A young woman stood over a man's body, obviously tormented greatly by the many wounds inflicted on them both. He could hear the pain in her sobs… feel the anguish the man went through as he silently said goodbye to the woman with a kiss.

That man… it's…

Me. I died there. The pain I felt… excruciating pain… both physical and emotional… I said good bye to her. I knew I wouldn't see her again. But… who is she? Who is the woman who haunts the dreams of Eternal Sleep?

I want to know.

I want to…

A hand pushed through the dark earth, the moist dirt easily making way. And then another hand pushed through. They hoisted their owner up out of the earthy tomb. A pair of dark brown eyes forced their way open and a mouth moved for the first time in what seemed to be ages. Black hair flowed again. "Who… is that woman?" the body stood up on its own two bare feet, and swayed slightly. The human-turned hanyou stumbled blindly along, following sheer instinct until reaching an old village.

Villagers stared in awe, surprise, and fear as he staggered through, stopping in front of a familiar hut. "K…Kaede... Priestess Kaede..." A frail old man cautiously approached the stranger. "Lady Kaede hasn't been around lately. She… has decided to take a trip. A monk and his wife watch our village in her absence." The visitor swiveled around, loosing his balance and falling down. The sight would've probably been amusing to an onlooker, yet no one laughed as the confused Inuyasha stared questioningly at the man who had approached him. "Who is this monk? Where can I find him? Please tell me!" Inuyasha threw himself at the Elder, who had stepped back a bit.

Before the man could answer, though, a slight jingling could be heard and everyone turned to look at the monk who stood before them. His violet eyes widened and his face showed sheer terror and confusion. "No… this cannot be! You're…. you're supposed to be dead! I should know… I read the funeral rites… said the prayers… grieved with others!"

Inuyasha stared up at the purple-robed monk, genuinely confused. "Monk, do I know you?" Inuyasha slowly rose to his feet again, his shoulders slumping and his legs shaking with the unfamiliar weight that had been placed upon them again. The monk quickly rushed to the struggling man before him, barely catching him as he almost collapsed again. The villagers, who had all crowded around the two, watched as Miroku brought Inuyasha into the hut he was staying in.

Inuyasha then noticed his form. "I'm… human? Why?" he stared at his hands, which were currently devoid of claws. The monk just nodded. "Yes. When we had discovered your body, you were human. We ended up with the theory that once you had died, the demon part of you disintegrated. Therefore, only your human blood remains." Inuyasha tested his senses. "But… I still have my acute sense of smell, and I hear pretty well too. Maybe… not all of my demon blood vanished." Miroku's fingers drummed against the wooden floor as he pondered the predicament. "Maybe. Either way, it's a very interesting situation." Inuyasha nodded in agreement.

"On another note, you really don't remember me, Inuyasha?" Miroku stared at the man before him with slightly narrowed eyes. Inuyasha shook his head. "No. but your scent is vaguely familiar. And on top of that, you definitely seem to know me." The monk scratched his head, completely stunned at the circumstances he was currently in. "How have you returned to the world of the living?" Inuyasha shrugged. "I don't know. But in my mind, I saw a death."

Deep violet eyes met wandering brown eyes as the visitor surveyed the humble abode the monk had taken as a home. "A dream of a death? Do you know whose it was?" Inuyasha nodded. "yes. It was me. I saw my death. And a dark-haired woman was sitting over me." Miroku tilted his head, mumbling something under his breath. "dark-haired woman? That must be… Kagome." Inuyasha's head turned. "Ka…gome? Such a familiar name… Kagome. Did this… Kagome… and I have a relationship?"

Miroku furrowed his brow, trying to see where this conversation was headed. "sometimes it was believed to be that way… why?" Inuyasha fidgeted, staring down at his hands which were currently resting in his lap. "In the dream before my death, she cried for me… held me close. We kissed each other goodbye. She haunts my Eternal Sleep. I want to know why."

Miroku stared in awe at the man before him as he was told of the dream. "you kissed?" a smirk tugged at the corners of Miroku's mouth as he struggled to remain serious. "yeah. What of it?" Inuyasha frowned at Miroku, who couldn't help but smile. "There's the Inuyasha I know." Then he noticed it. "Inuyasha… where's your Tetsuseiga?" a hand flew to a hip, but the hilt of the mighty sword wasn't found. "I… I had it in my dream… do you think it was stolen after I died?" he jumped up and then staggered, strength still not what it used to be.

Inuyasha weakly let his body fall back down, thinking it best if he let his body adjust to the weight of being alive again before standing up. Miroku got up, walking over to a large bundle in one of the corners of the hut, pulling out a ripe fruit. "Here… this should give you back some of your strength." He threw the fruit to Inuyasha, who grabbed at it with quick precision. He devoured it, noticing for the first time his immense hunger.

Inuyasha smirked. "Enough about me for the time-being. The villagers had said you had a wife. But now that I remember, you used to be one hell of a womanizer. It's hard to believe you quit your antics and settled down." The monk smiled heartily. "I know, I was quite surprised myself, at first. But now that Naraku is dead, the curse he has put on me has also ceased to exist. I no longer have the need to go around to every pretty woman I meet, asking if they will bear my child. So, I decided the next thing I should do is find a wife and raise a family."

Inuyasha's brow furrowed deeply. "Naraku died? When!" Miroku frowned slightly. "The same battle that your life was taken in, so was Naraku's. Don't you remember? You pulled one hell of a backlash wave just as Kagome let her sacred arrow fly. You both hit at the same time, completely obliterating Naraku. You, as always, were a big part of the fight." Miroku smiled, remembering the fight, while Inuyasha just frowned. "So I definitely had Tetsuseiga then. Now I have two things to find…"

Miroku glanced outside the window, noticing the time. He got up and put water in the big pot resting in the middle of the hut. He then rekindled the wood under the pot. "Are you really going to find Kagome? You probably don't remember, but she resides in a completely different time." Inuyasha still frowned. "Different time? What do you mean?" Miroku sighed. "She lives in the future. She passed through to this era using the Bone Eater's Well. She is the reincarnation of Kikyou, remember? She had the Shikon Jewel in her body. She was the one who shattered it." Inuyasha's brow furrowed. "It all seems so familiar… why can't I remember?"

Inuyasha scratched his head. "Wait… and what about the Shikon Jewel?" Miroku nodded. "I had a feeling you'd ask about that. After Naraku died, we took the Shikon jewel back. When Sango and I regained consciousness, we found your body, the bottle holding two Shikon shards, and a full first-aid kit. We assumed that Kagome was alright, and that she had left. After binding our wounds we placed the two shards into the Shikon Jewel. We then hunted down Kouga and Kohaku." Inuyasha frowned. "So what'd that scrawny little wolf do?"

Miroku shrugged. "Much to our surprise Kouga just handed them over, and then continued on with us. He was distraught to hear of your death. He had told us that you were always rivals, but he never had wished for you to die so soon like that. You'd be surprised at how many people came to give their respects. Sesshoumaru came, and Kikyou, even Kagura, even if it was just for a bit. She had told us that you were one of the few stronger demons out there, and was sad that you had perished. She also said that she was thanking you for ridding her of Naraku. She didn't admit it, but we were sure she was at least bit sad to hear that you had passed on." Miroku smiled at the remembrance and Inuyasha just gaped. "Sesshoumaru and Kagura came? Really?" Miroku nodded. "Really."

Inuyasha straightened up, becoming serious again. "And what of Kohaku?" Miroku saddened. "He also gave his shard up. He knew his soul had already passed on. Sango was indeed sad, but I think she was thankful that Kohaku had removed the shard himself. It would've been much harder on her if she had to have removed it from her own brother. The good thing is that Kohaku finally remembered everything in the end. We buried you and Kohaku in the same grave site."

Inuyasha nodded. "So after that, then what?" Miroku shrugged again. "Then we pieced it all together and purified it, Lady Kaede, Kikyou and I. Completely purifying it made it disappear. The Shikon Jewel no longer exists." Inuyasha's jaw dropped as he stared in amazement at Miroku. "You mean… that's it? No more Shikon Jewel? Well... I guess that's a good thing… after all, it won't be such a hazardous thing anymore if it no longer exists, right?" Miroku nodded in agreement.

Inuyasha straightened up and his head turned again as he heard the mat covering the door of the hut move to the side. "We have company?" Inuyasha turned around just in time to see the very frightened face of Sango. Miroku smiled nervously. "Ah! You're home. Err… yes, we have company." Sango quickly went to the side of Miroku. "Umm… what's he doing here? Alive?" Miroku smiled widely. "It seems his love for Kagome has brought him back to life. Isn't that sweet?"

Sango smiled and nodded. Inuyasha blushed a bit and frowned, folding his arms tightly across his chest. "Keh! Who said I loved her? I just can't seem to get her out of my head, and it's disrupting my Eternal Sleep!" Sango laughed slightly. "That's what you call love, if I'm not mistaken." Sango then put down her two loads. She placed one gingerly into Miroku's hands, and the other she emptied into the now-boiling pot in the middle of the room. "We're having vegetable stew tonight. The garden at the edge of the village was just brimming with ripe harvest, and I couldn't resist."

Inuyasha's attention was averted to the bundle in Miroku's arms. "Ah, so you've noticed. I forgot to tell you, Sango and I have a son now. Do you wish to see him?" Miroku beamed at the giggling bundle in his arms. Inuyasha shook his head. "As much as I'd like to see, I'm not coming near him until you change his diaper." Sango blinked. "I suppose I should go change him. Although, I'm surprised you still have your dog-like senses. Well, we'll be right back!" she slowly took her son from Miroku and went outside.

"So… you decided to settle down, with Sango no less, and you've had a son with her. You know, you've really surprised me, Miroku. Now tell me. What did you name him?" Miroku looked fondly out the window, and then turned back to Inuyasha. "We named him Kohaku. I couldn't stand to see Sango so sad. She never really has gotten over the death of her brother. I suggested it right after he was born." Inuyasha smiled warmly for what seemed like the first time in his whole existence. "You're really something, Miroku. You know that?"