A/N: This is a very important chapter in the development of the story… However, it might be a bit difficult to follow since Kagome is well… insane. Just ask if you need clarification on anything and my next series of review responses will answer any questions that I can reveal.

By the way, forgive the stupid italicizing errors in the flashback… I really don't know how to fix it.

The Broken Miko

Chapter 6: Inuyasha's Grave

"Okay… Let's see… I spy with my little eye… Something that's… red!"

"My ears?"

"No fair."

"Hey, you're the one that made it too easy. My turn. I spy with my little eye…"

"Quiet, both of you," snapped the taiyoukai in front of them. This had continued since morning and his infinite patience was running thin. He couldn't believe that he suffered through five long months of imprisonment only to take up company with these two. He almost missed the boar youkai.

"Something that's tall and grumpy."

"Lord Sesshoumaru!"

"See? You get easy ones too!" Kagome grinned at the eagle child.

Washi laughed as he trotted next to her, trying not to stumble over the roots arching across the pathway.

He was truly amazed. Yesterday, after leaving the village, the young woman had allowed him to walk by her side. She even silently offered him some of her dinner. Today, she was chatting and joking with him. The child knew he should question the reason behind her sudden change in attitude, but he feared that it would break the spell.

Granted, it was probably because she was insane. No one else could flow from the extremes of sarcastic, to silent, to cheerful all within a day. No one except his new mother.

He reached up and grasped the hanyou's hand, noticing her callused skin. She looked down in surprise, but didn't pull away. "Is there something you needed, kid?" she asked, not placing her usual heat into the unoriginal nickname.

"Do you think those people are going to come after us? From the village?"

"Why? Does your wound still hurt?" she asked, instead of answering his question.

"Nah." He rubbed at his temple, where a few of Kagome's modern era bandages clung to his skin. The strange object had first earned several suspicious glances from both him and the taiyoukai, but eventually he acquiesced. Now he wore it almost as a badge of honor from the fight. "But do you think they'll follow us?" he repeated.

Kagome shook her head. "No."

She really didn't want to think about those horrible people they had left behind the previous day. After all, she had spent the last twelve hours doing just that.

First, she thought about Inuyasha, by far the most painful part of the process. She had met other hanyous beside him, and she thought she realized their anguish at being torn between two worlds. But now, after six months of suffering in their proverbial shoes, Kagome knew that her empathy for Inuyasha, Jinenji and the others didn't even touch on their true feelings of being an outcast.

Yesterday had been the culmination of that knowledge. It all made sense now. Every time Inuyasha shied away from her touch, the emotional scars and the scathing tone he acquired when anyone asked about his feelings. That was just years and years of being thrown out of general society.

Would she eventually transform into that? Perhaps she already had. Kagome wasn't stupid. She knew that she had changed drastically since her physical change into a hanyou. But she didn't want to become a cold-hearted fish, like the taiyoukai that walked before her.

That was what led to her second point of pondering for the night. It was an issue that, although less painful, had kept her awake all night.

As the moon had climbed in the inky sky, Kagome had watched the small demon sleep. He had helped her, despite the danger and despite her appalling behavior towards him. Moreover, she had accepted the child's help.

The remainder of the night was spent considering her options. She had thanked the child in her own way; she allowed him to walk beside her and she gave him some of her hard-earned food. But somehow, that wasn't enough. That surprised her. During the last six months, she gave as she got. No one owed her favors and she didn't owe any either. It was the way she liked it.

But she felt a strong, strange desire to open her heart to Washi. It went completely against her baser instincts. In the end, she settled on a compromise. The child was just that: a child. He was not hers to care for, nor would he ever be. But she was willing to treat him as a young friend. Kagome just hoped her heart would stick to the promise.

During Kagome's silence, Washi was considering the shortness of the hanyou's answer. Clearly, that wasn't meant to be the topic of choice. He tried again. "Why are you a dog hanyou?" His face was completely serious.

She laughed a bit at his candid and random question. "Why shouldn't I be a inu hanyou?"

Sesshoumaru pricked up his ears to hear the conversation taking place behind him. It was a question he had often wondered about as well. The girl still presented him with a mystery and he was determined to solve it.

Washi shrugged. "You seem more like you would be a cat." He easily could imagine the girl with the almond-shaped cat eyes and rust-colored hair. Her red streaks seemed like she had bathed in blood.

Brief anguish flashed through Kagome's eyes, but neither male noticed. "Yeah, I've been told that before. To tell you the truth, I don't know why the Jewel chose to make me an inu hanyou. Perhaps I was thinking of Inuyasha during my wish." She gently touched her crimson ears, which seemed to twitch of their own accord.

"That would explain your more irritating qualities," spoke up Sesshoumaru with a scathing tone. But his insult mainly served to hide his surprise. Surely he wasn't travelling with his reincarnated brother? He quickly dismissed this disturbing thought. The girl's mandarin scent didn't even relate to Inuyasha's, not to mention that she had always annoyed him. It wasn't a recent development. He glanced over his shoulder to see the red triangles topping her head. On the other hand…

"Feh. Your kindness overwhelms me, Sesshoumaru. Wait… I have less irritating qualities? Ones that you don't mind so much maybe?" A wicked smile crossed her face.

"Your entire being irritates me, wench. Make no mistake about that. Yet you use his words, you behave irrationally and we both reserve a deep hatred for the other. It leads one to believe that the Jewel made you more like Inuyasha than just physical attributes."

Kagome pulled a few leaves off a nearby tree and stared at them as her fingers tore them to shreds. "For one thing, you know why I act so strangely. I would love to see you as a half-demon and survive without going a little crackers."

He arched an eyebrow and immediately decided that he had been right. Had the girl taken possession of Inuyasha's soul, she would be brandishing Tetsusaiga by now. "I would never lower myself to that level."

"Yeah, just wait until I find a decent spell," she muttered, brushing away the tiny green flakes that now covered her fingers.

Sesshoumaru stopped, turned and gave the girl a stern look. "Doubtful, but I believe you were prattling about the reasons you are not similar to my late brother."

The hanyou rolled her eyes. "I was just going to say that I hate you because you tried to kill me and my friends several times."

"You were in my way."

Kagome closed her eyes and waved her arm in a dismissing fashion. "No, no. You're supposed to tell me that you hated us for very silly reasons and we should just start over and forget that it ever happened."

"I will do no such thing."

"I know, I just wanted to put it out there in case you had a change of heart or something." She leaned forward and poked him in the chest. "But I don't think you even have a heart at all."

He captured her hand and pushed it away from his body. "Not one that any piece of filth like you could touch."

"Someday you'll make some demoness very unhappy, Sesshoumaru."

"Mates are for providing heirs and nothing more." The taiyoukai turned his back on her and began walking towards Kaede's village once again. The faint scent of the old woman's town was beginning to fill Sesshoumaru's senses and he knew they would reach it before nightfall. He suspected the girl would become quiet and melancholy once again as soon as she caught the scent.

"Nice attitude about women," Kagome huffed as she and Washi moved to follow him. "I'm very glad that Inuyasha didn't ask for any love advice from you."

Unseen by the girl, Sesshoumaru smirked. He remembered the day that Inuyasha did come to him for advice about women. Before the half-breed met either miko, he had asked the taiyoukai about his options. Demoness or human? Or should he wait and watch for a hanyou like himself? At the time, Inuyasha had actually been concerned about the bloodline of their father.

The inuyoukai had told his brother the same thing he had just told the girl. Females existed to give their mates an heir, nothing more and nothing less. A female that did different should be killed to make room for a new mate.

Unfortunately for his little brother, he hadn't taken Sesshoumaru's advice. Instead, he became embroiled in a ridiculous love triangle, torn between two versions of the same soul. He didn't even try to ensnare a demoness that would be willing to breed with a mongrel.

As for himself, Sesshoumaru realized that with his brother dead, the need for an heir had increased tenfold. Only a demon with Inutaisho's blood could rule the restless Western Lands. Perhaps he would begin his search once he ensured that his property was safe and under his care. There were several candidates in his own court, although once his intentions were known, the other lords were bound to suggest their own daughters, cousins and sisters.

He would just have to make sure the female wasn't nearly as exasperating as the hanyou with him at the moment.

Behind him, Washi peered up at Kagome's face. In the last few minutes, it had slowly shifted to an expression of deep pain. He knew that she was beginning to recognize the terrain. They were clearly closing in on the site of the graves. Every step of hers was more and more reluctant. He had to make her happy again. "Hey, Kagome. Could I ask a question?" He grasped her hand once again.

"Um, sure, kiddo."

He grinned at the modification of his nickname, but quickly became serious in case she took offense to his prying. "I was just wondering if you'd tell me about Inuyasha and what he was like."

Her breath definitely hitched for a moment, but she recovered quite nicely. Unlike Sesshoumaru, Kagome knew that Washi was asking with genuine concern. Perhaps recalling a few good memories would take her mind off the depression that lay ahead at his gravesite. "Um, okay. What do you want to know?"

Her agreement surprised the eagle child, but he hid it carefully. "How did you meet?" Washi asked, trying to keep it safe.

"Well, Inuyasha was pinned to a tree for fifty years by a spell. I freed him when I needed his help destroying a centipede demon that was after me and the Shikon no Tama." She laughed softly at the memory. "He was such a jerk and even threatened to kill me when he found out I had the Jewel. That was the thanks I got! But after some running, some yelling and a little subduing spell, we became travelling companions."

Washi smiled up at her, pleased to see the small smirk on her face. He doubted that the subduing spell was really that 'little'. "So he was mean?"

"Only at first. Well… he was always kind of rough around the edges, but that's what made him Inuyasha. That's what I fell in love with." She pushed all thought out of her head, determined not to dwell on anything. She would simply answer the child's questions, nothing more.

But before he got to his third query, a distinct scent hit the girl's nose.

"No! Not here!" she whispered, lifting a hand to her mouth.

Wrenching away from Washi's grasp, she began to run at full speed through the forest.

"Wench!"

She ignored Sesshoumaru's angry call and the branches that scraped her body as she ran. Green and brown blurred together as she flew through the foliage. Birds and squirrels stopped their movements to watch the odd girl.

Tears began to stream down her face. Tears of fear and anger.

'Why? Why now?' she thought in fury. 'Haven't I suffered enough? Can't anyone leave well enough alone?'

She sensed two demon auras following her and she desperately wished that they would leave her alone. If it was as she feared, Kagome didn't want to explain it to them.

"What are you doing, you irritating wench?" Sesshoumaru hissed as he caught up with her. He expertly matched his speed to hers and glanced upwards to see flashes of Washi flying over the treetops.

"Never mind. Leave me alone," she breathed, already winded from the shock of the scent in the air. It was definitely growing stronger as she drew closer to Kaede's village.

He remained by her side however, as she sped through the forest, no matter how much she wanted him gone.

Finally, they broke through the tree line into the clearing surrounding the God Tree.

There was no mistake. The scent was strongest here.

Kagome rushed forward towards the five graves at the base of the sacred tree. One for each of her fallen friends, with Inuyasha in the center directly below where she had freed him from his fifty year sleep. She had buried their ashes deep in the ground, with small markers at the head of each mound, mixing traditional and contemporary burial practices.

Sesshoumaru paused at the edge of the clearing and felt Washi settle on the ground behind him. The child was breathing very hard from his arduous flight, but it hitched when he saw what the female hanyou was doing.

"No… no… no…" she muttered over and over as she circled Inuyasha particular grave.

Finally she fell to her knees and began… to dig.

The taiyoukai moved forward and sniffed the air. Unbelievably, he could not smell what the hanyou so clearly could. Dirt and grass, that was all besides the scents of his companions and the village.

He watched as the girl desecrated the grave of the one that she claimed to love. He finally decided to step in. "Stop this."

She didn't seem to listen, something that irked the demon to no end. The girl continued to dig, kneeling and throwing the dirt to either side of her.

Washi fluttered forward. "Kagome! What're you looking for?"

Briefly, her liquid brown eyes met his, but they quickly returned to her task. She continued to mutter 'no' repeatedly.

"She is insane," commented Sesshoumaru and he moved forward to fetch the eagle child. The boy looked up at him in pain, not wanting to leave the girl's side.

"Please, can't we stay? Something's wrong!"

"No. We will…" he trailed off as he drew closer.

And suddenly, the taiyoukai understood. He had smelled the very thing that Kagome was going so crazy over. The scent of dirt and grass but not of his brother's ashes. The grave had been defiled before this day. The earth had been overturned. Despite her digging, they both knew that no urn would be found among the roots of the God Tree.

He walked to each of the other four graves. Each possessed trace aromas of the fire that burned their flesh and bones and even the smallest hint of their scents from when they lived. Their remains were still buried beneath the dark earth. Only Inuyasha was missing.

Nearby, Kagome was crying again. Her fingers bleed from her frenzied excavation and dripped into the hole that was now five feet deep. "I buried him right there," she wept, pointing to a place beside a large root. "Where is he? Where is he?"

Washi crept to her side and placed a talon-tipped hand on her shoulder. "We'll find him, Kagome."

His concerned emerald eyes were only met with cold brown ones. The light in them had died and Washi was, for a moment, afraid. Quickly, he felt the sting of Kagome's claws as she hit his wrist away. "Stop it! You're not Shippo!" She stood up and towered over him. "Go away! Stop trying to comfort me! That's not your job! He's gone! He's gone!"

The boy cradled his injured wrist to his stomach and tucked his chin to his chest. He wasn't sure who she was crying about now: Inuyasha, Shippo, or both. He was sure that apologies would not be taken too well.

Kagome jumped into the hole she had created and pressed her hands the sides. "Where did you go, my love? Why did you leave me?" Leaning forward, she rested her forehead against the dirt wall, making it smudge against her skin. "Sometimes I hate you," she whispered. "You didn't have to leave me."

Sesshoumaru stood at the edge of the open grave, watching and listening to the girl. "What has happened here?" he asked. As much as he had detested his brother, anyone that defiled his grave was not an ally.

Furious eyes met his. "You aren't him! Go away, you imposter!" she screamed, pointing her bloodied finger at the taiyoukai that was robed in red. "Don't you dare try to replace him!"

The dog demon growled softly. He was very tired of being compared to his worthless half-brother. Reaching down into the pit, he grasped the girl's wrist tightly and pulled her out, ignoring her squeak of protest. Before she could swipe at him, he set her onto the ground. "It would be prudent to ask the old miko about this. My brother's ashes may have been moved for a legitimate reason."

Kagome shook her head violently, clasping her hands together and hunching over. "No… no… no… Not here… Why did you leave me, Inuyasha? How could you? Again… Again… Not again." She moved her brown eyes to glance at Shippo's grave. "You're still here, little fox. Why won't you talk to me?"

"You are tiresome," the taiyoukai muttered. He glanced over the miko's body to the eagle child. "Are you injured?"

"I… I think I'm alright. She startled me more than anything," he answered, holding out his wrist and rotating it a few times. He stood up and stretched his wings. "What about her?"

Sesshoumaru swept his eyes over the weakling hanyou. Although the tips of her fingers were the worst, the girl was covered in scratches and splinters from her escapade through the forest. "We will take her to the old miko. She will take the girl, perhaps permanently if her state of mind continues in this fashion."

Washi nodded and cautiously stepped forward. "I think she's calmed down a little."

"She is in shock. Take her hand and lead her to the village." He turned and began walking towards the putrid scents of the human settlement. What lengths he went to for this despicable half-breed!

The boy gently wrapped his hand around Kagome's wrist, careful not to touch her self-inflicted wounds. "Come on, Kagome," he said softly as he pulled her forward.

Deadened eyes flickered to the child and then back to the dirt-covered ground as she began to follow him. The only noise she made was a quiet whimper as she lost sight of the graves.

It took them quite awhile to reach Kaede's village, since the girl would not move faster than a slow shuffle. Many times Sesshoumaru considered slinging her over his shoulder so they could go faster, but decided that he smelled of half-breed enough as it was.

Finally, he mounted the two steps into Kaede's home, pushing aside the mat that covered the doorway. The old woman was sitting next to the fire, stirring a foul-smelling stew full of broth and rice. He suppressed a shudder.

"Hello to ye, Lord Sesshoumaru," she murmured without looking up.

The taiyoukai nodded his greeting and waited a moment for Washi to enter with Kagome.

When the girl came into the hut, Kaede frowned and went to her side as quickly as her old bones would allow. She had been concerned for Kagome the entire time she had known her. First, she wondered if she would survive in the Feudal Era, a worry that the human quickly squashed. Then, the old miko worried about the young girl's heart. And now… now the girl was really no longer a girl. She was a hanyou who had been through more than anyone should suffer.

The old woman nodded to the eagle child and made the hanyou sit by the fire. As she studied the wounds on her hands and elsewhere, she questioned the taiyoukai. "What has happened to the girl?"

"She became hysterical upon learning that Inuyasha's grave no longer holds his ashes. She dug into the grave with her bare hands to confirm her fears."

If Kaede heard him, she had no reaction. She turned Kagome's hands over and frowned when she saw that dirt had worked its way into her injuries. She stood up and took the soup off the fire. Fetching another pot, she turned to the young demon. "Child, would ye get some water from the well? It is in the center of town. If ye can't reach it, someone will help ye."

Washi nodded and scampered out.

The old woman watched Sesshoumaru's eyebrows arch. "Do not ye worry. No villager would harm a friend of Kagome's." She sat beside the hanyou once more. "So the grave is Inuyasha is empty, hmm?"

"Defiled and robbed. I would like to know who has done this."

"Inuyasha made a great number of enemies in his life and some were not dispatched by his sword. There are several that would have the capability to do such a thing. Ye did not smell anything?"

The taiyoukai shook his head slightly, his long hair whispering against the burgundy silk.

"This does not bode well. Whoever did this intends to use Inuyasha's ashes for an evil purpose. Perhaps they want to resurrect him, and a powerful hanyou like that would be a difficult foe." She turned her head to look at Kagome, who was now silently and gently rocking back and forth. "When this happened to my sister, Kikyo's, grave…"

"No!" screamed Kagome, slamming her hands down onto the floorboards. She looked up at Sesshoumaru. "Why did you do it? Why did you leave me?"

The dog demon glared at the girl, while Kaede unsuccessfully tried to calm her down.

"I've got the water," announced Washi as he re-entered the hut. One glance at the three tense occupants of the room brought a deep frown to his face. "What's happening?"

Kagome's eyes flashed to the boy and she burst into tears. "Oh, Shippo! What did you think you were doing? Don't do it… Don't fight that witch! She's killed before and she'll do it again! Please don't die… Please don't die!" Her cries softened into a continuous murmur.

Washi edged around the fire pit and handed the full pot to Kaede, who quickly put it on the fire. "What's she talking about?" he asked.

"In some ways, ye look much like her young friend, Shippo. He died in the final battle with Naraku," the old miko answered. She sighed in sadness as she stood to retrieve cloth to clean Kagome's wounds.

"I know," the boy said softly. "What happened to him? I mean, she only calls me Shippo when I'm doing something for her. Did the kitsune sacrifice himself?"

"That he did, child. She would never tell me the details, but I believe the fox must have taken on a formidable foe and died before Kagome could say two words."

"That's what she told us, pretty much," responded Washi. "There's got to be something else."

"Perhaps ye are right," murmured Kaede as she bent over Kagome's hands, using the warm water to clean away the blood and dirt. "She has splinters everywhere."

"She ran through the woods," explained Washi.

The old miko looked up at Sesshoumaru, who had been standing there in silence. "I am getting on in years, but ye have sharp claws and good eyesight still. Would ye assist this old woman in getting out Kagome's splinters? Some are buried deep."

The taiyoukai inwardly sighed and sat down to attend the girl's injuries. He couldn't have the old bat harming the wench if she did recover enough to continue on her mission. The girl unfortunately had worn her miko clothing, allowing splinters to wedge their way under the fabric and into her skin.

He waited until Kaede had finished bandaging the girl's right hand before unraveling his tail from his shoulder. Deftly, he wrapped the tip around the hanyou's wrist, holding it into place as he used his one arm to push up the white sleeve. Each time he found a small shard of wood, he used the tip of his claw to cut an incision and pull it out.

Her eyes met his several times and he was disturbed to see that they held no life. It was like looking at a corpse. They spoke the same words time after time.

"Inuyasha?" It was the only moment when a light appeared in her gaze.

"No."

"Where is he?"

"Dead." Every time he responded this way, her eyes would die again.

Caring for the hanyou's wounds was a rather long and tedious process and by the time they were done, Washi was dozing in the corner.

"What is the child's name?" Kaede asked softly, as she finished inspecting their work.

"Washi."

"An orphan like Shippo?"

"Yes."

The old miko nodded. "His eyes are almost the copy of the young kitsune's."

"I remember."

Kaede went to the demon child and gently shook him awake. "Child, I think we need your help."

Washi's eyes opened immediately. "Help? What can I do?"

She took his hand and led him over to Kagome's still form. "Talk to her. I believe the girl needs a shoulder to cry on."

The boy clambered into the hanyou's lap and turned his startling green orbs up to the girl. She moved her head towards him, but her eyes stared right through him. "Kagome? Are you there? Do you know who I am? It's Washi. Remember?"

"Shippo doesn't talk to me anymore," she murmured in return.

His eyes softened and he curled his arms around her wrist. "I know, Kagome. Listen, okay? You need to get better. We'll figure it out. We'll find out where Inuyasha's ashes went."

"Inuyasha!" she whispered.

"It might be best if ye avoid that subject. Talk to her normally," suggested Kaede. She had been there when Kagome returned from the final battle. She had already made her wish and already wore Tetsusaiga by her side. The old miko remembered Kagome's anger towards those that had killed her friends, a consuming fury that prevented them from discussing what had happened. The only clue was that the new hanyou seemed to be angry at her deceased lover. Provoking a demon that wasn't exactly lucid would get them nowhere.

"Okay," he agreed, keeping his eyes on the young miko. "Kagome. Remember when you met me? I hugged you and you told me to go away. But look at us now! You were being so nice to me today. Will you talk to me?"

She didn't answer.

"Well, I'm going to talk to you, Kagome. Is that okay?" He looked around, searching for a topic of a one-sided conversation. The taiyoukai and elderly miko sat on opposite sides of the room, their attention on the hanyou. They weren't being much help. "Guess what, Kagome? I think my cut is getting better. You really did well taking care of me!"

Her eyes focused on the boy's face and the bandage that covered the wound left by the villagers. Lifting a hand to the white patch, she gave him a small smile. "Shippo, what did you do this time?"

Washi's heart constricted for a moment, but he immediately forgave her for the mistake. He touched her clawed hand that was brushing across the gauze. "I'm okay, Mama. Remember? That lady hurt me, but I'm fine now."

Kagome's eyes flared to life and the eagle found himself in the midst of a bone-crushing embrace. "No! I won't let her get you!"

Sesshoumaru moved forward, aware of the spike of fear in Washi's scent, but the hanyou leapt away. She cowered in the corner of the hut, holding the child tightly to her chest. His green eyes were wide with surprise, but he seemed relatively safe. The taiyoukai stopped and remained a few feet away.

"He's mine to protect! Don't you dare try to touch him!"

Kaede frowned. "No one is trying to take him away from ye, Kagome."

"Yes, she is! She hates him!" She paused, breathing hard and pushing sweaty locks out of her eyes. "Or does she hate me? Who knows… But I won't let him die!"

Washi twisted his head as much as the hanyou would allow, so that he could look at her. "I'm here and alive, Kagome. Don't worry."

The girl's breathing evened out slightly. "Shippo?"

"I'm okay, Mama," he assured her. "You can let go now, if you want. I'm safe here. We both are."

Her arms loosened and fell to her sides, although her chocolate brown eyes remained trained on the boy. The fury and fear was now replaced by deep, soul-searing anguish. "But you aren't, Shippo. You died. You're dead. Aren't you?"

Washi hesitated.

"Answer her," intoned Sesshoumaru from behind him. "The truth."

The demon child reached up and wrapped his arms around the hanyou's neck. "He is dead, Kagome. But he loved you."

The girl was sobbing again. "But I didn't protect him… I let him die."

"I'm sure you didn't, Kagome. You protected him very well. Sometimes bad things happen."

Kaede watched this exchange with a pain carving itself through her heart. It was as if the last six months had never happened, like the hanyou had just returned from that battle and was just coming to terms with her loss. The disappearance of Inuyasha's ashes must have reawakened her sorrow. "Ask the girl what happened that day, child. Kagome must let it out."

Washi nodded and smiled softly at the young woman. "Mama, will you tell us?"

It took a couple repetitions for her to understand what they wanted. After a few moments, the girl wiped her tears away and spoke in halting phrases

She watched as Kirara's large white body fell to the ground. The demon that had killed her leaned over to lick the fire cat's wounds, lapping up the red liquid as if he had been starved before the battle.

"Kirara!" called Shippo. His claws dug into her shoulder and salty tears dripped onto her neck and chest.

She wanted to comfort the kitsune, but she didn't even have the time to mourn for the dead cat demon. A thick cloud of dust covered the battlefield, preventing her from seeing anything more than ten yards away. In order to stay alive, the girl had to stay aware of her surroundings.

But only when the fox demon leapt down from her shoulder did the girl realize the danger they were in. Without the fire cat, demon exterminator and monk, the odds were stacked heavily against them.

"Shippo! No! Where are you going?" she screamed, running after the scampering child.

"I have to protect her! She was my friend!"

"Shippo!"

"Fox fire!" he yelled as he closed in on the youkai devouring Kirara's body. The blue fire singed the worm demon's skin, causing it to yelp in pain and move away into the dusty mist.

"Oh, thank Kami-sama," muttered the girl as she reclaimed Shippo. "Don't do that to me! We're in danger here! Inuyasha told us to stay back!"

A scorching pain hit her back and she dropped the kitsune as she fell to her knees.

"Kagome!"

The girl looked around, but didn't see what had injured her. The carnage surrounding them hid all traces of any attack. As she turned back to the fox child, she noticed a hazy figure coming towards them. Shippo's back was to it however, as he fussed over his adoptive mother. He was oblivious to the danger.

"Run, Shippo!" she breathed as she watched a large demon emerge from the dust cloud. It was one of Naraku's many mindless minions.

"Come with me!"

"Go!" she yelled, feeling pain shoot through her back again from the simple act of raising her voice. There was no way she could move. Her only option was to purify the youkai by touch. "I'll be fine. I promise."

The kitsune nodded and scampered away, leaving the field open for the injured girl to fight the youkai. The battle was extremely brief, considering the sheer size of the youkai. But it had been all brawn and no brain. She simply reached out and touched the creature's foot, before it could even snarl. Its ashes fell down like rain onto her black-haired head.

Just as the girl was about to smile in triumph, a shriek of pain reached her ears. It was Shippo. She dragged herself to face the scream, whimpering as her back protested. Searing pain jolted up and down her spine, making her vision blur and dance.

The last thing the girl saw before losing consciousness was the dead body of her adopted child and his murderer towering over him.

Kagome hiccuped a few times as she finished her story and buried her fingers into Washi's soft feathered wings as she began to sob.

The little boy in her arms allowed her to cry herself out before speaking. "Mama?"

The hanyou's head jerked up and she peered at the child. It was as if a haze had lifted from her mind. A dark spot in her heart had been revealed and taken out, so that the hole could truly begin to mend. "Washi?"

He gave her a small smile. "You're back. I'm glad. We were worried about you."

"I was not," intoned Sesshoumaru from across the room. Annoyance welled up within him. Clearly, the girl's story had something to do with Inuyasha's ashes, but she did not disclose the identity of the kitsune's killer.

The girl ignored the taiyoukai and smiled at the eagle child, although her eyes were still red from crying. "I'm sorry, kiddo. I guess I just lost it when I found that empty grave. But I feel better now. Not completely, but I'm getting there." Her eyes moved to his back, where her fingers still disappeared under the layers of feathers. "Oh! Am I hurting you?"

When she went to move her hands, the boy stopped her. "No, it's fine. As long as you don't pull any of them out, it feels kind of nice." He snuggled next to her stomach as Kagome gently rubbed the sore joints of his wings. He had never flown so fast and so far before the chase she gave them earlier that day.

Sesshoumaru rolled his eyes at the flowery banter. "Wench, tell us who killed the kitsune. It is the same demon who stole my brother's ashes, is it not?"

Kagome's face darkened, but she didn't stop her ministrations to Washi's wings. "They are one and the same."

Kaede leaned forward. "Then tell us, child. Do not worry, we will undo any damage this demon intends to inflict upon ye."

"That's just it, Kaede," the hanyou answered, her voice becoming hard as steel. "It wasn't a demon. It was Kikyo."

A/N: I'm sure you guys weren't too surprised, but eh… It can't all be twists and turns, can it? Well, hopefully the next chapter will make things a bit clearer (such as Kikyo's motivations and suchlike)… This and the next chapter are very important! So, I say again, if you have any questions, just ask! I'll try and answer them.

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