inu Yasha wasn't tired in the least, which was due to the fact that he couldn't feel anything, but he didn't know that. He was busy listening to the strange mantra echoing loudly throughout his head,

'Save her, you must save her, save her…'

"I-impossible," Kagura gasped at the half-youkai lumbering towards her, his face expressionless, his eyes glazed but fleck with the slightest of emotions. Finally processing what was happening, she snapped her fingers and her gigantic feather materialized below her. Floating upwards she glared down at her little sister,

"Naraku told you to give him his soul back after I leave Kagome, remember Kanna?"

"I know."

"Then why did you give it back now?"

"I didn't."

"Then how is he walking around? You can't walk around without your sou—ow, son of a bitch!" Kagura cried, releasing Kagome to cradle the hand the schoolgirl had bitten.

Kagome took this opportunity to jump off the hovering feather (landing quite gracefully on her butt) and dash over to Inu Yasha, who was making his way over to her in uncharacteristically jerky movements. Covering the last two feet in one leap, she flung herself at him and threw her arms around his neck,

"Oh my gosh, Inu Yasha, are you okay? What happened? Why didn't you answer when I called you, you jerk? How come you can walk and Sango can't? I was so worried! Are you okay? …oh, oops. Sorry." Noting his lack of responses, she became conscious of the deathly tight hug she had him in and quickly jumped away, blushing.

Still he didn't answer.

"Inu Yasha?"

He appeared to be deep in concentration. Opening and closing his mouth a few times, he finally managed to tonelessly rasp,

"I can't feel."

She pulled back, "What do you mean?"

"I can't feel the ground, my arms. I can't smell you."

"Why not?"

"My soul…" he trailed off and looked at something over her shoulder, before causally sending her sprawling to the ground.

"What was that—" Kagome cut off her angry demand at the sight of Inu Yasha gazing almost curiously at the newly delivered gash running along his arm. He swung his head to the side as Kagura attempted to attack him again, barely missing his neck with her razor-tipped fan. She sent a gust of wind and invisible blades in his direction next, knowing full well that he lacked the agility and control in his state to dodge them.

Kagome winced at the sounds of cutting flesh; the sound of a multitude of paper cuts occurring simultaneously. At this rate, Inu Yasha's body would die before they could win his soul back…if they could win his soul back. She peered over her shoulder a pale-looking Miroku tending weakly to Sango's sheet-white, prone body. There had to be something she could do to help.

Running an agitated hand through her hair, her eyes swept over the area. Bushes, bushes, quicksand, Kanna and her soul-sucking mirror, bow and arrows…A determined smirk, eerily reminiscent of Inu Yasha's, flitted onto her lips.

She was going to get their souls back.

Inu Yasha tried to dodge another barrage of invisible blades, this time escaping with only two more scratches. He was almost getting good at this. Sure, a large amount of red liquid was seeping out of his body and, for some reason, his eyes kept on crossing, but other than those minor details, he felt (or at least he imagined he felt) he was faring pretty well against Kagura. He swung tetsusaiga in a large arc in hopes of slicing at Kagura, but it was a tired swing; he may not have felt it, but his body was seriously fatigued.

Just as Kagura was about to unleash another attack on him that would have imminently lead to his termination, aide came in the strange form of pain slamming into his body. He staggered backwards at the overwhelming sensation barging into his body, becoming acutely aware of each cut delivered to his body, the peppery burning of his muscles and the sudden weight of tetsusaiga. Wait…he could feel! Risking a glance over his shoulder, he caught sight of a pale, but otherwise unharmed Kagome panting on the ground, clutching her bow and facing an almost agitated Kanna who gripped a, now, cracked mirror.

Turning back to Kagura he fell into a battle stance, trying not to cringe at the pain that lanced through his body as he did so,

"You're little mirror trick was 'cute,'" he snorted, the corner of his lip curling into a menacing half-smirk, "but it's my turn now."

"Dammit," Kagura hissed, eyeing the bleeding, wind-swept and pissed hanyou with extreme distaste, "Come Kanna, it looks like we've failed," Kagura swept her sister onto her feather, "Oh and Kagome. Turn back. There's always something to fall on." And in a dramatic gust of wind she took off, becoming nothing more than a smudge in the sky in a matter of seconds.

Inu Yasha watched the patch of sky the two sisters had abruptly disappeared into for a few more seconds before tetsusaiga transformed back into a katana, and, with at tired, barely-audible sigh, he allowed himself to sit down for a small break.

Kagome soon joined him, tiredly crawling over and flopping down at his side.

"Angry mobs, quicksand and soul-suckers…we've had quite a day, huh Inu Yasha?" Her pale dirt-streaked face grinned teasingly up at him, causing the corner of his lips to twitch slightly,

"Feh. It was nothing we couldn't handle."

"Yeah, I guess so."

"…What are Sango and the lech up to, wench?"

"Sango got her soul back, but she's still kind of tired so, the last time I checked, Miroku was helping her out."

"Are you sure she's safe with him?"

"Can you feel this?"

"No"

"This?"

"No."

"This?"

"YES! HENTAI!"

"I was merely—"

SLAP

"I think she can handle him.

A sleepy silence befell the pair then, giving Kagome time to debate the best method of keeping Inu Yasha immobile while she bandaged his wounds. Sitting would just irritate them, wrestling him down was out of the question, hm…questioning couldn't hurt right? Bracing herself for the worse, she widened her eyes, clasped her hands innocently in her lap and opened her mouth to ask, but Inu Yasha beat her to it,

"How'd you do it?"

She cocked her head to the side, "Do what?"

"Break the bitch's mirror?"

"Oh that," She tucked a stray hand of hair behind her ear, "I just shot my arrow at it, but instead of just hitting the mirror, it went through the mirror. I started feeling a little funny afterwards, and I could see some white mist coming out of my chest, but then the mirror exploded and all your soul's came back," she shrugged, the confusion of the event evident on her face, "I think she was trying to take my soul too, but for some reason it overflowed out of the mirror instead of staying in it like your soul did."

Inu Yasha studied her for a moment, an unreadable expression in his gold eyes, before turning away and gruffly muttering,

"Thank you."

She blinked.

"For what?"

"For giving me back my soul," he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and saw her looking slightly flustered. Hmph. Kami, how corny did that line sound? But he really did owe her thanks. She was the reason he roused himself from that state of indifference he was under earlier, the reason he force himself up despite the fact that he couldn't feel; she had even retrieved his soul at the risk of her own. But why?

Their eyes met and she gave him her shy smile, gray eyes laughing,

"Feh. It was nothing we couldn't handle."

A/N: Whooo! Wow. That took my whole Friday to type. I hope that compensates for that short cliffie last chapter, I didn't mean to make it a cliff hanger, sorry! And thank you for the reviews, you guys, keep it coming. And if n e of u are hyper sensitive about freckles, I think they're cute so…yeah. That was just Inu Yasha's opinion of them, not mine!

Well now that's out of the way…wow. I have forty reviews. I feel like squealing. Forty!! Yay! I love you all! I could just hug you all, but I think I'll just go eat now. Hope you enjoy this chapter. Sorry for the sucky-ness and any typos.