A few smaller explosions followed the first huge one. The dust and smoke from them wasn't allowing Miroku, Sango, Shippo and Kirara to see what was happening with Inuyasha and the demon. They wanted to go in the fight and help their friend but just didn't know where they would find themselves. So, they just stood on their places, ready to attack.

Soon enough a loud growl was heard and Inuyasha was thrown out of the smoke. He slid on the ground, crouched, his right hand holding a bloody Tetsusaiga and his left hand digging in the ground in order to stop himself. When he stopped he immediately jumped back in the battle. Making the Kaze no Kizu he cleared the dust and smoke and the monster's arms fell on the ground.

"Damn you!" the demon snarled at Inuyasha and opened his mouth wide to send a new sound wave.

It seemed that Inuyasha was alright but then the others saw blood run down from his ears. Without saying a word the hanyou growled and jumped toward the monster. It was left shocked that Inuyasha wasn't affected by the sound and made a step back. It wanted to hide itself with its arms but they were gone.

Instead of attacking with his sword Inuyasha used his Sankontessou. He hit the demon's face and from three of the gashes on its forehead fell three Shikon shards. If the demon wasn't injured so badly it would've been the best opportunity to attack Inuyasha. It seemed that that last hit and the sound had exhausted the hanyou too much. He fell on his knees before the monster and breathed hard.

"You are lucky today, hanyou..." the demon said and made a step back. "When I return you will die." with that the monster turned and ran deep into the forest.

Inuyasha stayed on his knees. The others exchanged worried, almost scared, looks and neither of them wanted to take the risk of nearing a full demon Inuyasha. He didn't move for a few minutes, his breathing became normal, Tetsusaiga transformed back to an old battered sword and he sheathed it.

Just when Miroku had decided it was safe to go to him, Inuyasha reached to the fallen Shikon shards and took them. The thing that made the monk freeze on his place was his friend's claws. The moment his fingers touched the shards they became longer and from the sound of it sharper.

Inuyasha stood up and turned to the demon's arms, which were lying at his right side. He went to them and kicked them away, revealing two more Shikon shards. He bent down to take them and without him noticing the shard on his rosary fell down in a small pool of blood. The others saw everything but since they didn't know what he intended to do they stayed quiet.

Inuyasha now had five Shikon shards. He fisted his right hand and the shards dug into his palm, drawing blood. He looked at the direction where the demon had run and growled. Seeing that the hanyou was going to go after the monster Sango decided they had to do something to stop him – she pushed Miroku toward Inuyasha.

The monk made a few hesitant steps and spoke. "I-Inuyasha..." his slightly shaky voice made Inuyasha turn to him. Miroku and the others stiffened – the hanyou was fully transformed. Now they could clearly see his face and his look terrified them.

"Don't you ever dare near me." Inuyasha snarled. "If I see you again you will die." saying that he turned to the direction the demon had escaped and ran at top speed.

Miroku slowly turned toward the others. Sango shook her head slightly and he could see tears welling up in her eyes. She tried as hard as she could not to cry. Seeing that she was going to give up Miroku ran to her and embraced her. Shippo snuffled and looked at Kirara who just mewed.

"Calm down, Sango." the monk tried to quiet her sobbing. He rubbed his left hand on her back in circles, trying to comfort her.

"How could this happen, Houshi-sama?" she cried in his chest. "Kagome is dead because of us and... and now Inuyasha hates us..."

Miroku didn't know what to say. He knew she was right and the only thing he could tell her was to calm down. But how could he, when he, himself, was on the edge of going insane. Two of their best friends were gone. Kagome was dead, Inuyasha hated them and only God knows why he didn't kill them right away. Suddenly a single sad thought went through his mind 'Naraku won...' Unknown to him that same thought was in everybody's heads.

After a few minutes the monk released Sango. He kissed her forehead and went to the pool of blood where the shard from Inuyasha's rosary had fallen. He took it and the group slowly started to walk back toward the village. When they reached it, it was late afternoon, the sun was setting and the whole sky was red. Kaede stood outside her hut with a worried expression on her face, watching the sky. She knew something was wrong and seeing the group return without two of its members, and their sad looks, she didn't have to ask what had happened.

Inuyasha ran through the forest. He couldn't think of anything else but that demon. The monster had to die. That damned creature was the reason Kagome died. 'No...' the hanyou thought and skidded to a stop. 'It was my fault. It was all my fault... I did it again... I failed the person I cared for the most... I killed her...' a single tear ran down his left cheek and he stood on his place, staring at he ground.

Suddenly the shards in his hand glowed with dark light and he growled. He lifted his hand and wiped the tear away. "Not anymore." he said. "I will never love again. I will never feel again. I will forget them... her." he slipped the shards inside his haori and shook the blood from his hand, then he ran again.

Not long after that, he reached a clearing with a rived by it. The demon was crossing the river when he caught Inuyasha's scent. The hanyou didn't attack and stopped to wait for the demon to turn to him. "You have two more shards. I want them." he said and cracked his fingers, ready to attack.

"I warned you, hanyou, the next time I see you..." the demon couldn't finish as Inuyasha jumped toward it and slashed through it with his claws. The monster flew in every direction in pieces and from his legs fell the two remaining shards. Inuyasha went to them and picked them up.

"Five." he said, his voice becoming colder and rougher. He turned his look toward the mountain in the distance and a small smirk formed on his lips, as the new shards started to glow with darker light than the others. He placed them with the other and a second purple mark appeared on each cheek. He blinked several times and the red from his eyes started to clear and his green orbs started to redden. "Two more, Kouga..." he said and snickered, then ran toward the mountain.

Sesshoumaru woke up with a groan. He opened his eyes and saw the worried faces of Rin and Jaken. His vision was a little blurred but he could see he was still on the hill where he had passed out. With surprise he noticed that the sound was gone and he tried to sit up.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, are you alright?" Rin asked and tried to help him sit up, but her tiny hands couldn't be of too much help, anyway.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, what happened?" Jaken asked next, but also didn't receive an answer.

The dog demon stood up and dusted himself off. He turned to the village and the place where he saw the explosion but everything was calm now. He frowned and started walking toward the forest. "Follow me." he said and his companions complied.

They walked through Inuyasha's forest and were nearing the God Tree when Sesshoumaru saw someone lying down on the grass. It seemed that that someone was unconscious or simply asleep. He stopped and stared for a moment. Jaken and Rin poked their heads from behind him to look at the person and then looked at the dog demon. He didn't say anything and started walking toward the lying person.

Miroku, Sango, Shippo, Kirara and Kaede were silently sitting in the old Miko's hut. The cracking of the wood in the small fire was the only thing that could be heard, and the group of five seemed to be hypnotized by it. After a while quiet steps were heard from outside and they were closing, but nobody moved to see who was coming.

As the steps stopped the door of the hut opened and the people inside stared in shock at Sesshoumaru. They just gaped at him and he just motioned for them to follow him. He turned but when nobody followed him he spoke. "I don't know what happened here, or why my brother isn't with you, but you might want to see this..."

The people in the hut exchanged confused looks and everybody stood up to follow Sesshoumaru. Imagine the surprise in them when they saw Kagome on Ah-Un's back. Miroku turned to the dog demon to ask him something but he interrupted him. "The girl is still materializing. Her energy has been drained."

"Can we... take her inside?" Sango asked in a quiet but firm voice and Sesshoumaru nodded.

Miroku helped her and when Kagome was in the hut they lied her on her sleeping bag. Then Sango made Shippo and Kirara stay with her and she, Kaede and Miroku went outside to Sesshoumaru. Although Shippo wanted to know what had really happened to Kagome, more than anything he wanted to be with her. He sat next to her with Kirara and smiled.

"You'll be alright, Kagome." he whispered and Kirara mewed in agreement. "And now that you're alive we'll be able to make Inuyasha come back." the kitsune smiled and kissed the girl on the cheek. "And we'll be together again... Naraku hadn't won, yet."

TBC