Chapter 8
- The Eclipse -

A loyal guardian
Protector of those who Hunt and those who Harness
Guided by the Moon
- The Prophecy of Ages

In a small, crowded section of Tokyo, a young woman sat in an alley, eating a dumpling she had bought only a few minutes before. The

hot, meat-filled glory filled her mouth as she took one last bite, and got up, pulling her shawl back on. She was going home for the first

time in nearly half a year, and was excited to see Inuyasha again. With a wry grin, she jumped up to the roof of the building beside her

and began to run; after all, it was a matter of minutes if she went by roof instead of wasting her time trying to get through the crowd and

take an hour. Besides, he would never suspect her coming this early.

-/-

"What do you want for lunch, Inuyasha?" asked Kagome, dusting off the mantle of the study.

"Ahh...I dunno, maybe dumplings?" he said, poking his head into the room, his ears twitching a little. "How about you, Niichan?"

"Don't really care," Sesshoumaru replied, flipping the page in his book. "Dumplings sound good,"

"Okay! I'll get started right away!" Kagome smiled, loosing her sleeves. "I won't be long!"

She got to the kitchen and began chopping up some meat, when she heard the door open.

"Boys, I'm back!" said a female voice. "Boy, who cleaned up this place? It's practically sparkling!"

"Kirara?" she heard Inuyasha say. "Hey! When did you get back?"

"Just now," the voice said, making Kagome peek her head into the foyer.

'Huh? Who is that?' she thought, looking at the young woman with the pale gold hair streaked with black pleated into a braid.

"Glad you're back. How was Sanbe?" Inuyasha asked, taking her shawl.

"Good, but there wasn't much to do," the girl said, wiping her forehead. "All the fun was in getting there,"

She removed her hand and put them on her hips, and Kagome found that the patch of skin she was rubbing at had disappeared to reveal

a large, black, diamond-shaped patch of skin.

'Kirara?' Kagome thought. 'No, it couldn't be!'

"Hello, Sesshoumaru-san!" she said cheerily, then cocked her head up and sniffed. "Who is that?"

"What?" said Inuyasha.

"That smell in the kitchen," she said, walking down the hallway to the kitchen. Kagome ducked back to the counter and started to chop

the meat again.

"No...Kagome-san?"

She couldn't help but look over her shoulder. A split-second later, the girl had glomped her and she was on the floor, laughing.

"Kagome-san!" she said. "It's you!"

"Of course it's me," Kagome laughed. "but who are you?"

"Oh! I guess you don't recognize me," she said, getting off Kagome. "It's me, Kirara!"

"Kirara?" Kagome said. "You aren't a cat?"

"Well, of course I am," Kirara giggled. "But then again...after 200 years, being a cat simply isn't that much fun,"

"Ah, I guess you don't know, then," Inuyasha said cheerily. "They've returned, just like the pink girl said,"

"You mean...even Sango-sama?" Kirara gasped. Inuyasha nodded with a grin.

"Where? I wanna see her!" Kirara squealed.

"You know where the Kamiya Dojo is?" Inuyasha asked. Kirara nodded.

"Where that red-haired swordsman lives? Yeah,"

"They're there right now,"

Kirara's face lit up, and in a flash, she was out of the door.

"Should we follow her?" Kagome asked. Inuyasha smirked.

"Did you have to ask?"

-/-

"Miroku-san, I think there's someone at the door," said Sango. "Can you go get it?"

Miroku sighed.

"Why can't someone else get it?"

"Because Kenshin-san and Kaoru-san are out doing laundry," Sango replied.

He groaned and went to get the door.

The girl waiting there stared at him for a moment, then jumped on him, squealing.

"MIROKU-SAAAN!"

He fell on the ground, suprised.

"What? Wh-who are you?" he said, a bit of a smile on his face.

"Ah, sorry, Miroku-san!" she said. "It's me, Kirara! Where's Sango-sama?"

"Ki...kirara?" Miroku said, suprised. "How in the world...?"

"Kirara?" said Sango, her voice coming closer as she made her way to the foyer to get a better look. "Houshi-sama, what are you..."

For a split second, the master and pet stared at each other for the first time in a long while, before a tear fell down Kirara's smiling face,

and she was engulfed in flames. Miroku shielded himself from the blast with his hands, but was not harmed as the young woman who was

sitting on his chest was returned to the form of a small kitten.

"KIRARA!" Sango cried, falling on her knees and offering her arms for the faithful cat demon. Jumping into her waiting welcome, Kirara

cuddled against her master and mewed happily.

"Sango, what in the world is going on?" Miroku said, returning to his feet and looking curiously at the strange scene.

"It's...it's Kirara..." Sango said happily. "I...I was wondering where you were! And look at you! A human form, Kirara!"

"Ah, so you found her," said Inuyasha, arriving at the gate with a jump. "Oy, Sango! You should've seen the look on 'er face when I told

her you were here,"

"Inuyasha?" Sango said.

"Hey! What brings you here?" Miroku said pleasantly.

"Kirara lives with us," Inuyasha explained, taking off his sandals as Kagome dismounted. "The reason none of you have seen her around is

because she was visiting the Asakura clan in Sanbe and helping with training for the past few months,"

Kirara mewed to show agreement.

"It was a suprise for me, too!" Kagome said, looking at Inuyasha with an icy glare. "Nobody told me,"

"What! You never asked!" Inuyasha retorted. Sango laughed.

"Well, as long as she's back, I'm happy, " she said, hugging her beloved pet. In a burst of flame, Kirara returned to her human form.

"Inuyasha-san, may I stay here?" she asked.

"Well, whadya think? Of course!" Inuyasha laughed. "That all you need?"

Kirara nodded happy. "Yeah, I'm good,"

"See you later, then!" the hanyou smiled. "Come on, Kagome. I think we got some dumplings to make,"

"Oh! Right!" Kagome said. "See you two later!"

With that, she had gotten on his back, and they were bounding home.

Kirara waved back and became a kitten with another burst of flame, and hopped on Sango's shoulder, purring contently. Sango giggled

and left with Miroku in tow to introduce her pet to the busy couple washing clothes in the back yard.

-/-

Later that night, Kirara walked the pathway that skirted the outside wall of the dojo, unable to sleep (unusual for a cat). That evening had

been filled with stories and catching up, and she was happy to be back with her master again. But somehow...things didn't seem right, for

some reason. She had a strange, uneasy feel, like something was going to happen...but what? She stopped in front of Kaoru's,

Sanosuke's, Yahiko's, then Kenshin's room and peered inside, to make sure they were okay. They all were fine, sleeping soundly, but

Miroku (who shared Kenshin's room) was nowhere to be found. Her heart began to race; what if something happened to him? Silently

closing the door, she sped to Sango's room. There, she gasped, then smiled gently.

Miroku and Sango were cuddled up next to each other, sleeping quietly.

"Oh, dear..." she sighed. Closing the door, she sat down on the porch and looked at the beautiful full moon. The place was eerily silent,

with not even a cricket to be heard. Her ears perked in the stillness, searching for something she didn't know, her eyes fixed on the moon.

But then, in the silver sphere of the moon began to grow, and her vision was filled with white. She tried to shield her eyes, but she

couldn't.

In front of her, she saw a vision of death. Everyone she knew; Inuyasha, Kagome, Sango, Miroku, Kenshin, Kaoru...dead before her,

slumped against each other, soaked in blood, dead and cold. She gasped in fear as she saw Naraku laughing; instantly, she knew that he

was the one responsible. She wanted to lash out at him, but she was frozen to the spot. Then, in her heart, she felt a glorious light, and

they were whole again, but...

She had returned to the garden, and fell off the porch, crying. Somehow, someway, she knew that her vision was precognition. The tears

fell to the ground as she remembered the night before her former master Midoriko was attacked by the horde of demons.

She fell asleep that night, hoping and dreaming that the vision was not all that she thought it was.

- Next -
The War