"Inuyasha look out!" Kagome yelled, shooting her last arrow. It blazed light blue in the sky before falling just short of the demon. The demon spied her failed attempt and seeing a free and open target moved swiftly around Inuyasha.
"Oh no you don't!" Inuyasha jumped in front of the defenseless girl, chopping off the demon's tentacle with his sword Tetsusaiga. "Get out of here-stay back" he turned his back to her and faced the demon again.
Kagome retreated, close to Miroku. "Stay back Kagome, that demon senses your Jewel Shards and will stop at nothing to get them." He loosened the rosary around his hand that kept the Air Void at bay and in control. He didn't like to use it often, but as a last resort it ended any battle quickly. The Air Void was a curse placed on the men in his family by the arch-demon Naraku and only when Naraku was destroyed would the Air Void disappear. Kagome watched helplessly from behind the monk as Inuyasha barely managed to avoid the demon's strikes. "Oh no he's getting tired really fast." She thought. "Wait, where's Sango?" she asked Miroku. He shrugged and leaned more on his monk's staff, paying close attention to his friend fighting, watching too as Inuyasha grew tired and slower.
" Hand over the Shards and I'll let you all live." the demon boomed.
"Never! I'd rather we all die than lose the Jewel Shards." Inuyasha panted. Tetsuiga grew heavy in his hands "How much longer can this go on?" he thought to himself, dodging the demon's attack. As he steadied himself again, he glimpsed a movement out of the corner of his eye. It was Sango on Kirara, her pet cat demon.
"Hiraikotsu!" Sango yelled as she threw her giant boomerang at the demon. A mask covered her nose and mouth to guard against miasma and her black armor with pink plating contrasted against Kirara's soft yellow fur. She caught Hiraikotsu; she had missed the demon. "I need to move in closer. He's fast." She thought. "Onward Kirara!" The demon saw her approach too, not worried about her while his biggest adversary stood in front of him.
"I'm sick of fighting you. Get ready for my Wind Scar" Inuyasha held Tetsuiga in front of him as it started to swirl with wind. Raising the sword over his head, he brought it crashing to the ground, setting in motion the sword's main attack. As the Wind Scar raced towards the demon, it lashed out with a tentacle and plucked Sango from Kirara's back, throwing her directly into the path of the attack. "No, this can't be." Inuyasha thought as he watched Sango's body disintegrating in the path of the Wind Scar. It continued on, destroying the demon as it laughed maliciously, taking pride in knocking their ranks down by one.
"Sango!" Kagome screamed in horror as she ran from Miroku's side. She stopped next to Inuyasha looking and trying to wrap her head around what had just happened. Her eyes began to tear up as the loss of her best friend started to settle into her mind. "She's really gone." Kagome walked over and picked up what was left of Hiraikotsu-all of it except for one chunk missing off the right side. Kirara landed and returned to her small form, hiding between Miroku's ankles.
"Sango…. SANGO!" He whispered and then screamed her name, as if saying it louder would reverse the actions and bring her back to life. He walked stoically towards Kagome and Inuyasha. He felt numb and bit his tongue to keep himself from crying. Kirara followed close and jumped into Kagome's arms as the girl continued to bawl, burying her face into the cat demon's soft fur. She looked at Inuyasha accusingly with her pink eyes.
"Keh you guys flew right into it. I can't control the Wind Scar once it leaves Tetsuiga." Inuyasha said more for himself than the others. He kept his face still and expressionless-confused and guilty, yet blameless in his own self-serving way.
Miroku sank to his knees and gripped the torn up ground in his hands. He began to feel lightheaded and the edges of his vision began to blur. He held up his hand in the motion of prayer. "We need to pray. We need to make sure her soul gets to heaven…" he murmured before he keeled forward and passed out.

When he awoke, he lay on a mat in Kaede's hut. She was the town's priestess and although advanced in age, was still spry and with her senses. Miroku sat up, rubbing his head. The afternoon had seemed like a horrible nightmare and he hoped he could look around the room and see Sango petting Kirara or repairing her boomerang. But as his eyes adjusted to the dusky evening light, he discovered that not even Kaede was in the hut. For a split second he feared that the afternoon had gone much worse than he remembered and everyone was dead. He got up and went to Sango's broken weapon in the corner with an exhausted Kirara sleeping in front of it. She squeaked drowsily as he picked her up and clasped her close to his body. Not daring to let the cat demon go for fear she too would vanish, Miroku walked out of the hut.
"Ah you have awakened." The old woman said, standing up. "How do you feel?" Miroku shrugged and settled onto the ground, still holding Kirara.
"He'll be fine." Inuyasha answered breaking the silence. He leaned back against the hut and closed his eyes.
"Inuyasha, don't be so coarse. He's obviously grieving." Kagome said softly. Kirara hopped out of Miroku's arms and curled up in Kagome's lap. She stroked Kirara's back as she mused out loud. "She left so much undone. We couldn't even help her get close to freeing her brother from Naraku's grip." Kagome started to sniffle and looked down, letting her tears fall onto Kirara. Miroku drew further into himself, closing his eyes and tucking his chin to his chest.
"Yea, but life goes on." Inuyasha replied looking out into the woods that surrounded Kaede's secluded hut. Silence fell over the three again as the sun continued to set and night creatures emerged from their darkened hiding places.
"Here, I thought you might be hungry when you came to so I made you some supper." Kaede spoke, coming out of the hut and placing a bowl of rice and noodles in front of Miroku. He nodded his thanks but left the food untouched. As Kaede settled down in the doorway she spoke gently to Miroku. "You must keep your strength up monk. You will have many more battles ahead. You wouldn't want Sango to see you in such a sorry state would you?"
Miroku's eyes flew open and he scowled. With one swift motion he sent the bowls of food flying across the yard. "Leave me alone." He hissed.
Inuyasha jumped up and grabbed the monk by the back of his robe. He tossed Miroku onto the ground away from the hut and stormed up next to him. "You aren't the only one who feels awful about her death you jerk. Just because we didn't love her the same way you did doesn't mean we aren't grieving too."
Miroku picked himself up off the ground as his eyes started to water unrestrained. "I can't help it! I loved her so much-she was my world and now she's gone. I didn't do anything to protect her and maybe if I had she'd still be here." His expression turned to mild hatred and envy. "But you…you still have Kagome so I don't expect you to know what this pain is like!" Inuyasha's jaw dropped and Kagome blushed with embarrassment as she watched the two men glare at each other. She didn't want to see Miroku hurt, but she knew better than to interfere in a situation as dire as this. Inuyasha grabbed the monk by the front of his robe and as he cocked his fist back ready to land a blow onto Miroku's face a strange voice from the Bone-Eater's Well broke in.
"Hello? Is someone up there?"

Kyrra awoke that evening feeling slightly different. Not necessarily physically different, but mentally and emotionally…. added to. Changed. She shook it off as grogginess as she slid the lid of her coffin down allowing just enough room to get out. Stretching, her eyes grew accustomed to the low lamp light in her chamber. Going to her closet, she picked out her nightly garb of all black; the best way to hunt at night was to blend in with it. She strapped gun holsters to her thighs-her weapon of choice had already claimed the coveted waist holsters. She ran a brush through her black hair and grabbed her black overcoat from the back of the chamber door before leaving the room.
Walking downstairs into the parlor, her servant Clint was waiting for her with any news that had developed during the day. "Kyrra." He greeted, handing her a goblet of blood.
"What has surfaced during my rest?" she asked sipping her evening cocktail. As he proceeded to fill her in on the ever-growing clan wars and ensuing deaths, Kyrra slipped inside of her mind to investigate the strange feeling she had when she woke up. Nothing solid or coherent came to her, just images of a cat with large freakish pink eyes…. a green skirt…and some sort of staff- a wand perhaps? -Danced in her concentration. She sipped absently on her drink, trying to remember where she had seen these things before.
"Is that all for now?" Clint asked breaking up her train of thought.
"Yes. Thank you." She downed the last bit of vitae and handed him the empty glass. He left the room on a turn of his heel.
Making her way out of the parlor and through the living room, she swung open a door to what could've been a medium-sized bedroom. In this room Kyrra housed all of her useable weapons. She gazed over all of her choices, trying to decide what to take with her for the night. "Definitely the sai daggers." She thought as she tucked them into their special holster on her back. She tucked her handguns of the moment into her thigh holsters and slipped a butterfly knife into a boot holster.
"What do you have for me tonight?" she whispered to the darkas she stepped out the front door and looked around at the dark streets. The dark had been her domain for a long time; longer than she could remember. The streets in her neighborhood were dead. She'd have to travel further into the downtown area before she found anything worth her attention. As she walked towards her car, she noticed two sets of glowing eyes tracking her from the alley across the street. She stared back. "A lychen." She reached for one of her guns and backed away from her car slowly.
Without warning, the eyes emerged from the alley followed by only one body. She had never seen anything like this in her four centuries of being. She spun around and ran, looking over her shoulder. Theconjoined werewolf leaped and cleared the street making the ground shake under its immense weight. She stopped and fired shots at the creature but even though it had been hit, it showed no signs of injury or even slowing down.
Ducking into an alley, Kyrra found herself in a dead end and she could feel the beast approaching closer and closer. "Shit shit shit where can I hide?" she thought, panicked. "Perhaps if I can cover my scent the thing will lose track of me." She scanned the alley, her gaze falling upon a dumpster. "Perfect." She whispered to herself, running over to it and throwing back the lid. She was met with a smell so powerfully awful she felt her insides rot a little. She could hear the creature's heavy breathing getting closer and decided that the smell was a minor detail now. Popping herself in, Kyrra waited for her feet to smack the metal bottom, but instead she just kept falling. Screaming, she watched the city lights fade above her as iridescent swirling light engulfed her from below. The images from before now raced madly in her mind, this time joined by faces. "What the hell is going on?" she thought clutching her head.
When she finally stopped falling, she found that she was at the bottom of something, but she wasn't sure exactly what. Looking up, she saw stars; many many stars instead of the dim streetlights. Everything was so silent. "Am I dead?" she wondered. The sides of whatever she was in were too slippery to climb out of by herself. "What if I can't get out of here by sun rise?" she started to panic again when a loud commotion came from the opening above her. It sounded like men; men that were angry. "Oh no what if they find me down here and kill me?" she thought. "But maybe they won't. If I can kill them first." A lull in the yelling prompted her to call out. "Hello? Is someone up there?" Heads peeked over the opening, but she couldn't see faces.
"Who's there?" a gruff voice asked
"Where am I?"
"I asked first."
"Get me out of here and I'll answer all of your questions."
The hole actually wasn't that deep and a hand offered her help up. As she broke the entrance, she discovered that the pit was actually a well. Kyrra looked at the faces surrounding her, their expressions as curious as hers. They all looked normal, but the creature with silver hair dressed in red-he scared her. His strange scent made her vampiric senses shake inside of her and the small hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. As she focused on his aura, she could discern light green for distrust with sparkles throughout, signifying magic use. As she set her feet on the ground, Inuyasha too took in her scent. "She doesn't smell right. Not human, but not exactly a demon either" he thought resting his hand on Tetsuiga. Kyrra was aware of the dog creature's slight movement, but did not react immediately. They eyed each other contemptuously, waiting for the other to make a move. "Fine you want to play hardball? We'll play." Kyrra thought. She stared hard at Inuyasha, her eyes going from their normal dark brown to an eerie light bluish-white that signaled her frenzied phase.
Kagome saw Kyrra's eyes change as well and gasped. Before anyone else could react Inuyasha unsheathed Tetsuiga with a snarl and charged for Kyrra. She dodged his attack and with one swift motion unholstered her guns, firing at Tetsuiga. The bullets glanced off the blade and Inuyasha smirked. "Those petty things can't hurt me or my sword. You're going down now!" he swung at her again, barely missing her.
"Perhaps not the sword, but definitely you!" Kyrra replied, aiming straight for Inuyasha's stomach.
"No!" Kagome rushed in and kicked Kyrra's hand, sending the shot astray. Kyrra winced at the surprise of pain. "Inuyasha stop. Sit!" Inuyasha crashed to the ground and Tetsuiga went flying. "And you too…whoever you are. Stop." Kagome glared at her. Kyrra replaced her guns into their holsters and stood tense and still, waiting for Inuyasha to attack again. She watched Kagome walk towards Inuyasha to help him up and her skirt caught Kyrra's eye.
"Wait." She said walking to Kagome and touching her skirt. "This…. I saw this earlier…in my head." She pondered aloud. Breaking her focus on the skirt, she looked around at the hut and at Miroku. "This staff…I saw this too. May I?" she asked as she approached him. He handed her his staff and watched as she handled every part of it, almost inspecting it. She handed it back to him, a small dry grin passing over her face. She looked down at Kirara and crouched down to pet the cat. "And her. I can't forget these eyes." Kirara jumped into Kyrra's arms and squeaked happily.
"Wow I've never seen Kirara take to someone so quickly." Kagome watched the cat snuggle into Kyrra's arms. "How can these things be familiar to you? We've never even seen you before. You aren't from this time." Kagome said still keeping her distance from Kyrra. She set Kirara on her shoulder and unfastened her holsters, letting them fall to the ground.
"I saw these things in my mind tonight when I woke up. I can't explain it. I didn't know what they were when I saw them…but now that I see where they come from it feels like I've known these things forever." She paused. "My name is Kyrra. While I saw objects closely relating to you all, they didn't come with names." Kagome nodded.
"Let's go in and talk. Try to get this thing figured out." Kagome said, leading the way into the hut. Inuyasha hovered protectively behind Kagome, keeping a wary eye on Kyrra as she followed them in with Miroku next to her.
"Okay, so who are you and what are you doing here?" Inuyasha asked plopping on the ground across from Kyrra. Kagome had started a fire and fed more kindling into it.
"I already told you who I am. I want to know who you all are."
Kagome jumped in. "I'm Kagome, that's Inuyasha, and that's Miroku." She sat next to Inuyasha and looked at Kyrra inquisitively. "What about you? Tell us where you've come from."
"I'm from America, very far into the future from this place."
"Really? So am I… from the future I mean." Kagome smiled and leaned closer. Kyrra smiled back. "So what are you doing here? How could you pass through the well when you aren't even in the same country?" Kagome's aura reflected a light blue for calm and an excited violet.
"I was running from something…some kind of animal I've never seen before. I went to hide in a dumpster, thinking that if I could mask my scent it'd go away. I jumped in and I never hit bottom until I got to the bottom of the well." She looked at Inuyasha with great curiosity. "If I may ask, what are you that you look human but have ears like a dog?" Inuyasha grumbled.
"Well we might as well tell you the whole story." Miroku spoke up. They looked at him surprised. With that they began the story of their quest to kill Naraku and recover the whole Sacred Jewel, and explained to her what a hanyou and youkai were. Kyrra nodded at their conclusion.
"Using your terms then I'm a bat hanyou I guess. I'm still human, but I have non-human characteristics. I'm essentially immortal though." Kyrra explained.
"Keh. Not too impressive even for a half-demon." Inuyasha scoffed.
"I have a few tricks up my sleeve. Don't doubt me." She replied simply.
"Like what?"
"I don't feel that now is time to show off."
"Whatever. You got nothing."
"Believe what you will, but I know better." She stared daggers into Inuyasha, who stared back with just as much ferocity.
"Ok guys, let's not fight guys." Kagome laughed nervously trying to break up the tension between them.
"What's that?" Kyrra asked, looking at the damaged Hiraikotsu in the corner. She moved Kirara from her lap and walked over to it.
"That belonged to one of our friends who was killed in battle." Miroku replied looking at the ground.
Kyrra ran her hand over the smooth surface of the boomerang. "Hiraikotsu…" she whispered, picking it up.
"How did you know what it was called?" Miroku asked looking up sharply. She looked calmly at him as his expression mixed surprise and hurt.
"I don't know. I just did. It just came to me." She put the boomerang back down and returned to her place around the fire.
"What else do you know that you didn't know before?"
"Umm…she has a brother…Kohaku that is under the control of this Naraku. She loved you, even though you were a womanizer."
Miroku blushed deeply and sighed sadly. Speaking hesitantly, he mused the possibilities behind Kyrra's memories. "It's possible that just like Kikyo's soul went into Kagome's body before birth, Sango's soul has gone into Kyrra's body."
"You may have her mind, but you're no Sango." Inuyasha said
"That's good. I didn't intend to be." She paused, staring hard at Inuyasha. "I don't need your judgment. Save it for someone who gives a shit."
"Grrrr…. why you wench!" he jumped up "I should've killed you when I had the chance!" The air around him danced with hateful black.
"Sit" Kagome said nonchalantly. Inuyasha smashed to the ground grumbling.
"Why do you take her side?"
"I'm not. She's a guest so be nice."
Kyrra sat with Kirara on her lap once again, petting her as she looked out the window. "Do you guys have a place here that remains pitch black during the day? A closet or something? If I'm exposed to sunlight I'll die. I'll burn to death."
"Hmm… I might be able to make a potion or cast a spell that will temporarily counteract your reaction to the sun." Miroku said
"That would be most helpful."
"Or you could just go back to your time." Kagome quipped.
"I can do that?"
"Yea just go back down the well."
"Please stay longer." Miroku thought to himself. He was curious to find out how much of Sango there was in this woman.
"If a way was found to make me resistant to the sun, would it carry over into my world?"
"It might, but if it affects you as seriously as you say it does, I wouldn't chance it." He said standing up.
She thought for a moment. "Okay. Make this potion or spell if you can and I'll remain here until tomorrow night when I can return to my world." Pausing, she added cautiously, "You are all welcome to come with me if you'd like."
Kagome's eyes lit up. "That would be great! Just for a day to take a break…"
"No way! We can't afford to take the time off. We need to keep looking for the Sacred Jewel." Inuyasha exclaimed.
"Fine then. You can stay here and the rest can go if they so desire." Kyrra replied.
"Humph. If I don't go then none of them do." He mumbled.
"Come on, we should probably get started on something for your sun problem" Miroku remarked, breaking up the hostility between Kyrra and Inuyasha. "Come with me." Holding his hand out to help her up, they left the circle and went to the other room of the hut.

As the horizon began to bleed with the slightest pink of the oncoming dawn Kyrra consumed the last of three potions the monk had made for her.
"You can try to go out, but stay close in case the potions don't work." He said, walking out with her.
"Will do. Thank you for your help." Kyrra sat in the doorway, her full attention on the rising sun.
She cringed slightly as the sun rose, expecting her skin to start smoldering. When the sun had completely risen and no smoke rose from her, she tested the waters of her new ability and walked out into the direct sunlight. "I feel mortal again." She smiled at Miroku.
"Do you feel ok? I mean your skin doesn't feel weird or anything?"
"Sort of tingly is all. Nothing too bothersome." The skin on the back of her hands had started to turn a light red from its normal pale shade. Turning her face to the sun, Kyrra basked in its warmth. "How long has it been since I've felt this?" she thought, smiling with her fangs.
"Let's go sit in the shade. I don't want to take any chances with your life." Miroku said putting his arm around her shoulders. They went to a nearby tree and settled down in the grass.
"So, tell me more about this Sango woman-if you want to though. It appears that I'm housing her soul so I might as well learn more about her." Kyrra leaned back against the tree, smiling as he skin cooled. She noticed his aura go deep blue with sadness as she asked the question.
"I get the feeling that you know a lot already; you just haven't discovered it yet. But I'll tell you as much as I can." He closed his eyes, seeming to concentrate on his memories of Sango to give Kyrra the best picture of her he could muster.
Kyrra nodded and listened intently to his every word, eager to find out more.

"Do you think she's really who she says she is?" Kagome asked. She and Inuyasha had walked to a nearby stream and sat on the grass with their feet in the water as they reflected on Kyrra.
"She definitely doesn't smell human, so I take her word on being a sort of bat demon."
"But she's also from a completely different time and place, so how could she have come through the well?" Kagome looked into the water as she picked up pebbles with her toes. "But it does seem possible that she is carrying Sango's spirit. I mean if I'm Kikyo's reincarnation then I suppose Sango could have a reincarnation." She knew she had walked the fine line by mentioning Kikyo and was not surprised by Inuyasha's silence.
"We just have to suffer with her the rest of today, then when she goes back we'll be free of her. We can't afford to spend so much time away from finding the rest of the Sacred Jewel." He spoke after a bit.
"But I thought we were going with her to her time."
"What? Didn't you hear me the last time? I said there's no way. What if it's a trap? Or what if we can't come back through the well?"
"I think she's honest enough. Besides, if she wanted to kill us she would've earlier." Kagome paused, thinking. "It'd be a nice break from all of this. The new moon is coming up so we won't be able to really do anything anyways."
"Keh, it doesn't matter."
"Fine, I'll go by myself then."
"No! If I don't trust her enough for all of us to go, then I definitely don't trust her enough to let you go by yourself."
"Then come."
Inuyasha growled and stood up. Full of indignation he flew off into the woods away from the hut.
"Oh well. He'll cool down in a bit then we can talk him into going." Kagome mused, lying back in the grass.

"Have I answered your questions?" Miroku asked. He looked deeply at Kyrra. She seemed to grow on him the more he was around her-or was the grief skewing his judgment? He wasn't sure, and it didn't seem important right now.
Kyrra nodded. "Here I want to show you something." She held her hands in front of her, palms facing each other. Concentrating, she produced a ball of flames before Miroku's eyes. He reached out to touch the floating fire and Kyrra jerked it away. "It's only a small part of what I'm capable of. My bag of tricks runs deep."
"What other spell and magic do you know then?"
"I don't want to spill all of my secrets at once." She smiled a dry humorless smile and looked into the woods around them. "Something's coming. And I don't like the scent of it."
"Hm?"
"Something bad is coming this way. I can feel it. It's not overtly evil, but evil enough."
"Should we fetch Inuyasha?"
"No…he probably smells it already too."

A new strange scent hung in the air and peaked his interest enough to investigate. Something faintly human, but also demonic. He had never encountered anything like this before and was very intrigued.
"Jaken, stay here with Rin and Ah Un. I'm going by myself." Sesshomaru ordered, already walking away. Rin smiled and waved from Ah Un's back but Jaken scurried after his lord.
"But Lord Sesshomaru! I could be of some assistance! Don't leave me here!" he stood in front of Sesshomaru who had stopped momentarily to hear his plea. Without looking down at Jaken, Sesshomaru continued forward trampling Jaken into the ground.
His pace quickened as he neared the source and he heard voices low and soft talking to each other. Suddenly the scent of his younger half brother curtained over the new scent that had drawn him out in the first place and he scowled in disgust at having to deal with him. Inuyasha had drawn Tetsuiga and was waiting for Sesshomaru when he broke through the trees.
"What do you want Sesshomaru?" Inuyasha growled. Sesshomaru placed his hand on Tokijin and looked disdainfully at his half-breed brother.
"Unless you're going to hand Tetsuiga over to me and drop dead, I have no business with you."
Kyrra was amazed at his unchanging, stoic expression. "If only he could control his aura as well as he controls his expressions." She laughed to herself. His aura fluttered around him with the colors of aggression, envy, hate, and suspicion. Kyrra's dry dead smile crept back out again. It was like playing a game of poker and being able to see everyone else's hand.
Miroku had moved in front of Kyrra protectively, his face hardening at the potential threat. Kyrra still smiled at the demon's idle words and at the dark blue suspicion and the orange fear that surrounded Miroku in intense waves.
"There is a new scent; it intrigues me. I must find its source." Sesshomaru looked past Inuyasha and Miroku to Kyrra. She dropped her smile, but he could still see in her eyes a wise, knowing glint. Her gaze challenged him. "Who is this stranger that thinks she can challenge this Sesshomaru?" he though. He pushed past Miroku as if he wasn't even there and gripped Kyrra by the arm, pulling her along with him.
"Don't worry this won't take long." She said looking at Miroku, allowing her eyes to flutter to their ghostly blue and back to brown as Sesshomaru led her away. Kyrra shrugged his grip from her arm and walked by him obediently. Sesshomaru was taken aback by her boldness.
"How dare she ignore my control." He thought, frowning slightly.
"You're not taking her anywhere! Our group found her so that's who she stays with." Inuyasha growled, stepping in front of them and brandishing Tetsuiga.
"Always that infernal sword!" Kyrra thought. She stepped between Sesshomaru and Tetsuiga. "He's not taking me anywhere for good. It'll just be a moment." She said.
"If you walk away from us with him you can't come back here." She felt Miroku's aura shift to a silvery sadness. Inuyasha was bluffing; she could tell without even looking at him. She made her face calm and pushed Tetsuiga out of the way, moving closer to Inuyasha until she could feel his breath on her face.
"If you try to stop me, I'll kill you."
"The audacity of this woman!" Sesshomaru mused. Her nerve made him hate her, yet harbor some sort of fondness for her.
Inuyasha's face dropped in surprise. Kyrra and Sesshomaru moved past him easily not waiting for a response. As they walked away they remained silent, sizing each other up with their respective powers. Sesshomaru noted the large bulky items strapped to her legs, not sure what they were but certain that Tokijin could top anything she had. Kyrra stopped short, catching him off guard.
"We've gone far enough. What business do you have with me?" She gave him an icy, calm stare.
"Further, then we'll talk."
"No. Now or not at all."
Sesshomaru scowled at her stubbornness. "I want you to steal Tetsuiga." He revealed once he realized she would move no further.
"And what is my prerogative for this? Surely you don't expect me to do something just because you say so."
"I'll let you live." He was taken by surprise as she snorted in disgust.
"You can't kill me. You don't know how." She was amused as she saw his aura shifting with confusion, angry red and aggressive violet. She kept her face expressionless, aware that if she could keep trumping him she would be left alone.
"You don't have a reason to not do it either."
Kyrra shrugged. "They pulled me out of the well. I can't betray kindness no matter how basic."
"This Sesshomaru orders you to comply!" He boomed. The colors around him went brighter and bolder red as his anger escalated while maintaining his calm façade.
"And this Kyrra refuses." A small grin cracked her face. "I'm leaving now. This is a waste of my time." she turned and started to walk back the way they had come.
"You would regret this if you were to live beyond the next five seconds."
Kyrra felt the energy in the air peak. "He thinks it's so easy." She scoffed.
The Whip of Light danced at Sesshomaru's feet before it cracked in the air straight for Kyrra. Just as he could taste his victory over the rebellious wench, she drew a sai dagger and wheeled around, holding it in front of her. The Whip would itself around the highest point of the dagger without even glancing Kyrra.
"How can this be? It should have cut clean through." He thought in disbelief. He became aware that his mouth was hanging open and snapped it shut.
Kyrra scowled as she stepped forward releasing the tension on his Whip. Without another word she turned around again and vanished before Sesshomaru's eyes.
"She may be powerful, but not powerful enough to defy me." He thought as he too turned away and walked back to Rin and Jaken.

Kyrra remained invisible until she returned to the hut, becoming solid once again as she went inside.
"What did he want?" Inuyasha growled, jumping up.
"I don't believe it's any of your business."
"Sesshomaru does not take interest in strangers for no reason. He has to want something."
Kyrra paused. "I'm sure he has his reasons, but I don't think it's my place to reveal what passed between us." She looked out the window at the sky; the sun was drawing upon the late afternoon. "Soon night will fall and you'll be rid of me." She sat next to the monk who took her hand.
"It is a pleasure having you here. You help to fill the void." He looked at her with eyes that begged comprehension and an aura that swam with deep sadness and edged at the same time with fringes of love struck blue. Kyrra squeezed his hand to tell him that yes, she understood what he meant, but refrained from speaking her peace that she too enjoyed being around him.
"Wait I thought you said we could go too if we wanted." Kagome piped in, knowing this was one of her last chances of persuading Inuyasha to go.
Kyrra dropped the monk's hand lest someone should pick up on her inner secret. "That's right. I did offer didn't I?" Kyrra mused. "You can still come if you want to." Kagome smiled and clapped her hands in happiness.
"Keh. You're not going anywhere with someone who holds secrets with Sesshomaru." Inuyasha said to Kagome.
"That isn't even related to going back to her time! But it would be so nice to take a break. Please?" She begged.
"Inuyasha it would be nice to take a break in light of Sango's passing." Miroku spoke up.
"Grrrr…. Fine then. We'll go. But only for a day." Inuyasha gave in.
Kyrra smiled her dry smile. "Very well. Once night falls we can go."

"I'm ready!" Kagome smiled, pacing by the well.
"Are you sure I'll be able to pass through the well?" Miroku asked. He played with the rosary on his right hand, worried and excited.
"If Inuyasha can, then I'm sure you can." Kyrra put her hand on his shoulder and he could see in her eyes that she was glad to be going back to her time.
"Come on Inuyasha, we're waiting!" Kagome yelled towards the hut and a grumbling, frowning Inuyasha emerged. "Hurry up slowpoke." Kagome said, swinging her legs over the edge of the well.
"I'll warn you now, the place this well ends up at in my time is very unpleasant. It might be a good idea to hold your breath." Kyrra said, reaching back and gripping Miroku's hand. "Hold on to me ok?" He nodded and without another word they descended down the well, followed by Kagome and then Inuyasha.
"I've never seen anything like this!" Miroku thought, watching the blue light swirling around them as they free fell through time. He drew an excited breath.
"You ok?" Kyrra asked, still holding his hand. He nodded enthusiastically, taking in everything as it floated by them. "We're almost there." She said, indicating a small white light ahead of them.

When he was sure they had gone down the well, Sesshomaru stepped into the clearing. He had not returned to Jaken and Rin and knew they would be worried.
"If the monk can pass through, then I'm sure I can." He thought, putting his hands on the ledge of the well. "I will have my vengeance on that half-bred wench for her insolence. Perhaps if I'm lucky enough, I'll be able to destroy both her and Inuyasha." He smiled evilly as he swung himself down the well.

They broke into a chorus of coughs and gagging as they emerged from the dumpster.
"Man this reeks! Can't the well come out anywhere else?" Inuyasha grumbled.
"Sorry your highness, but this is where it decided to settle." Kyrra grunted, getting and hand up out of the dumpster from Miroku. His hair had become ruffled during their fall and Kyrra gently tucked it back into place.
"So this is the future?" Miroku asked. The noise and visual overload caused him to become shy once again.
"Sort of. On a different continent." Kyrra replied.
"Oh I'm so excited! This beats fighting demons any day!" Kagome giggled and gripped Kyrra's arm, her excited, bright violet aura flooding into Kyrra's. Inuyasha grumbled in displeasure at being drug to this strange place, taking them away from the hunt for the Sacred Jewel.
"Come on. My house is only a few blocks from here." Kyrra took a hold of Miroku's hand once again and looked at the three of them. "Okay, stick close. Don't make eye contact. If someone says anything to you, ignore it and keep walking. I'd like to make it to the house without incident." She said, directing the last bit of this to Inuyasha.
"Keh, Whatever." He snorted, crossing his arms.
They left the alley and headed right, dodging among hoards of people. As Kyrra navigated them the three looked around at the strange city in amazement. Miroku gripped Kyrra's hand tighter and she squeezed back.
"It's ok we're almost there." She said softly, cracking a grin to reassure him. She could see his aura change from being afraid to calm light blue. He smiled back as they continued to weave through the people.

As Sesshomaru emerged, his delicate nose was deeply violated by the stench of the dumpster.
"What an appropriate place for a wench like her to live." He though as he hoisted himself out.
Once clear of the dumpster and its pervading odors, he found he was met with another problem.
"How am I going to pick out her scent among all of these other low lives and their scents?" he thought. Just then he picked out Inuyasha's demon-esque scent. "Oh never before have you been so useful to me." He smiled maliciously and headed out of the alley, on the heels of his brother.

"This is it." Kyrra pushed to door open, letting the others in before her. They stood in the foyer of the door, taking in the rich furnishings of the house. Deep tones of burgundy, gold, and black surrounded them as the moved further into the house. From the parlor on the right emerged Clint.
"We were worried about you. We thought perhaps you had met your Final Death." Kyrra handed him her coat. He looked at the three standing behind Kyrra. "Guests?" Kyrra nodded. "Shall I put on a meal?"
"Yes, Japanese style if you will." He nodded and walked off.
"Who is that?" Kagome asked as he left the parlor.
"That is my servant, Clint." She paused. "You don't need to worry about him. He's a ghoul bound by a blood contract."
"A what bound by a what?" Kagome furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. Kyrra slipped off her shoes and walked to her weapon closet.
"A ghoul; a basic servant and underling to a vampire. In a blood contract, a contract is written in my blood and signed in his, binding him permanently to me." She took the guns from their holsters and set them in a velvet-lined drawer with about six other guns and hung the holsters on the back of the door.
"You carry a lot of…protection. Are you scared of being attacked?" Miroku asked, standing in the closet with her.
"No joke, this is as big as Kaede's hut." Inuyasha said poking his head in.
"Well, when you've been around for a few centuries you have a lot of time to collect things. Weapons just happen to be my interest."
"Have you ever even used all of these?" Inuyasha asked, looking at the variety of rapiers, daggers, and other swords hanging on the walls.
"At least once, yes." Kyrra set her tsai daggers into a small mahogany chest lined with black brocade that set off the silver of the daggers. "Well, who would like the grand tour?" she said, snapping the box shut and leaving the room, closing the door behind her.
She led them around the house, showing them where the rooms were and letting them choose their rooms for the night. Kagome chose the opulent first floor room and Miroku laid claims to the room on the second floor next to Kyrra's chamber.
"What about you Inuyasha? Where do you propose to stay?" Kyrra asked as they neared the end of the hallway and stopped in front of the last door. There were two other rooms they had gone by without him speaking up.
"I'll stay in Kagome's room. I don't trust this place." He replied, looking around suspiciously, his aura dark blue.
Kyrra nodded. "This last room is where I am when I'm not sleeping or hunting." She swung the door open to reveal a large hall. Practice dummies hung from the ceiling and one wall was lined with mirrors. "This is my practicing and sparring room."
" Humph. A special room for fighting?" Inuyasha scoffed, looking around.
"I need to perfect my skills somewhere. It's completely destruction-proof." She said proudly.
"Is supper ready yet? I'm hungry." Inuyasha interrupted, putting a hand on his noisy belly.
"It should be soon if it isn't already." She walked out of the room last and shut the door behind her. "To the dining room."
As they neared the dining room wonderful smells greeted them.
"It all looks so good!" Kagome smiled, sitting down next to Inuyasha. Miroku and Kyrra sat down across from them. The three dug into the array of food in front of them, passing bowls between chewing food. Kyrra sat with only a goblet in front of her.
"Why don't you eat?" Kagome asked
"I don't need to eat food. This is all I need."
"What is it?"
"Blood. Human blood." Miroku and Kagome gasped.
"Some nights I'll go out and kill and feed, and other nights I'll kill a few extra and bring them home and store it." She finished the last bit of blood as the others watched in shock. "I'm not going to hurt any of you. I'll go out tonight to hunt and I'll be ok."
"How do you hunt? I don't understand." Miroku asked.
"I just choose someone, cut them away from other people and sink my fangs into them. It usually takes two or three to fill me up." She paused. "I do what I need to do to survive." She stood up. "Whenever you're done you can just leave the dishes on the table. Clint will take care of them." She pushed her chair in and left for the living room.
"Keh, I knew this was a bad idea. She has to kill humans to feed." Inuyasha said once she was out of earshot.
"She said she wouldn't hurt us though, and we really don't have a reason to not trust her." Miroku mused, swallowing a mouthful of rice.
"I think we'll be fine. I mean if she wanted to kill us she would've done it by now." Kagome reasoned. Inuyasha grumbled and continued eating.
"I'm done." Miroku said putting down his chopsticks and getting up from the table. He walked into the living room and joined Kyrra sitting on the couch.
"I do what I need to do to survive." Kyrra said after a long pause. "If I didn't have to… if there was some other way, I would. But there isn't, and it can't be helped."
Miroku nodded. "I understand. I don't have any reason to fear you, and I doubt Kagome does either. Inuyasha is just…. extremely wary."
"Hmph." She paused again. "I don't enjoy murdering to sustain myself, but I think I would enjoy Final Death even less."
"Final Death?"
"It's exactly what it sounds like. Even we must return to the ground that we came from." She looked at the grandfather clock as it chimed ten times. "I must leave to feed." She stood up. "I won't be gone long. If you guys need anything summon Clint." She walked to her weapon closet for her guns and tsai daggers. When she emerged Inuyasha and Kagome had also come into the living room. She looked at them and then at Miroku. "I'll be back soon." She said again, pulling her coat on and leaving.
"Where's she off to?" Inuyasha asked, looking at the closed door.
"To eat." Miroku replied. His eyes grew heavy with his full stomach. "I want to stay awake until she comes back." He yawned.
"Yea, at least to thank her for the food." Kagome said leaning against Inuyasha. She too felt sleep bleeding into her system. "Well, let's just be thankful we're somewhere warm and safe and our bellies are full." She smiled.

As Kyrra walked down the street, a sharp stab of unease came over her.
"Something isn't right." She thought, scanning faces in the crowd as they passed her. "Maybe I shouldn't have left them there alone… who knows what could happen." She dodged into an alley and began searching for her nightly meal.
She waited in the darkness for a few minutes until her first victim, a homeless man pushing a cart, slowly tottered past her. She yanked him into the abyss of the alley. Muffling his screams with her hand, she sank her fangs into the thin flesh of his neck. When she had bled him dry and licked the last traces of blood from her mouth she laid him down gently behind a garbage can. His blood had been whole and rich. He had not been homeless very long.
As she went back out to the sidewalk, a familiar evil scent met her nose.
"How can this be? How could he travel through the time rip?" Kyrra thought, sniffing the air and looking around for the towering form with silver hair and the matching shiny aura. Further down the sidewalk she saw him, the tops of his shoulders just barely peeking over the heads of the people on the sidewalk as they parted his path in fear and confusion. She could tell he sensed her too as he looked around for her. "I need to get back. They need to go back down the time rip." She thought. She ducked and merged into the crowd, running towards home.
"Ah, there you are. Escape is not that easy." Sesshomaru thought, quickening his pace. Her scent was clear now and he trailed her closely.

Kyrra burst through the front door and slammed it behind her, panting. Kagome and Miroku jumped at the sound, jolted out of their dozing.
"Is everything ok?" Miroku asked, rubbing his eyes.
"Yea, what gives? Why can I smell Sesshomaru?" Inuyasha said.
"He's here. He somehow traveled through the well and is here, close by." She stared hard at the three. "You need to go back. We all do. I know what he wants and he cannot obtain it here. The ramifications are too great."
"Keh there's no way Sesshomaru could travel through to this time. It's just impossible." Inuyasha scoffed, leaning back into a chair.
"If Miroku could travel through the time rip, then Sesshomaru figured he could too…and he was right." Kyrra said going to her weapon closet. She moved some boxes from behind the door to reveal a sheathed katana. "Don't fail me now." She whispered, sliding it into her belt. She could feel the power in the sword quiver at being in her hands again. As she exited the closet she pulled a broad sword from its holder on the wall and went to Inuyasha. "Give me Tetsusaiga." She demanded.
"No way! What are you going to do with it?"
"Buy us some time, now hand it over!"
"Inuyasha, give her your sword." Kagome ordered. Kyrra's agitation and panic were beginning to take hold in Kagome and Miroku. Inuyasha relinquished Tetsusaiga to Kyrra with an angry growl.
She held the two swords next to each other and they began to glow green. Before their eyes the plain broad sword became an exact replica of Tetsusaiga. When they had stopped glowing Kyrra handed the real Tetsusaiga back to Inuyasha.
"Wait, how do I know this is the real one?" he asked apprehensively.
"Try it out." He clutched the sword with both hands and it grew to its battle-ready form. "The fake will just revert to its normal form if you try to use it." Kyrra explained. "We have to hide the real one." She said after a pause. "Miroku, can you hide it under your robes?" He nodded. Kyrra sniffed the air again, but this time Sesshomaru's scent was weaker, more distant. "Does he have the power to mask his scent?" she wondered. She went back into the weapon closet for some thin rope and tossed it to Kagome. "Here. Tie it to him. Tie it to him good." She ordered. Kagome nodded. Inuyasha handed the sword to Kagome and she and Miroku went into the side parlor.
"What are you so worked up about?" Inuyasha asked the pacing Kyrra.
"Everything is just… not right. I'm not sure how we're all going to get out alive." She said. "Dawn will break here soon and in your world too. And when that happens I'll not only be vulnerable, but useless all around." Just then Kagome and Miroku emerged.
"Is it ok?" Kagome asked. Miroku has his robe back on, but held himself differently with the sword bound to him.
"Sort of lumpy, but it will do." Kyrra bit her lip. Sesshomaru's scent was overwhelming now. He was right outside the door. "Okay everyone, look alive and be ready to run." She held the fake Tetsusaiga in her hand. Without warning, the door flew open.

"What a surprise." Sesshomaru said coolly. He spotted the "Tetsusaiga" in her hand and lunged for it. "I knew you were smart enough to rethink my request." He said, removing Tensaiga and putting the "Tetsusaiga" in its place. "This is yours now Inuyasha. An inferior sword for an inferior creature." He mocked, throwing Tensaiga at Inuyasha's feet. The four looked at each other out of the corners of their eyes guardedly as he admired the phony Tetsusaiga. "However, this sword is only half of my mission." He pointed the sword at Kyrra and Inuyasha. "Now you two will die." He raised the sword over his head for the Windscar and Kyrra could see the spell wearing off.
"Run!" Kyrra screamed, pushing Kagome and Miroku through the door. She felt the binding on Miroku's chest go slack and heard the real Tetsusaiga clatter on the floor. Sesshomaru looked at the noise's source and saw the real Tetsusaiga before Inuyasha scooped it up and turned to face Sesshomaru as he discarded the fake and drew Tokijin.
"Inuyasha, no! We can't battle in modern time you know that!" Kagome yelled from outside. Inuyasha continued to stare down Sesshomaru, growling.
"Move it!" Kyrra said pushing Inuyasha out. He stumbled down the stairs with Kyrra close behind. Sesshomaru tailed close on Kyrra, sheathing Tokijin.
"You will not get away! You will die for not only your insolence, but for trying to trick me with a fake Tetsusaiga!" he seemed to float effortlessly behind them as his Whip of Light emanated from his fingertips. His atmosphere swirled with black, red, and shiny ribbons of color. He cracked the Whip, slicing open Kyrra's back and sending her falling to the ground with a scream. Miroku stopped and turned back to Kyrra.
"I'll be fine, just go." She winced, struggling to get up and pushing the monk away. Sesshomaru was practically on top of her now. With one quick pull, Miroku yanked Kyrra back to her feet and out of the way of a fatal strike from the Whip. She could feel her blood dripping down her back as she ran, the breeze from running stinging the edges.
"Hurry up!" Inuyasha yelled as he and Kagome stood anxiously by the dumpster.
"Go on ahead with them. I'm going to try to slow down Sesshomaru." Kyrra saw the monk begin to protest and with one last push sent him crashing into Inuyasha. Giving her a quick, thankful look, Miroku descended with Inuyasha and Kagome back to the Feudal Era.
"Let me protect you one last time." she whispered, turning to face Sesshomaru. She could see his claws dripping green poison and without hesitation, lunged at her with his claws. Kyrra dodged his attack and returned with a basketball-sized fireball that was deflected in one swift motion of his hand.
"Such petty attacks cannot hurt me." He mocked. He readied his poison claws again and Kyrra dodged successfully once more. With a few rebounding strides off of a wall, Kyrra delivered a kick to his temple that sending him sprawling to the ground. She stood, ready for his next attack as he got up, roaring. "Enough of this silly sparring! It is time to end this!" He drew Tokijin from its sheath and glared at Kyrra.
"I agree. I'm glad you're prepared to die!" Kyrra replied, drawing her katana. With a cry she charged Sesshomaru, slicing his arm. He growled with growing fury and in the blink of an eye slashed open Kyrra from the base of her neck to the small of her back. She bit her lip and arched her back to keep the pain from screaming. She held her sword in front of her and grasped the blade as it began to glow and pulse a brilliant white. She pulled the sword away, leaving a lance of electricity in her right hand.
"Is this the best you can do?" Sesshomaru smirked. Before he could summon his Whip to finish her off, Kyrra threw the bolt. As he tried to dodge, the bolt changed directions with him. His eyes widened in astonishment as the bolt struck him and sent him flying backwards. As he lay slightly twitching, she resheathed her sword.
"It never misses its target. Ever." She said, turning on her heel and going down the time rip.

When she landed in the well back in the Feudal Era Kyrra leapt up and grasped the ledge, pulled herself up and rolled onto the ground. She sat for a minute as her wounds burned from being rolled on. She saw a faint light glowing in one of the windows of the hut and hoisted herself up, walking towards it.
Kyrra pushed aside the door flap to find Kagome, Miroku, and Inuyasha still awake, sitting around a small fire. She took a step towards them before falling to her knees.
"You're still alive? You're tougher than I thought." Inuyasha said going over to Kyrra and rolling her over on her back. Kagome crawled closer to Kyrra, looking at her wounds.
"She's badly hurt. We need to help her." She said, trying to lift Kyrra.
"Please…daylight is coming soon. Get me somewhere dark and I can resolve my own injuries." She said softly.
"Miroku help me move her to the back room." Kagome said. The monk moved to Kyrra's other side and with Kagome, helped Kyrra to her feet. Kyrra could make out the expression on Miroku's face was contorted in anger holding back his fear and sadness and his aura reflected his hate towards Sesshomaru in black. She leaned her head onto his shoulder as they helped her move.
"You didn't kill him did you?" Inuyasha said following behind.
"No, I'm pretty sure I didn't. He's laying back in the alley passed out and slightly charred." She replied, grinning then grimacing as Miroku and Kagome lowered her to the ground.
"Which means when he comes around and returns he'll be mad ." Miroku said. Kyrra nodded weakly.
"That means you guys need to stay on your toes and be on the look out for his return."
"Keh, if he comes close to this place, it'll be the last thing he ever does." Inuyasha said.
"Do what you can." Kyrra said, her breathing becoming labored. The pain was starting to make her vision swim and the outlines of the three blended together. She felt a small, furry ball curl up next to her hip and knew it was Kirara. "But please, be careful." She reached out and grabbed Miroku's hand and drew him closer. "Promise me you won't be killed." Miroku couldn't tell if she was speaking to them all or just to him, but he nodded in response.
"Promise. Now rest and heal." He said squeezing her hand. She drew his hand even closer and he could feel her faint, warm breath on the back of his hand. She dropped her hold and closed her eyes, resting finally. Miroku stood and turned to face Inuyasha and Kagome. "Let us go sleep too. Who knows what we're in for when Sesshomaru returns."

They had lay down on their mats, but found they couldn't sleep despite their efforts.
"Do you think Sesshomaru will kill all of us after what happened?" Kagome asked, lying on her back.
"He'll probably try, but I won't let him." Inuyasha replied. "He'll most likely want Kyrra, and it'll be a hell of a fight to stop him from getting her." They looked at Miroku as he stirred and sat up.
"I'm going to go sit with Kyrra for a while. Maybe it'll help me relax knowing she's still with it." He said standing up and going into the back room.
"It's kind of amazing how quickly Miroku has become taken with Kyrra." Kagome whispered as the monk let the door flap shut behind him.
"What do you mean?" Inuyasha said.
"He's not as obvious as he used to be, but if you know what you're looking for, you can definitely tell he has a thing for her."
"What does it matter? Now stop talking and get to sleep. The sun is coming up soon."
"It matters a lot. We might have Kyrra with us for a long time." Kagome thought as she rolled over and closed her eyes.

"You know it's dangerous for you to be in here right?" Kyrra said softly as Miroku sat in a corner.
"Why? I'm just in here to make sure you don't slip into…Final Death."
"Because when I wake up this evening I'll be ravenous; frenzied. And when I'm in a state of frenzy I can't always distinguish who is my friend and who is food."
"I'll leave before you wake up." He said petting Kirara, who had curled up on his lap. "But how will you eat once you wake up?"
Kyrra paused. "I'm not sure yet. I started to think that I wouldn't make it that far." She said, hearing the monk draw a startled breath.
Miroku looked on and watched as Kyrra fell back asleep. He too could feel himself drifting in and out of sleep.
"Okay Kirara, you stay here and keep an eye on her. I'm going to my bed now." He said, setting the cat down next to Kyrra. Kirara squeaked gently and lay down by Kyrra's stomach. "Don't leave me just yet." He whispered giving Kyrra a last glance.

Sesshomaru came around right before the sun came up hours later. He felt tingly and rubbed his head where it had hit the ground.
"She will not defeat me!" he thought angrily. He picked Tokijin up off the ground and put it back next to Tensaiga. "I will kill her a thousand times over." His eyes glowed their demonic red as he descended back down the time rip.
When he had pulled himself out back in the Feudal era the horizon was just beginning to peak with a dark pink. The lights were out in the hut where Kyrra's scent originated.
"They'll never see me coming." He said walking back into the forest, back towards Jaken and Rin. They would have stayed put in the same spot for twenty years if he had told them to do so.
"Lord Sesshomaru! What happened to you?" Jaken cried, seeing his slightly injured master walking towards him. Rin awoke and looked through blurry eyes at Sesshomaru.
"Lord Sesshomaru." She said in a happy, sleepy voice and laid her head back down.
"Jaken, take Rin and Ah Un further away. I'll find you later." Sesshomaru ordered.
"Of course…but why?"
"Don't question me!" Sesshomaru hissed through clenched teeth. Jaken cowered from the angry noble. "I have things I need to take care of before they slip out of my grasp." He said, turning away and walking in the direction of the hut.

The three awoke later that morning, not completely rested. Miroku sat by Kyrra's door, seeming to meditate.
"What's wrong?" Kagome asked, sitting across from the monk.
"She told me she'd need to eat as soon as she awakes this evening. And short of turning her lose on a village here I don't know how she can eat."
Kagome thought for a minute. "I know! Why don't we take her back through the well and she can feed in her own time and then she can come back here?"
"That will work." Miroku gave a small smile.
"Don't worry, she'll be fine." Kagome said, speaking to his unexpressed fear. "She is a strong creature to begin with, and with Sango's soul in her, she's probably twice as strong as Inuyasha."
"I know. I'm worried that if Kyrra dies we'll lose Sango's soul and regain Kyrra's in someone else, or we'll lose Kyrra's soul and Sango will be reincarnated into someone else. I don't want to lose either one."
Kagome nodded. "No matter what happens we'll still be tied to both of them." She stood up. "Inuyasha ran off earlier. I wonder where he went to." She said, leaving the monk and walking out of the hut.

When Kyrra awoke later that evening her hunger was painful. It had taken more energy to heal herself than she originally thought. Kirara squeaked as Kyrra stood up, and jumped into her arms. Kyrra entered the main room where Miroku and Kagome, who had returned earlier, were waiting patiently.
"I need to feed immediately." She paused, looking at them. "Or one of you might become my meal." She said warning, not as a threat.
"Would it work out for you to go back to your time to feed and then come back?" Kagome asked. "Miroku can go with you." Kyrra nodded.
"Let's go then." She said turning to the door. They could see her wounds were now reduced to large red welts. "We'll be fast." She said to Kagome, leaving with the monk in tow.
Once they had passed through the well into Kyrra's time, she wasted no time finding her first victim.
"You can look away if you don't want to see this." She said before delving into her first course.
"No I'll be okay." He replied. He felt strangely compelled to watch and see her at her darkest act. It wasn't the violent act he had originally imagined it as he watched the way she cradled the victim as she fed and the way she gently laid the bodies down. After consuming her fourth life, she turned to Miroku.
"Okay, let's get back." She said as she grabbed his hand and stepped towards the time rip. Before he could hoist himself in, she stopped him. "This may be my last chance to do this." She said. She put her hand behind the monk's neck and drew him close, touching her bright red lips to his. She braced herself for him to pull away in disgust, but instead pulled her back to him and rested his forehead on hers. Kyrra pulled away smoothly and without a word between then the sunk back down the time rip.
They helped each other out of the well when they were back in Miroku's time and began walking back, still holding each other's hand loosely.
"Don't tell the others what you saw tonight okay? I don't need them to be freaked out anymore than they already are." She said. Without warning Kyrra stopped in her tracks and drew Miroku closer to her. "I can sense a demonic presence. A strong one." She whispered. "Hold on and don't let go." Before Miroku could say a word, they became transparent. "Come on. I need more time for the nourishment to sink in before I do anything drastic." Kyrra started to run, pulling Miroku behind her. Kyrra could feel the presence weaken as they neared the hut, presuming Sesshomaru had either moved away or masked his scent. Inuyasha and Kagome looked up in surprise as the door flap swung wildly and Kyrra and Miroku materialized before their eyes.
"What's going on?" Inuyasha demanded, jumping up.
"Sesshomaru has returned. I can sense him out there." Kyrra said, grabbing her weapons up from the back room.
"Are you sure? Nothing came out of that well today. I'm sure of it."
"Perhaps he came while we were sleeping?" Kagome said. Inuyasha looked at her, discarding her idea.
"The presence was strong, familiar, and obviously not yours." Kyrra said. She looked up abruptly and without another word ran out the door.
"Get back here!" Inuyasha called after her to no avail. "Dammit." He said, grabbing Tetsusaiga and following her out. When he got outside he too could sense the demonic presence.
"What did I tell you?" she said, carefully scanning the area around them and paying little attention to Inuyasha.
"Whatever. So where is he then?" he asked, standing back to back with Kyrra. Miroku and Kagome had also come out of the hut, but stayed further back.
"I can't tell. It's strong and it's coming from every direction." Suddenly she heard a sword being drawn. "Over there. Behind the trees." She whispered pointing to their left. A white blur burst through the trees straight for them. Kyrra fell out of the way, but Inuyasha stood, ready to attack head on. With the clash of their blades he was thrown back.
"I will not waste my time and energy fighting two unworthy opponents at the same time." Sesshomaru said looking at Inuyasha then shifting his gaze to Kyrra. "I'll take care of you first." His eyes blazed and his face remained stoic as he charged her. Kyrra drew a dagger from the side of her boot and with equal rage ran at Sesshomaru. She dodged Tokijin and drove the dagger deep into his left arm, blood staining his perfect white robes. He cried out in anger and pain as he pulled the dagger from his arm and threw it to the ground. They faced each other, waiting for their opponent to make a move. Sesshomaru ran again at Kyrra, Tokijin aimed straight for her neck. In the blink of an eye she drew her katana and carved open his thigh and only receiving a thin cut on her arm.
"I can finish him now! Move!" Inuyasha said, breaking their battle. He wielded the Tetsusaiga and hurtled towards Sesshomaru. Kyrra ducked out of the way and lowered her sword, seeing the battle at and end. As Inuyasha neared Sesshomaru, he took Tokijin and with a strong backwards stab ran the sword through Kyrra. Inuyasha stopped and gasped as Sesshomaru withdrew his blade, covered in Kyrra's blood. Kyrra's eyes turned their light bluish-white as she slumped to the ground.
"Kyrra!" Miroku screamed, running into the middle of their confrontation. He kneeled over her and took her hand. Her breath was short and ragged, but he could tell she wasn't done yet. From behind him, a tough grip tightened on his shoulder and threw him back.
"Out of my way mortal." Sesshomaru said. He crouched next to Kyrra, who laid curled up into her wound. "How powerful are you now?" he hissed. Kyrra glared at him and spit in his face. "Now that was uncalled for." He said calmly, raking his claws down her face and spilling more of her blood at his feet. "I prefer you like this, weak and powerless." He said. "I can make you obey me now without struggle" he ripped open her top, exposing her small breasts.
"No! Stop!" Miroku yelled, undoing the rosary that controlled the Air Void. Images of Sango's suffering combined with the frail ties of affection he had shared with Kyrrabegan to overtake his rationality and he rose to run in to stop the demon lord in his act of defilement.
"Miroku don't! You'll suck Kyrra in too!" Inuyasha said grabbing the monk's hand and bending it back. "Are you so low now Sesshomaru that you need to attack an injured woman?" he yelled, turning his attention back to Sesshomaru.
"I get my revenge no matter who it is." He replied, starting to rip open Kyrra's pants. The three looked on helplessly.
"We need to stop him, but we can't do anything without hurting her too." Kagome said, holding her bow and arrow and looking for a possible way to attack.
"Where do you think you're going?" Sesshomaru asked as he noticed Kyrra trying to wiggle away. He put his fingers through the gapping wound in her stomach to hold her still. Her scream was deafening and it echoed all around them.
"Sesshomaru, I'm warning you…." Inuyasha growled. Without looking up from Kyrra, Sesshomaru lashed out with his Whip and struck Inuyasha across the hands. He dropped Tetsusaiga and held his injured hands to his chest.
"Undo my sash." He ordered.
"Go fuck yourself." Kyrra said, gritting her teeth. He curled his fingers in her stomach and dug his claws into her insides. She winced and reached around to untie his sash. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a blaze of red from the monk's aura. "Don't make them watch." She whispered through her own rage. Sesshomaru chuckled evilly.
"That's what makes it more torturous for you and fulfills my need for vengeance." He pushed her legs aside and drove into her, closing his eyes. "Unused goods." He said, looking down into her furious eyes. "Not having fun? Maybe this will help." He removed her hand from her stomach and sank his claws into her right breast, then in one swift motion severed the delicate skin making it curl open. Kyrra began to tremble again, more in pain than anger this time, but never dropped her stare. "You are defiant even while losing." He said, his breath quickening. Blood from Kyrra ran down her body to where they were joined. She could hear the soft moans beginning in his throat.
"This won't be all pleasure for you." She thought. Kyrra lifted her head and bit down into his shoulder as he flooded into her. He pulled back, crying out in surprise and drew his hand back and landed a harsh blow to her face. His eyes began to turn red around the edges, his vision fuzzy and spinning.
"Tie my sash back on. Now!" he barked, grasping his shoulder at the bite. When she had tied his sash, he jumped up and staggered to keep his balance. "You're next Inuyasha. Don't think that this is done yet!" with that he turned and stumbled quickly back into the forest. As soon as he was out of sight, Miroku ran to Kyrra, followed closely by Kagome and Inuyasha who covered Kyrra with his haori robe.
"What did you do to him that made him freak out?" Inuyasha asked stepping back.
"I bit him. He was reacting to the bite."
"Inuyasha help me put pressure on her wounds." Kagome said, leaning all of her weight onto Kyrra.
"Don't bother." Kyrra said, shifting her body.
"What's wrong with you? Do you want to die now?" Miroku said furiously.
"I have to. Sango's waiting." She whispered, slipping into unconsciousness.

Slipping inside herself, she felt a tug from her guest soul.
"Let me out of here at once! I can't take sitting back and doing nothing!"
"You can't leave yet. My body needs to dissolve and I haven't reached that point yet."
"Hurry up! You're halfway there aren't you?"
"Don't be so pushy. I've sacrificed a lot to ensure your safety. You could at least let me have my last moments."
"You're right. I'm sorry."
"It's okay. I'd be in a hurry to get back to the monk too if I were in your spot."

"Kyrra come back. Wake up." Kagome said. Kyrra opened her eyes and gazed at the three faces above her.
"What did you mean 'Sango's waiting'?" Miroku asked. "Is her soul waiting for you on the other side?"
"Not exactly. She is waiting to come back." Kyrra said softly. Miroku gasped and an unexpected tear rolled down his face.
"How can that be? She disintegrated. There was nothing left of her. How can she come back? Don't play with me like that." he said angrily.
"I'm not" she responded with all of the gravity she could muster. She took his hand and held it to her cheek, squeezing her eyes shut. Beads of blood began rolling out from her eyes. The pain began to claim her body bit by bit and she realized her Final Death was nearing.
"She's crying blood." Inuyasha whispered in amazement. Kyrra's blood tears rolled down onto Miroku's hand and he made no effort to wipe them off. She clutched his hand as the pain became worse.
"The sun's coming up." Kagome said. "What do we do with her? I'm afraid we'll hurt her more if we try to move her." she looked at Miroku.
"Please don't let me die in the sun. Don't let me burn to death." Kyrra pleaded, looking at Miroku. The blood began to collect over her eyes, marring the light blue they had become.
"What else can we do?" he asked, beginning to sound overwhelmed.
"Use your charkas." Kyrra replied calmly. "They'll hurt a bit more initially, but they'll be faster, more dignifiedthan burning in the sunlight."
"But I can't…I can't kill you."
"Don't think of it as killing me. Think of it as helping Sango come back." Her eyes darted to the light on the horizon. "Please don't let me burn." Her blood tears flowed faster now, running into the blood that poured from the gashes on her face. Miroku looked once more into her pained, fearful eyes and stood up.
"Okay. Everyone step back." He said, taking two charkas from his robe. He looked again at Kyrra who now wore a more relaxed, peaceful expression. "I'm sorry." He whispered, trying to keep tears from falling.
"Don't be." She whispered back, giving him one last small grin.
With that he threw the charkas onto Kyrra, one on her head and the other resting on her heart. She started to shake violently and bright pink light flowed from her injuries, causing them to turn away. Kyrra cried out once before her moving stopped and her body collapsed into a pile of ashes. When the light faded they turned back around to a slightly dazed Sango sitting in the pile of Kyrra's ashes.
"Sango? Is that really you?" Miroku asked pulling her to her feet.
"I'm back." She smiled. Miroku pulled her into a hug and for once she didn't resist. She could feel his shoulders shaking as he finally wept openly with happiness and grief and held him tighter.
A strong breeze stirred and took up Kyrra's ashes. The four watched as they danced with the wind and were gone.
"Thank you." Sango whispered.
"Where do you think they'll end up?" Kagome asked, still looking into the sky even after the ashes had disappeared.
"Somewhere peaceful where she can finally rest." Miroku replied, squeezing Sango's hand.

Further away on the edges of the Western Lands, Kikyo felt a change in the calm of the woods.
"What could that be?" she wondered, walking closer to the source. She entered a clearing and watched as Kyrra's ashes reformed her body. She motioned for one of her soul collectors to deposit a soul into the newly formed hollow shell.
As the soul settled in, Kyrra sat up with a start and gasped for breath. She looked at herself and realized she didn't feel any pain anymore and all of her weapons were with her even. She looked up at the woman and her strange pets.
"Thank you." Kyrra said standing up. Kikyo did not reply. Her face looked familiar to Kyrra and sent her into a tailspin of memories and images of a girl in green, the half dog demon…. and the monk. Kyrra looked up at the expressionless women and tears accumulated in her eyes. "I remember them. I remember everything." She paused, getting a grip on herself. "I'm Kyrra. I wish to accompany you. I'm separated from my group and need help finding them again."
Kikyo had read into Kyrra's rapid thoughts and knew exactly who Kyrra was looking for.
"I am Kikyo. You may travel with me as long as you need to." she replied.
Without another word the two women walked into the forest, silent to each other.
"What am I now?" Kyrra wondered. "I'm in the sun, so I'm not a vampire anymore, but I feel…beyond mortal." She looked up at the sun and enjoyed the feeling of its warmth on her face and remembered her first day on this side of the time rip. "We will see each other again monk. I swear it." She thought, smiling