A/N: Answers to lots of questions…
1) No, this story won't be 26 chapters.
2) No. Sesshy won't bring her back and the Shikon won't either.
3) Kagome can't come back with her miko powers because they're undiscovered to her.
4) Kikyou doesn't have miko powers…in this part of the story anyway.
5) Kagome didn't have amnesia in the last chapter. I'm making it a phase of part of dying because if people remembered their life on earth, wouldn't they try to resist even heaven itself sometimes? So, it's just a stage to keep them going towards the light.
6) People asked why I don't just tell the characters to love each other. Like I noted in my profile a while ago…I'm trying to stress the care and concern behind the word instead of the overrated version of it. I'm trying to demonstrate how real love is supposed to be like…it's a feeling. Not a word.
7) Congrats to you all who knew the LINE ALLUSION (not the whole scene!) was from Pirates of the Caribbean. ^_^ The line was "Not all treasure is silver and gold."
8) Thank you for all your birthday congrats/cheers. I had the perfect birthday. Perfect.
9) The theme was "trust." I didn't mean "trust in Kit" as a theme. ¬_¬
10) Congrats to a few (only three I think) who have guessed my motive. You all are very smart. *nods*

That was long. Everybody is so confused…

Disclaimer: *points to me* No own. *points to you* No own too. *points to the almighty goddess of all manga goddesses* Rumiko Takahashi own.

Behind the Masquerade

Unveiling the Unwilling

The day the dawn broke after what happened had been one of the most miserable days ever experienced by the Komiya kingdom. The ones dead in town were buried by their loved ones the day before, with women weeping for their husbands, men trying not to break from losing their wives, and children trying to figure out where one or both their parents had disappeared to.

A good quarter of the town had been burnt to ashes and the citizens were much too morose to start rebuilding. Maids and servants that had escaped the castle before the wolves attacked came back to help clean out the carcasses of dead wolves and friends alike. The walls were wiped clean of blood and broken furniture was thrown away. King Komiya and Sesshoumaru had helped in the chaos, while the rest of the people mourned over the loss of someone special.

The gray atmosphere only grew bleaker as clouds thickened once again, signaling the start of another shower of rain, although it had never fell that day. There was only grief and bereavement as people tried to pick up the shattered pieces of their lives, constantly falling without someone's support.

King Komiya had won the battle at the pass between the mountains and forest. It had been a clear victory…almost. When Sango found King Komiya and Sesshoumaru, the king hardly had time to yell at her for participating in the war. Her information was in a more dire need of attention, and he had sent Sesshoumaru back to stop Inuyasha, knowing that in reality, no kingdom could survive a full onslaught when it was exposed. Yet, someone had to stay at the battlefield to ensure victory and Sesshoumaru was fast in his full-demon transformation, thus his son had been sent back.

Maybe it was a blessing the kingdom survived the assault, but perhaps at the price of lives far more precious than victory. It was guaranteed. The wolves would need a long time to recuperate and maybe, they would attack the wolves' kingdom soon…maybe after the time of sorrow had passed.

It had been a head shaded by confident conceit that had made King Komiya blind to the obvious tactic of the rivals' abilities. And he knew, it had cost the life of a young woman who had died a death she did not deserve.

As Sesshoumaru had announced to everyone, they were holding the funeral the next day. Someone had sent a notice to Lady and Lord Higurashi and King Komiya didn't know what would happen between the two families now. Lots of thoughts had passed his mind. Would the marriage be called off? Would the Higurashis demand something back for losing their daughter…?

But he had never thought he would have had to ask, what would their reaction be?

It was the next day now---the day after everything had happened. Everybody was crowded around a raft surrounded by beautiful wreaths and garlands of the most exotic flowers. Blue was the most frequent color among the flora though, and it had been Inuyasha's specific orders, one of the few orders he gave. The hanyou had isolated himself from everyone, even when Shippo (who people realized had survived by crawling into the hole in the wall Inuyasha had stuffed him into the first time) bit his head and started blaming him for Kagome's death. Inuyasha didn't seem to respond to anything…and he wasn't even present at the funeral.

There were only a few people at the funeral---mostly family, friends and royalty. Sesshoumaru was there, although he still looked as stoic as ever. King Komiya and Lady Komiya were there, as well as Rin, Kikyou, Sango, Miroku and Shippo. It would have looked like a simple funeral from far off, but it was much more than that.

Lady Higurashi and Lord Higurashi had arrived, grim faces and all. Maybe everybody had been expecting the mother to be flooding tears, but all she had on was a forbidding expression. Her husband was no different, although they had pulled both a crying Lady Komiya and a gloomy Lord Komiya to the side to talk about what had happened.

Maybe everybody had also been expecting the mother and father to start yelling at them for losing their daughter…but no one had expected them both to only nod grimly at the news and accept it so simply.

The only ones who weren't surprised were Kikyou and Sango, with Sango frowning darkly as she wiped away stubborn tears and Kikyou looking indifferent once more, although there was evident pain in her eyes.

On the raft that lay near the tides of the ocean, Kagome was rested peacefully among the flowers in the middle. Her eyes were closed and the bruises on her had been cleaned and wrapped as best as they could. They had taken the sword out of her stomach where it had impaled her and been her mortal wound, covering it with bandages.

She wore a simple green kimono adorned with birds outlined in silver thread and it looked so plain, although she made it prettier. Green had always been her color, but the outfit was also ironic. The decorations of birds had been the one thing she hated, but it had represented what she had always yearned for---freedom.

"She looks so peaceful…" Rin whispered by the raft, staring at the girl who would have her eyes closed forever. "It's almost as if she's sleeping…and I wish she would wake up and tell me this was all a joke."

Sango went over to the dead girl and kneeled down, tracing a finger down the cold face of her cousin. How long had they known each other? All their lives…and all along, she had never thought she would lose Kagome. Never. Kagome had always been there. Always…and now, she was gone. For always.

The tears started again as Sango withdrew her hand, clenching her fingers into fists as she eyed the tranquil expression on Kagome. Rin was right. Kagome looked so quiet that it almost felt like she would just wake up any moment and smile again. Sango's tears dripped slowly down her cheek, feeling icy against her skin as they trickled off the contours of her face and landed on Kagome's kimono.

Sango wanted to break down more, the tears falling silently as she fell back onto the sand, her hands up at her face. She had lost her cousin and all because of war. She lost the one person she had always cared for because of bloodlust. All because of a bloody war Kagome was never supposed to be part of! She couldn't help it. It hurt so much, knowing that if Kagome had never come here, she would still be alive.

Sango felt warm arms encircle themselves around her from behind, and she secretly knew it was Miroku, but she didn't want to push away. For once, she didn't want to push away from the lecher because only he could offer her the comfort she was seeking. She only turned around in the embrace, holding onto him as hard as she could as she sobbed loudly, her body shaking as she felt herself bawl like a baby.

Rin looked at the couple from the corner of he eyes, wondering how lucky they were to have somebody and had survived the attack. Watching Kagome, something suddenly came to Rin. Flashes of herself being teared apart rushed through her mind---Her own death. She remembered herself dying…watching the blood flood out of her in gushes as she fell forwards and felt consumed. Had it been as bad as Kagome's? She had died quickly…but Kagome had died slowly. But if it was anything like what she had experienced, it must have been horrible for Kagome to have the pain linger on. But now…she was alive…and it hit Rin like a ton of rocks.

"Sesshoumaru! You could revive her!" Rin screamed, shooting up from her position on the ground and opening her eyes wide in excitement. If Sesshoumaru could save her from death, couldn't Sesshoumaru save Kagome too!? Why hadn't Sesshoumaru already!?

Sesshoumaru frowned slightly at her, his expressions getting darker. "I can't," he said simply.

Rin stared at him. What was he talking about? All he had to do was repeat what he did with her… "Why…?" she asked hesitantly, feeling her bones grow weaker again as she stared at her savior.

"Usually, a person who has died has pall-bearers on them to take them to the next world. This girl is dead…but the pall-bearers never came nor are they coming. In this way, she's supposed to be alive, but as you can tell, she's dead." Sesshoumaru looked at his father from the corner of his eye, as if expecting King Komiya to explain. But King Komiya only looked grave, so he decided to say it bluntly. "I can not revive someone without pall-bearers on her soul. She keeps her soul, but she's dead. So forget it. I would hardly cheat death once more."

Rin stared at him, not understanding what Sesshoumaru meant. How could someone be dead if these 'pall-bearers' who came to take her soul away, never arrived? But then she understood his last words. Kagome was dead. She couldn't be revived. She couldn't even cheat life like Rin had and come back alive.

Ignoring Rin as she slumped back to the ground, Sesshoumaru asked dryly, "Where's Inuyasha?"

King Komiya looked at his older son and smiled a bit. "He's probably…thinking. He'll come…don't worry." At least, he hoped so. There had been something between Kagome and Inuyasha. Everyone knew there was, but nobody spoke a word. They didn't need to bring this up when Kagome was already dead. It was too late to bring it up…

"Are we going to start saying our last words to my daughter?" Lord Higurashi asked, the frown still heavy on his face as he looked around at all the crying women and the grim-faced men.

King Komiya looked up at the other man, wondering why he had a feeling the other king wanted this over and done with sooner rather than later. Maybe he was right. The longer they dwindled around mourning over Kagome, the longer the pain would be. "We'll begin now…would you like to be our first guest?" King Komiya inquired, still knowing there was thick tension between the two families. Marriage couldn't possibly still undergo after so much friction between them…right?

King Higurashi and his wife stepped up to their younger daughter as Miroku, Sango and Rin backed off, giving the parents their privacy with their daughter. Shippo had scampered off from the group the first moment he saw Kagome, but none of them really cared where he was right now. After all, they were all in pain.

The two parents spoke in soft whispers and although the humans could barely catch what the mother and father of the deceased girl were saying, King Komiya and Sesshoumaru heard perfectly.

"We never thought you would go so fast…it's almost like watching Kikyou die. But I guess you had to do your job. You had to protect your sister…We hope you live a happy afterlife. I'm sure Kikyou was grateful for your sacrifice."

King Komiya frowned. 'Kikyou' had been in that small speech two times, while King Higurashi and Queen Higurashi never said Kagome's name once. Was it because it was too painful for them…or had there been trouble in that family? He watched the two adults, wondering if any will cry for their daughter. But they didn't, only turning around and walking calmly back to the group and allowing whoever wanted to go next and say their words. King Komiya realized there seemed to have been more problems within that family, and he pondered, what exactly was Kagome's life like back there at her own kingdom? Had death been better than going back…?

Rin stepped forward, kneeling down in the sand and taking a cold hand from Kagome. Tears were still falling from her eyes and she bowed her head down, beginning her talk. "Hey Kagome…I haven't known you so long, but you were one of the sweetest girls I ever knew. You sacrificed a lot. I could tell. Was this how you wanted to end your life…? Was dying for someone what you always wished us to remember you by? You promised me you would be safe…and I kept you to that promise. You said you'll 'be with me in a while'…you never came. We came looking for you when we assumed it was safe…but it was too late, wasn't it? It was never meant to end this way…we'll all miss you…"

She let go of Kagome's hand, placing it gently in its place by Kagome's side again, her own hands going up to wipe the tears from her face. She backed off, refusing to look at anybody as she averted her red eyes to look out at the sea.

She had never thought it would end like this…

Never had she wished for it.

No one stepped up next and King Komiya looked around, silently asking, "Anyone…?" His gaze landed on Kikyou, but she shook her head slowly.

"…I…have no words to say…" was the tiny whisper as Kikyou stared at the ground, her gray eyes duller than usual.

King Komiya stared at her for a moment, but nodded his head. She had been the reason behind it…even Kikyou must feel regret. Her sister had sacrificed her life for her. He continued to gaze around, but Sango was still sobbing a bit and Miroku was holding her silently. It was a dismal day indeed.

Taking his own wife's hands, he took her towards the girl. Lady Komiya seemed a bit reluctant, but she allowed him to continue dragging her towards the silent girl. She still looked so peaceful. She would always be peaceful…

He gently coaxed his wife to kneel with him as Lady Komiya hid her face in his shoulders, her sobs getting a bit louder. "I should never have let her go…never…she would have survived. She could have survived if I never let her go out there…" she berated herself over and over, hands clenched tightly in his.

"Ssh," King Komiya whispered, running his fingers through his wife's hair. "It wasn't your fault…"

She nearly squeaked out, "Yes it is…"

King Komiya sighed a bit as he realized his wife wouldn't stop criticizing herself. Kagome had been a forgiving girl…she would never had blamed Lady Komiya. He looked down at the girl, her complexion pale and wan. "You may have died, Kagome, but thank you for accomplishing something none of the rest of us could do. Thank you for opening Inuyasha up slowly…he's different ever since you came. You were an innocent in this war, but war spares none…and I'm sorry we had to involve you in it. Whatever happened back at your home…maybe you could have escaped and lived with us, huh? But everything's gone now…Goodbye Kagome. Thank you for everything you've done for us."

Lady Komiya erupted into vociferous sobs as she whispered something close to 'She was like the daughter I never had…' while King Komiya continued trying to persuade his wife to stop crying, pulling her into his arms as they walked back to the group. Sango looked like she had calmed down more and he nodded to her, signaling her to go up and say her last words. He knew she was her cousin…everybody knew that, except Miroku himself. There were so many lines holding onto all the youngsters' fates…reveal one and trust was tested. Everybody's trust was always tested.

Sango let herself go from Miroku, realizing she had been holding onto him longer than she had intended to. But she didn't let go of his comforting hand as she went towards her cousin again, bringing Miroku silently behind her. She stooped down, silent tears still sliding wordlessly down her cheeks as her red eyes saw the fuzzy outline of Kagome through blurred vision.

"Kagome…you were always a stupid idiot. Always. Maybe if you thought about your emotions instead of some other person's…maybe your story's ending could have been different. But you were always the same…hurting yourself to ensure other people were happy. I hate you for leaving me but I love you for everything else…so until next time, right? You always told me that, Kagome…every time I left you to go back to my home, you'd say 'See you again, Sango.' So I guess it's my turn? See you again, Kagome…" She plucked a blue flower from one of the wreaths and gently put it in Kagome's ear, making the girl appear more delicate than she already was. Sango smiled a bit through her tears, before stepping up and pulling Miroku back with her to the group. She couldn't stand it anymore. This seemed so unreal. Everything seemed so unreal.

The group stared at the lifeless girl, watching as the water lapped gently at the edge of the raft. They would have to push her out soon. She had always loved the ocean…it seemed right for her burial to be at sea.

"Where's Inuyasha?" Rin asked softly, feeling the morning chill run through her body while she was sitting on the sand, her knees up to her chest.

"He's not coming," Sesshoumaru answered in conclusiveness, shooting a gaze over at his father. "He won't be coming."

There was a strained tension at hearing those words, but everyone knew it was true. Inuyasha was still blaming himself for everything. He had tried killing his own mother, fiancée, and brother's friend. He had not been able to save Kagome. It was just sin upon sin. It was obvious he couldn't force himself to see Kagome one last time, no matter how much he would regret it later on.

"Who's going to push…?" King Komiya questioned gently, waiting for somebody to do the final bidding---the one thing that would signal that Kagome was never coming back. No one spoke or moved, and King Komiya looked at Lord Higurashi and Lady Higurashi expectedly, although they too made no move. He frowned again and was about to do it himself, before a small voice interceded.

"I'll do it."

He looked over at Kikyou, who was walking towards her sister with confident strides.

King Komiya also saw Lady Higurashi look horrified from the side. "But Kikyou dear! She's de---"

Kikyou glared at her mother, a withering, icy and lethal glare as she hissed in a dangerous voice---one filled with malice and silent anger. "She's my sister. She died for me." She whipped her hair around as she walked towards her younger sister, kneeling down by the base of the raft, and giving it a few pushes towards the water. The tip touched the waves and started bobbing, as everyone watched Kagome slowly dip with the waves.

With one last mighty push, Kikyou sent Kagome moving up and down on the raft with the ocean's effect, watching as she moved slowly out to sea. She smiled---a small smile that she hid from the rest of the company behind her---as she clasped her hands in front of her. She could feel the first drops of the rain starting again, and she gulped painfully, the small hurt smile still on her face as she allowed a single tear to drop from her face. "Thanks…" she mouthed so that nobody heard, observing as Kagome started to move further away. "Thank you so much, Kagome…"

*~*~*

…You had to protect your sister…

…It was never meant to end this way…

…I have no words to say…

…Thank you for accomplishing something none of the rest of us could do…

…Maybe your story's ending could have been different…

…She's my sister…

She screamed when she felt the flood of voices inundate her, their voices so alien yet warm…who had they been? Where had they come from? She bit her lower lip as she felt her nails dig into her skull, trying to stop the pulse of pain flushing through her. Every time memories came to her, the palpitating only grew in intensity. But had those been memories? She had heard them as if they were all around her.

She had been here how long? She didn't know. She only remembered bits and pieces of conversations as she sat on the misty grounds for the past…hours? Days? Months? Years? The voices of her reminiscences were always of different people. Sometimes, it was of a girl. Sometimes, it was of a boy. Other times, it was of a woman or man. It was hard not to think about things, but she had to stop the memories in order to stop the pain.

And at times, they just came. Voices. Always of people she seemed to feel connected to, but could never understand why.

She had resisted the light. It always flickered, always twinkled and it always tempted her to reach out for it. It promised her all this agony would go away. But she didn't want to flee. She had listened to that voice, no matter how stupid she thought it was. Even if it killed her, she wouldn't reach out for the light until she remembered why she couldn't leave. But she was dead anyway… Who was she now then? She had known as much that whoever she was, she was dead.

Was this the soul of whoever she had been? She didn't even know how her face looked like. All she could feel was her black hair. What were the colors of her eyes? Were they the golden color she always remembered? Were they the silver flashes she saw in her mind?

…Thank you so much, Kagome…

She screamed again, the pain almost making her body convulse in flaming suffering. Her fingers shook as she brought her knees up to her chest and jammed her pulsing head between her knees. She knew that if she heard any more voices, even her soul would break into pieces. She was never meant to remember. She was meant to move to the light and forget. She was defying law.

Kagome? That voice had called someone Kagome. Had that been her?

She felt dizzy as she opened her eyes, her head still between her legs. That feminine voice had called her Kagome. Who had that woman been?

She stopped her thoughts. If she even remembered anything more about that girl, she would just shake in more anguish. But she was so tired. Maybe she could be a lost soul? She could completely roam around without a purpose if she continued thinking…right? It didn't seem that bad…

Or she could simply forget and reach for the light?

She shook her head, as she clenched her teeth tight. Tears came streaming down her face and she felt them disappear as they fell into the mist-like place she was sitting on. It felt wrong to cry, but she had to. She felt broken. Why did she force herself to hold onto her memories? She could go…she could just leave and never look back.

Don't cry!

She felt her body lurch in a huge tremble, blood spurting out of her mouth and vanishing into the clouds. Damn her and her weak resistance to reminiscing…she couldn't stop them from coming. But that had been a new voice…and it had drawn blood from her. Blood from someone who had died. She felt the liquid drip down her chin as the tears continued coming. Somehow, she knew that voice was associated to the golden color and the silver light she always saw.

…I'll take you out if you want…

…Dance with me?...

…Follow my lead…

…But please don't trust me…

…I said I'm going to protect you, Kagome!

She was aware that more blood was appearing, as a girl's voice and a boy's voice blended themselves in her head. Subconsciously, she understood the girl's voice was hers. So who had the boy been? Why had she asked him not to trust her? Why had she asked him to…dance with her?

"I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…" she mumbled, as she crawled towards to the light, her fatigue pushing her on. Blood continued dripping from her chin as her arms barely carried her own weight. Her vision blurred every so while and she realized her soul was slowly scattering. If she didn't reach the light, she would forever roam the earth trying to find peace. In the end, she didn't want that. "Whoever you are…I'm sorry I can't remember you…"

You are what you want to be…not someone who was born to be something…

"Stop…you make it hard…" she barely whispered, her fingers slowly trying to grasp the light. "We are born to die…and I want to be…I want to be…"

Her fingers stopped in its reach. What had she wanted to be?

It could be the last person you would ever expect…

"Inuyasha."

The word came out of her mouth before she could stop herself. It had been an impulse, but that was enough to cause her whole body's strength to drain and leave her, causing her to collapse onto the ground as the light continued sparkling iridescently above her. Her vision was darkening as she tried to move her muscles, but to no avail. She had remembered too much…now it was her consequence to roam as a lost soul.

"Inuyasha…" she repeated, wondering why that name rolled off her tongue so tenderly. It even washed the bloody feeling in her mouth away as she closed her eyes.

She barely felt dark light wrap itself around her, as it burst from the middle of the room, shooting straight at her and draping her over in its shadows. So…to be a lost soul, she would be joined to darkness…? She smiled a bit. At least the pain would go?

"Please…just forgive me…"

*~*~*

He watched the object float off into the distance from the top of the cliffs, his hanyou sight allowing him to watch her drift off into the ocean. He had been gazing at it for a good twenty minutes. Everyone else on the shores that he had sighted before had gone back to the castle, to do who knows what. However, he continued to glance at the object floating with the waves, seemingly so innocent. She was too beautiful for life. She had always been too beautiful for life. So death had consumed her.

The wind played around with his hair, blowing strands to cover his golden gaze. Gently swiping the wisps away, he continued watching for the raft as she moved out further. His chest was pulling again, and it hurt…

It had been him who had cleaned her body of its blood and wounds, gently wrapping her injuries in bandages. He wouldn't allow anyone else. He told them gruffly that it was his job since he had killed her, but secretly, he didn't want anyone touching her. Maybe he didn't want to talk to Kikyou, afraid of what she would do. Maybe he just needed to be alone, to think and ponder what he had done. Maybe it was because he was protective of what was his…

What was his.

He slammed a fist into the corner of the cliff, watching as a large chunk of it split from the entire cliff and fell towards the waters below. What a good protector he had been. He had protected her once and then when the oath was set, he let her die.

He couldn't even go say his last words to her. He couldn't look at her after he bathed her. Maybe that would have torn him apart…so he had avoided it. He would rather just gaze at her as she floated off…even if a small part of him told him he would regret never seeing her again.

But, in this way, he could avoid more aches. More regret. More guilt.

"Bye…" he muttered gutturally before getting up and turning around, his back to the girl and his eyes closed as he took one step away. What he didn't notice was the black cloud wrapping itself around Kagome's body. Inuyasha only felt a pang of darkness shoot off towards him, and he frowned as he whipped around to look at what could have acquitted such energy. But, the cloud had gone as quick as it had come, and all he saw was an empty raft as it bobbed on top of the waves, suddenly overturned.

He bit his lower lip gently. The energy must have been his imagination, and Kagome must be lost to the ocean now, since the raft had flipped. Well…was this feeling in his chest, regret?

"I didn't even know you well, Kagome…never as well as I knew Ikari…but why does this hurt as much as it had when I lost her? I broke my promises to both of you…sorry…Wherever you are Kagome…Please, just forget me…"

He clenched his fists and turned away from the ocean again, taking a leap down towards the ground far below. He had carried Kagome down the last time he had jumped off this cliff…now he was alone. Was his life fated to be spent wondering what could have been and not what had been…?

He landed gracefully at the bottom and started wading out into the waves to his secret place, in need of some more alone time.

It was hard for him to allow himself the one thing he wished he could accomplish.

He could never forgive himself.

He could never forget what had happened.

But still, he tried in vain…

To forgive and forget.

A/N: There goes chapter 21 for you. I had big problems with this chapter (minor writer's block) and I had to revise most of this chapter a thousand times. I think I'm just not good with farewells…

Irony…Kagome wants him to forgive her…Inuyasha wants her to forget him.

But, what happens now? I bet it's not something most of you would guess. ^_^