A.N Hello, everyone I'm so sorry for not updating, I've been having more fun with my other story and I was having a writer's block. I redid this third chapter like three times, but no matter how much this one sucks I'm not deleting it. So anyway here you go, enjoy.

Always There

Ch3

He was dead.

That was almost like commenting on the weather or something, but this wasn't some little casual thing….he….was dead!

But he didn't feel like it, maybe which was why he didn't really…freak out when that realization hit him as he regained…consciousness? No, more like awareness, he was dead, remember? The eternal sleep, he wasn't supposed to 'wake up'.

So, when he finally gained ground of his mind, so to speak, and looked around the vast blackness he was surrounded in…his first calm thought was….

I'm dead.

Hmmm, you know what…dying sucked.

There was pain, duh, but when you finally closed your eyes and listened to your heart beat getting slower…and slower, the salty smell of tears coating the inside of your nose and the warmth of arms wrapped around you…nothing spectacular…or horrible happened.

He just felt like he fell asleep and he was now having a very strange and incredibly boring dream.

He felt like at any moment, the heat of the rising sun would render away this blackness soon and he…would wake up.

He could almost smell the forest in which he, and his pack, would have camped in and the cranky half-asleep grumbles that would ring in his ears as he rudely awoken everyone up to get a head start in there jewel shard hunting.

"No, get a hold of yourself, Inuyasha. You're dead. Do I hear me? I am dead!" His gruff voice echoed in his head and he sank down to the invisible black floor. Even though he appeared to be floating in some dark void, he could feel solid ground beneath his feet, and his back side too it seemed as he crossed his legs and swallowed his arms in the enormity of his haori sleeves.

Nope, he still felt like he wasn't supposed to be here, that he wasn't supposed to be dead, and that he was really sleeping in rolls and rolls of bandages on the hard wood floor of Kaede's hut.

"But…what about Naraku…and all that pain…there was no way…even with my blood that I could have survived. Ugh, that stupid bastard, I wish I could sink my claws in that damn ugly face of his…" Inuyasha growled and cracked his knuckles.

Oh, there was another reason to add on the 'he was dead' list. His body was completely healed.

He had two arms, his chest was in one flat piece, and even his kimono looked brand new. You see, you're dead.

There was no denying it, even though it made him so damn angry! Naraku had actually killed him! The bastard, he so wanted to get revenge!

But, he couldn't, he was dead. I suppose I can deal with him when he comes to hell, though. Inuyasha smirked and then sighed, dejected.

Hell…he should have been there by now. No one should really be taking so damn long, to go through his life, he was meant to go to hell. All the bad things he had done, stealing, being rude and cruel, killing, he was evil.

From the very beginning, he was doomed to go to hell. There he went, commenting on the weather again, he should really be feeling scared or incredulous but it was just another calm understanding that he had always known. From the first time he had awoken up with a headache and the smell of human blood on his claws, he knew he was evil.

So what was, whoever it was, waiting for!

Unless, this was hell…but where was the torturous, soul damning persecution of floating in darkness, of course, it was extremely boring he could go crazy in a matter of hours…or minutes really. There was no mention of time here.

Nah, it didn't sound right to him. He felt really serene and tranquil here, like he was just waiting for something, and he should be as patient as he could for it to happen.

Wait, for what to happen? For the devil, or the reaper to come and drag his sorry ass to the depths of hell, wow he should be really patient. Yeah, what was he supposed to feel so peaceful and composed about?

Whatever, his time would come soon enough. And if this was some way to teach him a lesson, well, he deserved it so…yeah, whatever.

Inuyasha sighed again and closed his eyes, just concentrating on his breathing but pretty soon his thoughts went to the most natural subject.

Kagome, her hair, her eyes, her body…great, now he was feeling guilty.

What will happenwhen she dies, and she comes to heaven, he wouldn't be there to greet her? He wouldn't be there to see her at least one more time, to hear about how her life went?

Of course not, there was no heaven where he was going and it was sure as hell the devil wouldn't let him see her. He was evil, she wasn't.

"I'm sorry, Kagome. I won't be able to protect you anymore, like I promised. I won't be able to see you, or any one else from my pack again. I failed as a leader."

"No, I don't think you did. I'm so proud of you my boy, you went down like a true pack leader."

"I agree we're extremely proud of you Inuyasha."

"Whoa, what the hell!" Inuyasha jumped to his feet and instinctively placed his hand onto the hilt of his sword, except for whatever reason it wasn't there. That's right, I forgot. Tetsusaiga and my rosary didn't come with me. He still couldn't come up with a logical reason for that one. And at the moment, he was missing the relaxing power of his sword very much.

Inuyasha jumped again, racking his claws into the shadowing darkness in hope of hitting something as the echoing voices spoke up again, as if from down a long tunnel.

"Inuyasha! Watch your mouth, young man! Such language, he got that from you, you know"

"Yes, and another reason why I'm so proud…OUCH, honey what was that for."

"You shouldn't encourage him."

"Hey, I died before I could teach any more, you should be thankful."

Inuyasha's keen ears didn't miss the sound of an exasperated womanly sigh. He tried to calm the fluttery pounding of his heart and think logically.

Okay, so he died in an attempt to protect his family in a battle with Naraku.

He 'woke up' surrounded in this darkness and sitting in a huge beacon of light that acted as a circular barrier from being completely swallowed up in black.

And now he was hearing voices of apparently a couple arguing about his bad language.

Great, now he was going insane.

Taking a deep shuttering breath, he tried to keep his voice devoid of any inflection besides his usual arrogant gruffness. "Uh…hello… I mean, who the hell are you and what are you doing here? Are you here to take me to hell or something? If…you are…well, it's about time, dammit!"

He was answered by the woman's voice, the motherly disapproval sounded so familiar for some reason, and it also sounded much closer.

"Inuyasha, what did I say about your language! That's no way to talk to your…"

"Dear, give the poor boy a break. I mean he just died, and he hasn't seen you or me for years. Besides he's a man now, you don't need to act like this with him, we came here to talk to him not lecture him."

"Oh," a sigh, "Alright, you make a point. He has dealt with a lot of things in his life. I guess a few bad words are needed."

"Exactly."

Inuyasha's fine hairs on the nape of his neck stood on end, they were getting closer.

He flexed his hands and whirled around, trying to squint into the gloom. "Could…you two…like NOT talk about me…I mean, I'm right here." The hanyou gulped, without Tetsusaiga he felt really nervous and vulnerable.

But you're already dead.

Yes, but habit was a hard thing to break after years of practice, he supposed. He didn't like feeling weak and exposed, even if this pair was apparently dead as well and didn't seem too dangerous.

He wanted his sword either way.

"I'm sorry dear, you're right. We're wasting a lot of time anyway, even though I would really like to hear about your life. I've missed you so much, puppy-kun."

The half-demon froze.

Puppy-kun.

Nobody knew about that nickname of his, nobody had used it except….

Inuyasha's amber eyes widened. No, it couldn't be…but they did say they were dead…and she sounded so familiar…was it a trap…or an illusion like with Sesshomaru that one time…….well, only one way to find out.

"M…Mom?" He could feel the rush of blood in his ears and inhaling was getting harder to do as a figure emerged into the light with him.

Amazingly long black hair, as dark as the shadows around him, and a beautiful kimono bright and clean, flowing in thick folds down her thin form; her face was as lush and warm as he remembered it, and her violet eyes glimmered with tears.

Just like in the village…so long ago.

"Hello, son, I've….I've missed you so much!" The woman burst into sobs as she ran up and hugged him, the strong scent of lilacs and jasmine filling his head, awakening all those memories.

His mother.

Stunned beyond coherent thought, Inuyasha brought his arms up around her and took a tentative scent. No one, not even that clay copy his brother had used against him, could do that smell justice. This was his mother.

Like a spell had been broken, Inuyasha let out short hasty exhale and squeezed her into him, burying his face into her shoulders. He became aware of a stinging in his closed eyelids and a hard painful lump in his throat that he couldn't swallow. Warmth had flown into his chest making it feel light but incredibly tight with emotion, if that was possible.

Her strong arms held him tighter and one soft hand stroked his hair, he had never felt so happy in his life…and so close to tears. His mother, his momma, she was real and here with him. He wasn't alone and she had come to see him.

Probably to lecture about his horrible choices in life, but she was there and hugging him, soothing him just like so many times in that human village when he got picked on.

God, he missed her so much. The thought that he may not see her didn't come into light in his mind, but he knew it had hovered in the back ground. The little boy inside of himself that still cried from the awful death of his mother was making himself known.

His momma was back.

Words tumbled out of his dry mouth before he even realized it, "Oh, momma, I missed you so much……I'm so sorry for everything……I couldn't…I didn't know what……all the horrible things I've done…I'm sorry………I'm so glad you came……to see me before I left…" He willed away the urge to cry and snuggled his face further into her colorful fabric.

"Oh, puppy-kun I've been watching you. I know how hard your life was, I'm so proud of you though on how you never gave up. Oh, and I'm so proud of you for what you did for your friends, my poor brave little boy. I love you so much." She hugged him even tighter cutting off his air a bit and more tears took over her. "I was so worried about you…I wasn't sure what would happen to you…I thought you could never be happy for the longest time. And then…that sweet girl came and woke you up…how she gave you a family again…how you came to care for her and the way you protected her…….dear boy, I was a little worried though about how you argued with her but then you would…"

"Honey," there was a rumble of manly mirth in the stranger's voice, "we don't have a lot of time. We all know Inuyasha and that girl, Kagome I believe, love each other dearly. And if you recall they finally told each other as much before he died, so you don't need to relive his relationship or anything."

Inuyasha had completely forgotten the other person and he blinked his eyes a few times and sniffed as he raised his head. His mother laughed embarrassed like, and slowly eased away from him, wiping her eyes.

"You're right dear, let's get on with this. We can talk later, much later. First we need to discuss a few things with…"

"Who are you?" Inuyasha stared confusedly at the, to be honest, Sesshomaru copy. Standing regally in a thick kimono, such as his brother's, the man blinked at Inuyasha surprisingly with bright amber eyes. He had long white hair, just like the two brothers', but the rest of his features were very…Sesshomaru like. A purple crescent moon adorned his forehead beneath frost fair bangs and there were two youkai stripes traveling down his cheeks from two pointed ears.

The only difference from Inuyasha's brother was the flurry of emotions in his eyes, instead of the cold ice lingering in Sesshomaru's. At the moment he seemed a little staggered by the hanyou's innocent question.

Inuyasha cocked his head to the side, released his mother, and stared unflinchingly at the man with a curious gaze. "Why in the hell do you look like Sesshomaru? Don't tell me the bastard is making clones to take over the world…" Inuyasha smirked to himself; he had watched way too much tee vee in Kagome's time.

"Clones…what are you talking about…what the hell is a…?" The perplexed demon seemed to want to question further but quickly brought himself back to the present situation. "Never mind," He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck with a clawed hand. "It seems you don't remember me, ah but you were such a tiny pup when I was alive, so I guessed you wouldn't. Well, this is awkward so let's just come down to it. Inuyasha…I am your father."

Inuyasha immediately thought of a movie he had once seen with that line but then the information finally sunk in.

Whoa…wait… back up, his…father!

"Oh…SHIT!" The man smirked a very familiar looking smirk and grabbed Inuyasha by the shoulders and pulled him into a one armed hug.

"That a boy! Look how much you've grown and I can't believe how far you're coming along with that sword of mine. Liking it I bet, and using all those words and moves I taught you, you know you should thank me for teaching you that 'blades of blood' maneuver. Sure got you out of a few scraps a couple times didn't it?" He rubbed Inuyasha's hair affectionately and gave a bark of fatherly approval.

Inuyasha was stunned.

A few flashes of memory seared his brain, a deep voice and mirthful laughter, strong arms pulling him into the air, and a commanding bark whenever he got into trouble.

It was hazy and foggy but he couldn't deny it.

This was his father.

Inuyasha broke into a smile, "No, shit." He said again He began to laugh, soon joined in by his father. He could see the gleeful smile on his mother's lush lips as she watched them.

"Oh, damn boy. You've sure made you're father proud, I can't believe though that you took the job of being a pack leader so young."

"I know…I didn't really do a good job."

"Are you shitting me, you were wonderful. Of course there were a few times, I had hoped you would have claimed that girl of yours to be your mate a long time ago."

Inuyasha's face turned bright scarlet.

"But the way you sacrificed yourself for your pack…yeah… you sure don't find a leader like that every day. Good job, son. I'm so proud of you; you've sure gained my respect."

A huge wave of warmth and pride heaved in Inuyasha's chest, his father's approval and praise, the hanyou became aware once again of the pricks in the back of his eyes. He grinned and looked admirably up at his father's glowing face.

Inuyasha's mother laughed and clapped her hands to get their attention, "It's wonderful to see my men together again, but didn't you tell me dear that this is no time to dilly dally, we don't have much time."

"Oh, yes, quite right honey." Inuyasha's father released the hanyou to allow him to straighten once again. Inuyasha looked confusedly between them.

"You two keep saying that…what does…oh is hell ready for me now? Can I finally go? It took them long enough…"

"What are you talking about, puppy-kun. You're not going to hell."

"Yes, son, you sure are way off. You're going back to Earth, not hell."

Inuyasha blinked, "Wha…but I can't…I thought…what are you…?" His mother tutt-tutted and lifted his lower jaw closed with her pointer finger.

She chuckled at his shocked look. "There's no need to seem so surprised, I don't know where you got the notion that you would be going to hell."

"But…all the people…and the things…"

"Honey, everyone makes mistakes and some of those things you did to survive. And the people you killed was under the influence of you're demon blood and to protect yourself, besides it was their destined time to go anyway."

"B…but I…I don't understand…"

His father slapped him on the back reassuringly, "Son, he forgives you. So stop beating yourself up right now, besides on the most part, you've paid off your debts by what you've done for your pack. And he understands how hard life is for you and what you've done and he still loves you. No matter what, so stop stammering and listen to what we have to say."

Inuyasha nodded and tried to quell the thousands of questions bubbling up inside of him.

I'm going back to earth? What to life or as some ghost? Am I going to end up like Kikyou!

"Okay, dear so let's explain as fast as we can. First of all, you weren't supposed to really die, be in pain for a few days yes, but somehow the blast did more damage than we originally thought and it was certain by such injuries that your body was broken beyond repair. So…"

"Wait…" Inuyasha stared at his mother, "I…wasn't supposed to die!"

"Inuyasha hush, sometimes things don't go as plan alright? So let me finish…where was I?" she glanced questionably at Inuyasha' father.

"You weren't meant to die so early, but nothing could be helped about the severity of your wounds and besides you would have died any way if we had waited for Sesshomaru to come."

"Like he would have done anything anyway." Inuyasha's father grumbled in response, looking a little agitated.

"Yes, well, let's deal with that later. I believe you two care for each other more than you think anyway, what about what you said before you d—"

"Mom, whatever…now didn't you say you were running out of time?"

"Oh, yes, so let's just say dieing was the only option at the time and its over and done with now anyway. But you were supposed to live much longer, you see, and finish your destiny."

"My…destiny?"

"Yes, puppy-kun, you know rid of the world of Naraku? I thought you would have already realized that and you're supposed to marry and live happily with—"

"Honey, don't tell him his life's story, he hasn't lived it yet!" he sighed, "let me finish for you dear, so the world needs you, your family and pack needs you, that girl needs you and so you're coming back to life. Got it?"

Inuyasha nodded stiffly with wide eyes, "Oh…shit……but how? I thought my body was broken beyond repair?"

"It was dear, and it's already been cremated and buried anyway. So, a new body, just like your old one, is going to be made for you and in the mean time you're going to borrow a different one until it's done."

"That's being done…for me? Wait…what kind of body? How long?"

His mother shook her head a bit frantically, "No time. We can't stay long and chat. You'll know what body when you wake up and you'll know when you're new body is done. So let's hurry and say our goodbyes, we'll see each other again, and I hope meet that young lady friend of yours as well. I love you, son." She walked over and hugged him, which Inuyasha gave back just as enthusiastically, and kissed him lovingly on the forehead also tweaking his ears. She smiled, "I sure have missed those cute little ears of yours, be good son and make us even prouder. Help your friends also when you find them, they're not doing so well without you."

Inuyasha nodded as his father also gave him a fierce hug, "Kick that jackass Naraku to hell, son. Oh, and tell Sessho hi and I miss him, oh and also that he better be a good older brother and…"

Inuyasha's mother grabbed the demon's sleeve, "He will, honey, now come on. Puppy-kun has to take a little nap."

She smiled at the hanyou and Inuyasha was about to question what she meant when a dizzying wave of fatigue washed over him, he felt like he was sinking through the floor and black began to fuzzy the outlines of his vision. He felt warm and heavy but he still tried to say something before his parents would disappear.

"Don't worry, son, we love you too."

"Your brother too, tell him that and…"

"Honey," Inuyasha could see the small kiss his mother planted on his father's cheek, "let the boy sleep. Now, be happy son, and live your life to the fullest. We'll be waiting for you."

"Yes, we love you, pup. My son."

The soft voices of his beloved parents intermingled together into a lulling hum as he succumbed to slumber, the feeling of being held and rocked in a gentle embrace of warmth all the way through his transformation.

A.N YAYAYAYAYAY! I updated and that conversation with his parents made me cry! AHHHH! Anywhoo, hope you're happy, I'll update again soon but it's a new semester so I don't know when. Stay in tune, review, and I love you!