A/N: I know that the last chapter was a little weird for everyone, but it was weird for me too. I really did think that up off the top of my head. I'm not sitting at home mapping out my story. Sometimes my friends will walk up to me and say, "I can't wait to see what happens!" Then I'll say, "Really? Me too." I came up with the idea for the end of the last chapter while I was in the middle of chapter fifteen. It occurred to me that I would have to end the story soon, unless I changed the plot so that it was just the beginning. That's when the idea hit me. So, enough of that! On the to the next chapter!

InuYasha sat in silence while resting in the hut he had constructed after his children were born. He built it next to the old well, somehow secretly wishing that Kagome would climb out one day and everything would be the same. He knew, however, that he would just keep wishing in vain. Kagome was gone and would never come back. Everyday he would admit that bitterly to himself, but in the end he found that he was still conjuring up some shred of hope and instilling it in his mind, only to have it torn from him the following day.

InuYasha glanced at his two children through misty eyes as they lay sleeping beside him. He always kept them close, knowing that they were all he had to live for. He sighed, thinking about the story he had been telling them for three years, the story of their mother. Each time he would tell it there would be no ending. He could not bring himself to finish it, to inform them of the horror that took place that day.

Flashback

"What is it, Kagome?" InuYasha asked, urgency molded into his voice.

She had spoken his name, but no other words escaped her lips. Her eyes were shut tightly, though her body remained limp. Her skin seemed to be turning translucent, almost transparent. She began to scream abrasively as her form slowly faded away.

InuYasha's body went rigid. 'She's disappearing!' his mind screamed. 'I can't stop it!' He reached out to touch Kagome, but was unable to grasp her. It was like he was trying to touch some inanimate object, a goal that was unreachable. He didn't want to lose her. She was so sweet and self-effacing. How could he give that up?

InuYasha continued to reach for her until there was nothing left, but her blood on his hands. 'She's gone,' he realized, staring at his hands.

"Your red palms will be her saviors in the end. The descendants will see to that," Kikyo's voice said in his darkness.

End flashback

"I miss her so much," InuYasha said to himself. He could still see an image of her tucked in the very back of his mind under lock and key. That mirage crept its way into his dreams as he slept, and blinded him when he awoke. He often wondered how he had managed to live without her presence because she was all he could think about, dream about. Nothing in this world compared to her, except…

InuYasha's gaze averted to his subtle children. He smiled. They were the only reason his normal emotionless state could make a sudden turn. Without them, he would be nothing but an empty shell, though he apprehended that he often took them for granted.

His mind began to come alive with ideas of his lost love, like every night before. He had the strangest feeling that she was still alive, and all he had to do was search for her. InuYasha turned his head back to the twins, knowing that it would be impossible to find her. He couldn't just leave the two of them, and he didn't want to endanger them more by bringing them along. He glanced at his son, who stirred slightly.

He jerked up, turning to his father. "I had a bad dream," he said shakily, scooting closer, his raven hair in a disheveled manner.

InuYasha held the child close. "There's nothin' to be scared of, Kyo," he soothed. " I would never let anything happen to you."

"I know that, Daddy, but it was really scary. She disappeared."

InuYasha's eyes widened as he turned his head to look at his son. "Who disappeared?" he asked in an insistent tone.

"She was screaming. It wouldn't stop. My ears are still ringing. There was blood. It was so scary." Kyo was sobbing uncontrollably into his father's chest.

InuYasha just stared. What was he supposed to say to this? It sounded so much like the end of the unfinished story. Could it be that somewhere in his mind, Kyo remembered that event clearly? Somehow he must have never forgotten this memory, though it was impossible for Kyo to remember that it was his.

"Quit cryin', you baby," mumbled the lump in the corner of the room. "I'm trying to sleep." A young girl emerged from the bundle, glaring at Kyo with her amber eyes.

"Shut-up Kiana!" Kyo said coarsely.

InuYasha silenced them. "That's enough you two. Both of you go to sleep."

(00000000000000000)

'InuYasha….'

His head wrenched up, hearing his name called in a hushed whisper, almost silent. His eyes darted back and forth as his hair began to stand of end. 'Who was that?' he asked himself. 'The voice seems so familiar and at the same time, so different.' He knew that he had probably imagined it, being that it was late at night and he was suffering from lack of sleep.

'InuYasha…' The voice seemed more adamant this time with its unrelenting tone.

'How can I feel so safe and calm when I don't know what this is?' This thought completely baffled him to the point where it consumed his mind. 'Why do I feel like I know the voice inside and out? It doesn't make sense.'

'InuYasha, I'm here. Don't forget….'

InuYasha was brought to an abrupt revelation. "Kagome," he said quietly into the darkness of the room. "I hear you, but I don't know what you're saying."

'Don't forget…'

"Forget what? What are you trying to tell me?"

'My blood was on your hands, but have you kept it there? Do you remember? My life was yours, but is it still? Remember my blood, my life, my salvation.'

InuYasha did not hear her voice again after that moment. He spent the rest of the night with his mind dwelling on her. All the unkempt thoughts of her disappearance came flooding back, but his mind was blind to her words.

A/N: I know, short chapter, but give me a break. I'm very tired. Anyway, the real plot is unfolding now, or at least I think it is. I can honestly say I have absolutely no clue what's going to happen next. I'll update when I can think of something. Hopefully that won't be too long. I know you all had questions about how old the kids were and stuff, but all that will be answered in the next chapter, so keep reading.