Why?

Kagome repeated the question to herself over and over.

How had it come to this?

The pivotal argument that started it all seemed so trivial at the time. Could she have known that things would unravel so quickly?

"Please don't leave me InuYasha." She whispered into his ear.

But it was too late. He was gone. His skin was turning pale and the warmth was leaving his body. She buried her head into his chest as she continued to sob out her sorrow. With his spirit now gone, the rosary spell dissolved and it fell apart. Beads and teeth scattered upon the ground. She picked up a few of those pieces.

As she rolled the beads between her fingers, she thought back to the many times that she had "sat" him, and now she wished that she could have the opportunity to "sit" him once more, because that would mean that he was still alive. But if he were alive, she doubted she would ever do that to him again.

"InuYasha, what have I done? I'm so sorry. I never wanted for anything like this to happen. I was stupid, and I wasn't listening when you really needed me, but you must have known how I really feel about you. Why did you leave me like this, and for her, for Kikyo? This just can't be happening."

Kagome was still breathing heavily and strands of her hair clung to her face from the amount of energy she had expended in a very short span of time. Her legs were cramping from the exertion of cycling as fast as she had, and her elbows and knees were muddy from kneeling in the soft earth by his side. She was a mess. But none of that mattered now; she could not have cared less about her own physical condition. Her would-be lover, the one she had often dreamed of having some kind of life with after they found the entire jewel, was now gone. She caressed his face, stroking his pale cheeks, lightly touching his still-soft lips with the tips of her fingers. In her mind, however, she continued to play the scene in the hut over and over and over, the guilt from her thoughtless, careless words to him consuming her. This couldn't be the end. There had to be some other way out of this. She stretched her mind for any possible solution.

'What can I do? What can I do? What can I do?'

She heard a high-pitched squeal over to her left, then. Blinking away her tears, she looked over to find Shippo trying to revive Kilala. The fire neko-youkai had been thrust back into her small form upon being struck down by Kikyo. The arrow had penetrated one of her lungs, and remained embedded in her small body. Shippo, thinking he could somehow save his little friend, had tried to pull the arrow out. But more blood escaped the wound when he did that, staining her beautiful white fur a crimson red. The small kit wrung his hands as he wailed in despair.

"Shippo", Kagome whispered to herself.

She couldn't bring herself to leave InuYasha, but the foxlet was hysterical, and her maternal instincts pushed to the surface of her consciousness through her own sorrow . She gently set down InuYasha and softly called out his name. Shippo bounded over to her as quickly as he could and hopped up into her arms, Kilala's blood on his hands staining the top of her uniform as he clutched her tightly.

"She's d... d... d..."

He hiccupped into her shoulder, his tears soaking her blouse.

As Kagome tried to console the kitsune, she heard a choked sob from behind her, and turned to regard the monk as he wept over the huntress' prone form. Another wave of sadness swept over her, threatening to crush her spirit completely.

"Miroku. Sango."

This was a nightmare. Less than an hour before, they were all happily eating supper. And now, this awful tragedy had stricken them. What had they done to deserve such a horrible fate? Hadn't they always done their best to protect the weak, to destroy evil demons? The forest was deathly quiet now, as if all of the denizens within it held their collective breaths, waiting.

Miroku gently lifted Sango, and moved her body over to a nearby moss-covered thicket, whereupon he carefully set her down once more, kneeling beside her. He tenderly moved errant strands of her raven hair away from her beautiful, now pale face. Kagome stood and approached him cautiously, almost as if she were afraid of what he might do in his current state of mind. As she reached him, she placed the hand that wasn't supporting Shippo on his shoulder. He turned and looked up at her with tear-filled eyes. His mouth opened and he mouthed a single word, but no sound came out.

"Why?"

Kagome had no answer to his question, her own mind straining to retain its sanity. They had battled and killed many demons during their time together, and many times each had been injured, often seriously. They never had to suffer through the death of one of their comrades, however, and now half of their team was gone. It was overwhelming, yet a small voice continued to touch her consciousness through the calamity.

'I have to be strong. I have to be strong. I have to be strong.'

Kagome repeated this litany to herself as she hung on to her bearings with everything she had. She knelt down next to Miroku and embraced him, trying her best to comfort him. Onto this scene came the elder miko.

"Dear Kami-sama, what has happened here?"

Kaede had followed them through the night as quickly she could, only now coming upon the scene. She immediately knelt to the fallen Sango and felt for a pulse, only to confirm to herself what the others already knew. Looking up, she glanced over at InuYasha's prone form, and then back to Kagome, who shook her head slowly.

"Was it my sister?"

"Yes, I... I almost..."

Again, the wave of guilt swept over Kagome.

"But... I couldn't stop her."

"And what of Kilala?"

Kagome wordlessly pointed over to where the small cat lay. Kaede thought for a moment before speaking.

"Kagome, we must perform the sacred ceremony so that their souls will not wander aimlessly in the afterlife."

Kagome was exhausted, both physically and emotionally, so her response caught Kaede completely off guard.

"No! Are you completely blind? Are you stupid? Can't you see what's just happened?"

The elder miko, seeing the pain evident on the girl's face, forgave her immediately.

"Oh Kagome..."

As soon as she vented, and realized what she had said, Kagome actually felt even worse. How was that possible? She clutched handfuls of the soft earth as she choked out her apology.

"I'm so sorry, Kaede, please forgive me, but I don't want to think about that right now. I'm trying my best, but I don't think that I can handle all of this."

Kaede was as shocked and saddened as any of them. However, she knew what needed to be done, and tried to be firm yet gentle as she spoke.

"I understand that completely my child, however, ye have accepted your duty as a miko. Ye know this, and I cannot allow the neglect of your responsibility, no matter how poorly ye might be feeling at this time. This tragedy has affected all of us."

She turned to Miroku, who had once again taken Sango's head into his arms and was rocking back and forth with her as he stroked her cheek with his own. His fingers lightly and tenderly stroked across her soft eyebrows, her lashes, her nose and her lips with the delicacy of a feather. He kissed her forehead, his hot tears running in rivulets down the sides of her face.

"Sango..."

Having taken every opportunity to grope her in a most lascivious manner in the past, he was now more intimate with her than he would ever have imagined he could be. From somewhere deep within him, he sensed that this was what she had always ever really wanted from him. He had had numerous opportunities to share exactly this with her, but he had been too self-centered, and his ego had ultimately failed him, failed them. Kaede deeply felt the pain of his broken heart, but she could not let him become consumed by it.

"This goes for you as well, monk."

Kaede reached down to stroke Sango's hair as she continued.

"This child has had a most difficult life, has fought valiantly for as long as she could, and against great odds. She has lived with great tragedy and little happiness, and the end to her life has indeed been horrific."

The touching eulogy, and the vivid memory of a very much alive and vibrant Sango, almost caused Kaede to choke on her own words. She composed herself, however, before continuing.

"Would ye deny her soul a chance at peace after all she has been through?"

The monk wiped his tear stained eyes with the sleeve of his robe. With his other hand still clutching Sango's, he nodded his agreement.

"You... you are right, Lady Kaede. It is just that I never spoke to her of... of... I thought I had so much more time. I never realized that... I wanted to tell her so much, and now..."

Age and experience had taught Kaede many things, not the least of which was to act upon one's feelings and validate them quickly, while one had the opportunity to do so, because life and fortune were fickle, revealing a slender chance for but a moment, and then perhaps never again. She would not lecture the monk or the younger miko, however. The fates had driven home their lesson with brutal efficiency.

"Miroku, I understand completely. I wish that I could say more. I wish that I could do more. Please make your peace with her. We... we have much to do."

Kaede put her hand on Kagome's shoulder, nodding to her that they should leave those two alone for the time being. Shippo had by now stopped crying, and, exhausted, had actually fallen asleep in Kagome's arms. Kagome rose slowly to her feet, the hand on the monk's shoulder giving it a slight squeeze before she turned to follow the elder miko.

They barely made it half the distance to where InuYasha's body lay when a cloud of energy appeared on the horizon, becoming larger and brighter as it rapidly approached them. Seemingly within seconds, the cloud descended and the tall and regal form of InuYasha's older brother could clearly be seen astride it.

"Sesshomaru!"

The elder tai-youkai alighted upon the earth so smoothly that it appeared as if he was skating across a frozen lake. Immediately, he made his way to where his brother lay. His sharp senses picked up the scent of the dead miko mixed in with his brother's. His keen mind quickly put the pieces together, and he muttered under his breath.

"Baka! You let the dead priestess take you."

"Lord Sesshomaru!" Kagome called out to him, as she ran up to him.

"Stop where you are, miko! Keep your distance if you value your safety. My brother was a fool to associate with the likes of you, and now he has paid the price for his foolishness."

"But Lord Sesshomaru... I didn't..."

"You did not kill him, that is true. Neither did you protect him. You are weak. All of you humans are weak. And that weakness has cost him his life."

Kagome took a moment to process his words, and then her anger and hysteria overcame her.

"How dare you lecture me when you were never around for him, except when you tried to kill him, to take from him what was rightfully his! He depended upon us, he... he loved us, all of us. We were like his true family. We all loved him, I loved him..."

Kagome stopped short in the middle of her sentence as she was struck dumb by her admission to Sesshomaru, and to herself. Kaede had by now reached her and grabbed onto her arm. Sesshomaru regarded them coolly before continuing.

"You will address me with the proper respect miko, or I shall be forced to remind you to whom you are speaking, and it will not be a pleasant reminder. Now, step away from business that is not your own."

"Why you pompous, insufferable..."

Kagome could not complete her sentence, because Kaede had yanked her arm to silence her. Meanwhile, Sesshomaru stepped forward to stand over his brother, and drew his sword, Tensaiga. The sword, which normally glowed brilliantly when it's spell was about to be invoked, remained oddly inert. His puzzlement over this did not show, however. He waved it once over his brother's body.

Nothing happened.

Sesshomaru was actually startled, but one couldn't tell from the expression on his face, or lack thereof. This had never happened before, the sword had always succeeded in resurrecting his intended. He tried again.

Nothing happened.

The tai-youkai's face contorted almost imperceptibly as his mind worked on this problem. The answer soon came to him, but his only physical response was the slight arch of one eyebrow.

'So... she has indeed bound her soul to his. I must think on this a bit more.'

By this time, the dragon carrying Jaken and Rin and settled down a few meters behind Sesshomaru. Rin hopped off and scurried over to her lord and protector. Jaken hurried to keep up with her.

"My lord, we tried our best to keep up, but you were moving so fast that... Yahh! But that's InuYasha there on the ground! Is he... is he dead?"

The imp then stepped forward and poked at the body with the end of his staff.

"Yes... Yes, indeed. He is certainly dead. How did this..?"

"Silence, Jaken!"

"My apologies, Lord Sesshomaru."

After pondering the situation for a few moments more, realization dawned on Sesshomaru. He tuned and faced the two women.

"Mikos, come before me."

Kagome was still shaking, partly over the events that had transpired and partly due to the anger and helplessness she still felt. She almost replied to him that her name was not miko, when she felt Kaede grasp her arm once more and pull her in his direction. The old woman understood that without InuYasha's intervention, their lives were at the tai-youkai's whim. He was extremely powerful, and for whatever reason, he was also extremely upset over his brother's demise, much as he tried to disguise that fact. Neither could he revive his brother as was his intention. This made him even more dangerous than he normally would be. Kaede had recognized the extreme emotional volatility of the situation and would do her best to prevent any further loss of life. The pair made their way to stand before Sesshomaru, Kaede bowing in deferential fashion, one hand on Kagome's shoulder, urging the girl to do the same.

"What do you wish of us, Lord Sesshomaru?"

"In order for me to resurrect my brother, I must break the binding spell that the dead miko has placed upon and between the two of them. This must be done before his body begins to rapidly deteriorate."

Kaede gasped.

"You don't mean Midoriko's forbidden spell?"

"That is correct."

"Oh, Kikyo. How could you have done such a thing, my poor sister?"

"That is a question that may never yield an answer. However, there does exist a way to return his soul to the vicinity of this body in order that Tensaiga may do its work successfully."

Sesshomaru's steel gaze moved from one woman to the other, elder to younger, before settling on Kagome.

"Girl, was there any truth to your utterance earlier?"

Kagome tried to remember everything she had said in order to pinpoint exactly what the tai-youkai could be referring to. Could he mean...? Sesshomaru spoke again.

"You said that you loved my brother. Was that a truthful statement?"

Kagome clutched a still snoring Shippo tightly. Sesshomaru's golden eyes bored directly into her as if they could see the truth without her having to answer his question. All this time, she had kept it to herself. In the deepest recesses of her heart, she had tried to keep her true feelings hidden from him, from them all.

And even from herself.

Now, after everything else that had just happened, she was being asked to bare her soul, to publicly make an admission where, once the words were spoken, they could not ever be taken back. She opened her mouth to say it, but it fought back against her, wanting to remain within the security of its hidden place. Sesshomaru waited, the only thing moving about him were the locks of his frost colored hair billowing in the wind. Why was this so difficult? A simple word, and all she had to do was say it. She glanced once more over to where he had fallen, and finally, it issued forth.

"Yes." She whispered.

Although he had heard her perfectly, Sesshomaru wanted to be absolutely certain of her conviction.

"Did you say something?"

"Yes! Yes! Yes! I... I love him! You would know this had you seen what we have been through together, what we've meant to each other after all of this time."

Kagome exhaled as if a heavy weight were lifted from her. At her exclamation, Shippo awakened, and immediately sensing the tai-youkai, gasped and clutched even more tightly to the girl.

"That is good. What I shall require of you next will take all of that feeling you have and more in order for us to succeed. We shall have to work quickly."

Kagome looked questioningly up at the tall demon before her.

'For us to succeed?'

"Sesshomaru, why do you want to save him?"

"That is of no concern to you."

"But you..."

"Lord Sesshomaru, would you kindly excuse us. For just a moment?"

Kaede bowed to him politely, and the tai-youkai surprisingly returned her politeness with just a touch of magnanimity.

"I will grant you but a moment. We have little time. Do not try my patience." He still regarded them warily.

Kaede pulled Kagome aside, far enough away that they were hopefully out of earshot. The elder miko spoke in hushed tones in any event, knowing that the tai-youkai's hearing was extremely acute.

"Kagome, do ye understand what is happening?"

"Kaede, I... I don't know what you mean."

"Look around ye, girl, what do ye see?"

Kagome looked questioningly about her to the left, and about 20 meters away from them was Sesshomaru. Clutching his leg was his young ward, and a few feet farther away from the two of them was the imp. About 15 meters to the right of that group was... Tetsusaiga! He had to have sensed its presence since he arrived, yet he had made no move to acquire it, even though it was there for the taking. Kagome thought for a moment and finally realized what Kaede had been trying to get her to see for herself.

Sesshomaru was indeed far more concerned about his brother than the Tetsusaiga itself, the very sword he had been trying to acquire since she had drawn it from its place in their fathers tomb.

"Do ye understand now?"

"Yes, I think so."

"All right then, we must proceed with caution, choosing our words very carefully."

The two then made their way back to the tai-youkai, bowing respectfully once more.

"What would ye have us do, Lord Sesshomaru?"

Sesshomaru looked at the young miko, and without blinking replied.

"I must kill you."

Kaede gasped, as her suspicions regarding his method had proved correct. Kagome stood silently, her mouth a thin line of firm resolve. She knew that she would do anything to get InuYasha back. But would she die for him?

Yes.

Sesshomaru regarded her reaction to his statement before continuing.

"You're soul must be released from this body in order to find his. You must use the feelings to which you have just admitted to assist you in your search. If she has taken him to Hell, then you must use every ounce of your other abilities to survive the journey. It will not be an easy task. When you have located him, you must speak an incantation to unbind his soul from the miko who took him. Do you agree to this?"

Kagome thought for a moment and was about to answer when something else came to mind. He could use Tensaiga to revive Sango!

"I'll only do it if you revive Sango right now."

"Do not dare to place conditions upon me, miko. The life or death of the taijiya is of no concern to me."

The tai-youkai was beginning to lose his patience, however, he would not allow them to see him in any state other than one of complete control. Kagome stepped into this high stakes game, only guessing at what the outcome might be, but praying that she could get what she wanted. She would do anything to help revive InuYasha, and she absolutely hated using his life as a trump card in a game such as this, but his own friend Sango had given her life for him. And Kagome instinctively knew that even if InuYasha were to be revived, he would never forgive himself for being responsible for her death, no matter how much he would "feh" that it meant nothing to him. This could be the only chance she would have to give Sango another opportunity at a life she truly deserved.

"Lord Sesshomaru" she began, making certain to address him respectfully as she also bowed.

"This woman gave her life to try to save InuYasha, as did Kilala. Although they failed, doesn't it matter to you that they showed your brother the highest kind of honor and loyalty possible? Surely you can see it. You must. They lost their lives trying to save his. They never even thought of their own safety, they were so concerned that they could save him. Whatever the situation is between your brother and yourself that has caused such conflict between you, surely you must, in your position, understand how rare that is?"

Kagome exhaled and waited, not knowing where that had come from. It was likely the desperation of the situation. Sesshomaru pondered her words. A demon must be strong, independent, unlike his half-brother. A demon must live a self-sustaining life, needing nothing from anyone. That was how he lived, needing nothing...

But wait.

What about Rin? Or even Jaken. Didn't he need them? No. In the blink of an eye, he could continue his existence without either of them, if need be.

That was a lie.

He was always brutally honest, especially with himself. That would not change now. Something about the girl's words reached him, and, thinking for a moment longer, he relented.

"I was not aware of her sacrifice for his sake. I will do as you ask."

He walked over to the fallen Sango, all eyes upon him.

"Step away from her, monk."

Miroku looked up at the imposing dog demon standing over him. He had not heard the conversation between Sesshomaru and the two mikos. All he knew was that Sango had left him and he wanted to spend as much time as he could with her, holding her, before her body was put to rest. He didn't understand that Sesshomaru was there to revive her. All he saw was his enemy, and that enemy also wielded a sword.

"Stay back, Sesshomaru. Don't you come near her or I'll kill you, I swear it." He hissed.

"I have no time for this, monk. I shall instruct you but once more to stand aside..."

Sesshomaru then sheathed Tensaiga and grasped the hilt of Tokijin. Kagome's condition had only included reviving Sango. The monk would not stand in the way of his completing that task. As Sesshomaru drew Tokijin, Miroku released the seal on his kazanna.

Time stood still.

In less than a second, Sesshomaru had figured out his moves in order to reach and kill the monk. He would make three moves at unmatched speed to get to the left of the monk, and then sever his head. He raised his sword as Miroku aimed his kazanna. The tai-youkai took the first step at blinding speed, then stopped abruptly at the sound.

"Stop it!"

Kagome screamed at the top of her lungs, causing the dog demon to stop dead in his tracks. Miroku also clutched the spiritual seal to stop the wind tunnel. Both men looked over at the young miko, who came running toward them.

"Please, Sesshomaru, he doesn't know what he's doing. He means no disrespect to you. Miroku, he's only trying to help. He's going to revive Sango, but you have to get out of his way."

Miroku processed Kagome's words, then warily looked up at the impassive face of the tai-youkai. Kagome ran around them to grab his arm and lead him a safe distance away.

Sesshomaru sighed to himself that this was taking so much longer and involved so many more humans than he had anticipated. He would make his foolish brother pay for all of this when he was brought back to them.

He sheathed Tokijin and raised Tensaiga once more.

A/N: Next - descent into Hell, but not before yet another twist...

An Anonymous Narrative Writer: Sorry you don't like Shippo. He is a pain at times, but I think he's learned his lesson. Besides, I can't think of any way he would get into real trouble with Kags. She spoils him rotten, sometimes. Thanks for reading.

Mariya Nietsu: Thanks, and I'm glad it's caught your interest. Hope this chap is as good.

AriznGlori: He won't open the portal, wait until you see how that happens! Sorry I couldn't get this out faster, I had software problems. I think they are all solved, now. Thanks, and... sorry!

atth99: Thanks for waiting. I hope it was worth it.

ShortPoet: You pose a lot of questions, some of which are answered in this chap, others, the answers would be spoilers as they're coming later. As always, thanks for your feedback.

Krazie-edge: THANK YOU!

Inu miko: Thanks for your comments, and I hope you like this.

ShadowYoukai87: I have written the next chapter. Thanks for your comments and I hope you like it.

Nysoku-loves-Sesshomaru: Yes, he cares, and we'll see why a bit later. Thanks for your review.

Kiyana Va Sala: There is a hole in the safety net, as you can see, so you were almost right :) Thanks for the review. I hope to drop some other things in that you don't expect. Heh.

Yami-Mekayla: Thanks for your comments. I'm glad you like it and hope this chap is as good.

The Evil Liar: Thanks for your insight into Kikyo. I hope it gets better the farther we go.

To everyone else reading: Thanks, and any comments or criticism is welcomed. I am no expert on InuYasha, but I really have recognized an emotional connection to the characters that has compelled me to write about them. Please don't hesitate to give me a swift kick if I've done something completely idiotic.

Ja ne.

W.