CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Tessaiga's Call

As the dark haired girl looked down upon her fallen love, she recalled all of the good times he had brought her. From playful fights to intense battles, Kagome remembered every moment and held on to them for dear life.

'Is that what he'll be reduced to? A memory?'

Kagome shook her head. 'No... He can pull through. Toutousai will be here soon.'

"Hold on Inuyasha. Don't you dare let go." She whispered to the hanyou as he lay still on her lap. The innocence that swept over the lifeless hanyou's face was too much for Kagome to bear. Moist tears fell onto Inuyasha's cheeks as Kagome wept silently. Her thoughts overcame her and she began to imagine a life without him. It was dark and cold. Certainly not a life she wanted for herself. Over the years Inuyasha had always protected her from harm. But now at this very moment he lay dead on her lap and there was nothing that she could do except wait for her friends' return.

'Stupid... why did you have to go by yourself?'

Her blood began to boil as she recalled not knowing about Inuyasha's fate. How she had woken up in the morning and called for him in the trees. How she went from tree to tree searching for that hint of crimson that usually meant he was lying lazily up there lost in his thoughts. Kagome clenched her hands into fists. She looked down at Inuyasha and wanted nothing more than to slap him for doing this to her. She wanted to shake him and yell at him and hate him for leaving without her…. Yet all she could do was keep his head in her lap and hope that Miroku and Sango came back soon. With that she slumped her head forward and fell asleep with her love.

"Houshi-sama….. Do you think Toutousai will really be able to help?" Sango had been thinking about this for a while and finally gave in to the desire to ask Miroku. The monk, who was sitting behind her, didn't respond. He had been quiet ever since they had left the spot where Inuyasha and Kagome stayed.

"Houshi-sama…" Sango turned carefully. The monk's eyes were concentrated and his look was one of confusion. Was he having second thoughts about the idea?

"Houshi-sama…" Finally Miroku came out of his trance. He looked up and met the demon exterminator's eyes with a fake smile.

"There's only one way to find out Sango. I just hope that this doesn't have and grim consequences if we're wrong."

Those words echoed in Sango's head. She hadn't thought about anything that might go wrong. What if the blade took Inuyasha's soul when it was pulled out? What if he became a full demon when the blade came out and tried hurt them? What if he died anyway? Questions poured freely into Sango's head and for a fleeting moment an image of Kagome in tears passed by her eyes. This caused Sango to shed a single tear for her pained friends.

'Don't worry Kagome. We won't let you down.'

Miroku watched as a sole tear washed down the side of Sango's face. It was difficult to think of something comforting to say. He had many doubts about this and didn't want to lie to her or any of his friends. He looked straight ahead and saw the mountain that Toutousai lived on. They would know soon enough if this was possible or not. The mountain looked less than a day's travel away.

Kagome awoke to a cool wind passing through the trees. It was already getting dark. She stretched her arms and yawned lazily. Looking down she smiled sadly. He was still there. It was good because she didn't want to wake up and find him gone, but it was bad because it meant that he was still dead. Her stomach grumbled a little to let her know that she was still human. That's right, humans need food. Kagome stood up carefully not to hurt Inuyasha's head and walked into the forest. She looked around before she found what she was looking for. There was a fruit tree not too far away from where they were. Kagome climbed up the first set of branches and happily pulled at the fruits.

'I'll get some extra ones for Inuyasha. He might be hungry when he wakes up.' Kagome blushed. She had never thought that one day she would be taking care of the one she loved the most. Just like a regular housewife…… wife. Kagome's blush increased as the word entered her mind. She looked back at the spot where Inuyasha was.

'Inuyasha and Kagome…. I like it.' She merrily jumped down from the tree but froze as soon as she stepped on the ground. There was a presence beyond the brush.

Miroku watched as the mountain grew bigger and bigger. They were only a few minutes away from Toutousai's home. Already Miroku could smell the sulfur in the air coming from the heated land on which Toutousai resided.

"Houshi-sama… was it ok to leave Kagome-chan alone in the forest?" Miroku looked up to see Sango turned sideways again. "Because of the evil aura that sword possessed I doubt that any demons will come close to them."

'But….. What if it's a really strong demon?' Sango stared down at the mountain they were headed to. They would be there very soon….. But would it be soon enough? Sango found herself wondering many things as they neared the colossal mountain where their only hope lived. She wondered if Toutousai would be able to help…. And even if he was able to help, was he willing?

Kirara's path changed from a straight line to a 45 degree angle pointing at the ground. This took Sango out of her daze. The ground was coming ever closer as Kirara made to land on the mountain. Sango bit her lip and silently prayed that Toutousai was home.

Kagome whipped around in circles as she felt the strong presence draw ever closer to her. Instinctively she ran to where Inuyasha was, dropping all of her fruits on the floor. As she ran Kagome realized that she didn't have weapon and was still in her pajamas. In her haste she had not grabbed anything. It didn't matter though, whatever it was, it was heading towards Inuyasha. Kagome doubled her efforts to run her fastest through the dense forest.

"But what could it be? I've never been able to sense demons….. And it isn't a jewel shard…..' Kagome made it to the clearing where Inuyasha and froze instantly on the spot. She stared for a moment at the demon standing before her. His silver hair was reflecting the rising sun and his white garments reflected the sunlight which gave him an almost angelic look. Yet his eyes were as icy cold as usual. He had been looking down when she came crashing through the shrubs, but now she had drawn his attention.

"Sesshoumaru…….."

Standing at his fallen brother's side Sesshoumaru was staring blankly at Inuyasha. When Kagome made it through the clearing he looked up.

'Why is he here?' Kagome ran to Inuyasha and shielded his body with her own. "He can't fight right now. Please… don't hurt him."

Sesshoumaru made no attempt to pull her away or even get an explanation. He simply looked down at her and then at his brother's right hand….. The hand that still clutched tessaiga. Kagome noticed this and placed a protective hand on the sword's hilt.

"You can't take it…. You know you can't. It won't let you…." Again Sesshoumaru ignored her. What Kagome wasn't seeing was the radiant pulse that vibrated from tessaiga and collided with another pulse which was originating from Sesshoumaru's belt….. From the tenseiga. His facial expression was calm and nonchalant, but his mind was running at a mile a minute.

'What is this? Why is my idiot brother here? And why does that sword reek of Naraku?'

Inuyasha's human seemed more intent on protecting the filthy hanyou than answering his questions so it was no use to even begin asking her. So then the only one who would know….

After a short moment the dog demon finally spoke. "Why have you summoned me here tessaiga?"

(A/N: Hey all, sorry about the short chapter but I wanted to get the next few events on one chapter and that would have made this one too long. Hope you're all enjoying the story!)