Chapter 19

Authors Note: Read and Review…

Staring at the two it almost looked funny in a disarrayed sort of way. It was more then obvious what had happened, Sango had attempted to kill the demon lord and had done a bit of damage on him, not that she didn't have a scrape on her, oh no they were both a distinctive mess.

Sango's eyes still held anger in them but the pain in her body seemed to be causing her to at least slow down a bit. Her body tail was slowly coming undone and large chunks of her armor were missing, the ribbon slightly torn at the end. Blood trickled down the end of mouth, and sweat buried in her brow. She held Hirakotsu up as more of a cane then an actual weapon; it made Kikyou wonder what the hell Sesshomaru did to her leg. Her leg was bleeding and a bit of bone stuck out of her skin. It was a miracle that as a human she was still standing.

Sesshomaru had lost his armor entirely and he looked a bit light headed. Not really there as if he couldn't remember what could have brought him to such a distraught position, and then Kikyou wondered how could have Sango even got him there? He had one diagonal scratch on his cheek but other then that there weren't any more wounds inflicted upon his body. He looked more tired as if something she had done to him messed him up mentally.

Hirakotsu trembled in the girls arms and she fell to the floor, staring up towards the youkai lord. There were tears in her eyes and she smiled victoriously up at him, even though she looked defeated lying on the ground, she had the attitude of the winner.

"At least…You didn't get to kill Kohaku" She smiled the tears slowly sliding down her face at ease. She had gotten to see her brother for the first time in four years, and she could now die happily if the demon lord had decided to kill her.

Kikyou walked towards them cautiously as Sesshomaru stared down towards Sango, only looking to the side. "He shouldn't have taken Rin"

"He didn't take Rin"

"What?"

"The manor wasn't in any sort of struggle or distraught, Rin left on her own"

There was a silence from the youkai lord as he stared towards Kikyou and then looked down towards Sango.

"You…have my apologies"

Sango looked up in amazement as Sesshomaru began to walk away; Kikyou watched a smile on her face as she kneeled down to Sango gently.

"He's not as bad as he looks, now is he?"

"He's changed…because of you?" Sango whispered staring towards Kikyou in amazement 'And I thought Kagome-chan had power but this…'

Sesshomaru walked back in now, his hand on Kohaku's shoulder, pushing Kohaku forward. Kikyou smiling in agreement as she stared towards Sango, her eyes tearing up as she looked from Kohaku to Kikyou to Sesshomaru and back to Kohaku.

"Kohaku" Kikyou said gently "Your sister has been waiting for so long to be with you, are you ready to be with her?"

"But Naraku…" Kohaku protested tears brimming his eyes, he didn't have the heart to face his sister.

"Kohaku…I was wrong to think that you were to sacrifice yourself. If I had been alive then, I would have saved you despite Naraku because I needed your shard to slay him but not now Kohaku." Her eyes softened as she cupped his cheek in her hand, smiling a small sad smile. "But now I'm alive again and I have more power now then I ever do because I have…" She looked over her shoulder and smiled slowly "I have Sesshomaru"

Kohaku's eyes widened as Kikyou's hand rested amongst his back over the shikon shard as Sesshomaru opened the shard from his back. Kohaku's body fell limp as the shard spilt to the ground, Kohaku's limp body falling into Sango's arms. Her eyes widened in absolute fear, tears brimming her eyes as she watched Sesshomaru draw Tenseiga from his sheath.

It was like magic then watching her brother's body recoil to life in her very arms. It was a strange sight to see the two together like that, crying into each others arms. Rin watched from behind Kikyou and Sesshomaru.

"I'm so happy for you Kohaku-kun" She whispered looking over towards Sesshomaru and Kikyou noticing that there hands were interlocked. She smiled then; maybe too she had time to grow. Maybe they all did even while they were fighting against Naraku. Perhaps there was hope. Kohaku and Sango were the perfect example, and Sesshomaru and Kikyou as well.

Rin closed her eyes, her hands resting against her heart as the memory repeated itself in her head at a dangerously slow speed.

Flashback-Rin's POV+

"Kikyou's alive?" Kohaku said blinking a few times in surprise

"Hai Kohaku-kun!" I said earnestly "Sesshomaru-sama resurrected her with Tenseiga"

"But…her body isn't…is it?"

"No…I'm not sure how it works; never underestimate Sesshomaru-sama's power!" I boasted proudly as Kohaku continued to stare on admiringly, the sun was full up in the side. The day's heat was already working its way in even though it was only morning.

Kohaku seemed to stiffen then looking off into the horizon. "Something's coming…at an incredible speed" He said slowly a shadowed figure was running our way. They were to far away to tell who they were and at the time somewhere inside of me knew it was him.

Kohaku looked boldly his eyes unchanging, he used to tell me he didn't like fighting and that he had never wanted to do it anyway. He wouldn't make a good fighter he told me. But now looking at Kohaku his eyes were ready as if it was some sort of addition to fight now. He had become so used to killing for Naraku he couldn't make sense of anything anymore. I could only wonder if Kohaku ever have a chance to be with his sister.

Sesshomaru jumped then up over us in a steady speed, swiping his poison claws towards us and my heart had seemed to stop. The branch was cut clear in two and I was in his arms, muttering protests as he set me down and lunged back at Kohaku. Kohaku had stabbed his sickle into the tree and swung around onto another branch and jumped towards the ground. His eyes were white with surprise or even fear now, standing with his weapon at his hand.

Sesshomaru ran forward once again his hand pulled back his hand glowing at the tips as he released a whip of light and Kohaku's sickle zoomed to the side. Fear had penetrated every bone in my body when the sickle landed a few feet in front of me. I was scared Sesshomaru was going to kill Kohaku and my voice seemed lost.

"Sesshomaru-sama….stop" It was a whisper, the blood had pounded in my ears and then a boomerang cut straight through the two raising dust and making a wall between the two. Sesshomaru rebounded backwards to avoid being hit and I heard Kohaku's voice whisper in his timid tone. "Annue"

The dirt settled and she stood there over in front of the boy in a slayers outfit that would be identical to Kohaku's, other then the slight difference in color. Her hair was pulled back in a pony tail and it blew wildly to the side, her brown eyes tinted with such ferocity, that I was intimidated by her. But, I was right. She was beautiful, and she was deadly even for a human.

"Damn you to hell" her voice was bitter and she drew the big bone again, Hirakotsu, towards Sesshomaru who merely dodged and lunged towards his new opponent. Sango had jumped backwards throwing some sort of strange powder at him, it was very purple and Kohaku held his gas mask over my face and it was then I noticed that Sango had one on as well.

Sesshomaru looked on a bit stunned as if something terribly painful had happened to him and he stared at her confused as Sango removed her blade and cut diagonally down his cheek. My eyes widened in horror as I went to cry out but the mask made my words inaudible.

Sesshomaru had grabbed her leg then, knocking her off her feet, starting with only a sprain. I was afraid he was to pull her leg off, but he did not. She swiped Hirakotsu from her unreasonable position and he backed again.

The fight began to move on and Kohaku and I were left behind merely forgotten for the time being. Or perhaps they had moved on account of us, I'm not sure how Sesshomaru-sama had tore Sango's leg up so bad but seeing it from when Kohaku and I met them at the manor, I was shocked.

We had went through the back door, when Sesshomaru had left from Kikyou and Sango we had heard him come, hiding behind the wall like a bunch of bad children and he had brought out Kohaku and I followed by.

End flashback+

It wasn't long after the memory was over that Rin was feeling light headed and that everyone around her, the tears had stopped and that was the end. It was as if everyone was lost for words but it was to be as expected. Rin glanced to the side for a long time after that…and then she glanced towards Sesshomaru almost in a hesitant way. The words only audible to the his demon ears.

"What happened…to Inuyasha?"

XoXoX

"It wasn't like that Kagome!" Inuyasha said annoyed the girl lying on her stomach on her sleeping bag, Miroku looking to the side quietly allowing the two to finish their fight out cleanly. There was no use stopping it.

"Look I heard what you said loud an clear okay!" She berried her head in her hands, did he want her to break down and cry? If so he was close to succeeding.

Inuyasha sighed aggravated looking to the side. "Gods Kagome you never believe me"

Her head snapped up, the tears free in her eyes. "How can I Inuyasha? Answer me that! When you can't even tell me if you love me or not!" She turned away. "It doesn't matter…I'm always going to be jealous of Kikyou…because I love you" She sniffed a bit. "Why do I have to love you?" 'I don't want to anymore…'

Inuyasha's eyes softened, "I said what I said to Sesshomaru because…I didn't want him to kill you Kagome." His voice softened to the point where she even looked surprised and the wind blew his hair to the side in a tender gust. "He was right there Kagome and I…it would have been my entire fault…I had to protect you Kagome…and you know he didn't believe me, Kagome…you've been by my side since…" He couldn't go on. He just turned around his back towards her.

"Inuyasha do you love me or not?" Her voice sounded m much calmer then I intended. "If you've don't I've accepted it but Inuyasha I can't keep…"

"Shut up! You know I love you okay? You don't have to sound like your just waiting for me to say I don't!" Inuyasha's face was scarlet and she couldn't tell if it was more embarrassment or anger.

Her eyes burned with tears again and she cried out of relief.

Inuyasha's eyes widened in alarm, panic feeling his body. "What! What are you crying for?" He screamed staring towards Miroku for help. Miroku just shook his head staring down towards the weeping Kagome and then up to Inuyasha. "People cry for other reasons then sadness"

Miroku smiled shutting his eyes, the view of his demon slayer excepting his proposal, the tear that had slid down her face in solitary confinement before her hands clasped with his.

Inuyasha's eyes softened slightly. 'Maybe Kikyou's right…it's time to move on' His arms gently slid around Kagome and he buried his head in the side of her neck. "I'm sorry…I should have let you know sooner…I just couldn't move on…" Her sobs slowly died off as she laid in his arms, but Rin's scream still echoed out through Inuyasha's mind and he wondered only mentally if he'd ever be redeemed from this foreign hell.

Authors note: Well? Read and Review!