"If you think you can touch my left arm, try." Sesshomaru taunts, flying forward to meet Inuyasha without so much as a hint of worry.

But he forgot about Andy, who has no idea what she's doing but is incapable of letting her people go into bad situations on their own. Sesshomaru forgot about Andy - or maybe didn't see her as a threat to begins with despite her having just punched him in the face - and now she's going to make him wish she was the first person he disposed of. With a steadying breath Andy takes a knee, presses the palms of her hands flat against the ground, and closes her eyes. Warmth floods her, seeps deep into her bones and fills the cold, hollow places in her head. When she opens her eyes everything is a little sharper, a little more vibrant, and the promise of soon is replaced by the promise that the older, more powerful demon, won't touch what's theirs. Andy surges forward.

Inuyasha ducks and swerves to avoid the light whip attack Sesshomaru keeps trying to use to incapacitate him. With his focus mostly pinned on Inuyasha, Sesshomaru offers a fairly large target. Andy drags some of her power into her hand, the resulting orb of light achingly familiar and far bigger than the last time. Inuyasha grunts as he rolls to avoid a particularly vicious attack. Andy takes the opportunity to lob the orb at Sesshomaru's head. Boom! The orb detonates in a flare of bright light and deafening noise that even rattles Andy, who's forced to place both palms over her ears in a belated attempt to protect them as Inuyasha and Sesshomaru both hit the ground hard. Nervously, Andy shuffles back a few feet. There's no way to know if Sesshomaru will turn his full murderous focus on her when he regains his bearings but her anticipation flares hot in her stomach. It's almost as hot as the blue flame that dances along her fingers.

When Sesshomaru finally manages to straighten his posture and turn to look at her, Andy is oddly pleased by the contemplation on his face. The primal thing in her head likes that the demon across from her, who is clearly stronger and more skilled than any of the enemies they've faced, considers her a valid threat. Strange thing to be pleased about considering Sesshomaru is likely going to try and rip her head off.

"Iron-Reacer, Soul-Stealer!"

Sesshomaru turns just in time to avoid claws lodging in his spinal cord and delivers a painful looking punch to Inuyasha's right cheek. Her half-demon goes skidding across the scarred courtyard, his body pushing up more rubble and dirt to add to the growing pile. Whoever owns the mansion is probably never going to let them come back if they survive this.

An arrow, one of Kagome's, zips through the air just as Sesshomaru begins advancing on Inuyahsa. Spiked pauldron give way beneath the arrowhead, splintering and falling away like broken clay. For a brief moment everything goes still, then Sesshomaru turns to glare at Kagome - who tells Shippo she'd been aiming for his arm when the young kit congratulates her on the hit.

"Inuyasha... Make her stop." Sesshomaru says in a sort of clipped tone that hints at barely contained rage, "Even as a half-breed, the blood of a demon flows through your veins. Don't stoop to accepting human aid when you're on the verge of death."

Realizing that Sesshomaru won't hesitate to strike Kagome down, Inuysha turns to the girl in green and says, "Kagome! Don't try anything! Sesshomaru is ruthless!"

"Don't worry!" Kagome calls back, unafraid and unwavering, "This time I'll hit my target!"

She does though, because this time Sesshomaru is expecting it and when the arrow's withing touching distance he simply catches it between two of his clawed hands and smirks at Kagome as noxious gas dissolves it into nothing. Andy's moving before Sesshomaru even gets a chance to do the same. Because he's smirking at Kagome, asking her if she doesn't understand, Tetsusaiga's blade glowing yellow. No, no, no. Kagome isn't going to die today. Andy doesn't reach Sesshomaru in time to stop him from attacking Kagome but she does manage to throw herself in front of the attack, barrier flying up fast enough to deflect most of the attack but not fast enough to keep Andy from getting hurt.

Blood pours from Andy's side, warm and startlingly bright against her skin. Andy blinks once, twice, three times before going to brush her fingers across the wound spanning her side. With all the blood she can't tell how bad it is but from the lack of pain Andy's going to guess that she's either damaged a shit-ton of nerves or is going into shock. Neither is good. Can she heal from this? Obviously. But how soon? Minutes? Hours? Days? Andy doesn't have that kind of time. Her friends don't have that kind of time. Eyes narrow dangerously as she turns her attention to Inuyasha's brother, who's standing there looking like he's just tasted something foul.

Good, Andy thinks rather viciously, the Tetsusaiga's not as powerful as he seems to think if it can't even rip apart my barrier.

Maybe it's arrogant to think she's more powerful than a legendary sword but Sesshomaru has attacked them several times because of that damned sword and if her surviving an attack from it puts him in a bad spot she can't bring herself to feel sorry for him. Either the sword is junk or he's not supposed to be swinging it around like he is... from his earlier commentary Andy's pretty sure the sword isn't responding well to him. This just kind of drives the point home.

"Are you alright, Andy?" Inuyasha calls from somewhere behind her.

Because she wants to be a shit Andy straightens her spine, uses a blood soaked hand to brush back her hair, and smiles as she replies to Inuyasha's call with a confident, "As if your brother's powerful enough to kill me."

"Damn it, Andromeda! Don't antagonize him!"

"Is Kagome alright?" Andy asks in lieu of answer.

Inuyasha isn't the one that replies. No. That goes to Sesshomaru, who closes the distance between them and stares at her through burning gold eyes when he asks, "You would stoop so low as to protect a human? Why?"

Iron fills her mouth with the taste of burning metal and Andy's sure it dribbles out of her mouth as she says, "I don't have to explain myself to you."

"Hn."

Pain begins to throb at her side, black spots falling like hazy snow across her vision as her blood continues to drip from her body. Hopefully the wound is closing. Hopefully she'll be able to walk out of this with her friends. Andy looks over her shoulder to see if Inuyasha has gotten Kagome to safety and finds them all gathered in a tight circle whispering about her, Sesshomaru, the sword, and getting Kagome as far from here as possible. Miroku makes a move to grab his prayer beads but stops when a stone tossed by Inuyasha startles the poisonous insects out of the bushes nearby. She turns to look at Sesshomaru, finds his attention flicking from her to Inuyasha again and again before they settle on the half-demon who tells Miroku to run.

"As if you can run," Sesshomaru says, "I can destroy you all in a single stroke."

Tetsusaiga's half-transformed blade gleams as the demon Lord raises it into the air and Inuyasha streaks passed her to confront his brother with a snarl. They collide in amidst a flare of white energy that forces another barrier out of Andy. She wavers. Blood loss and exhaustion dragging her to her knees but the barrier holds firm against the wave of power that seems to press down on it. Hands settle on her side, carefully pulling away the soaked fabric of her ruined sweater to expose the shredded flesh beneath and Andy doesn't need to look to know that it's Kagome. Miroku and Shippo slip into place beside her seconds later, drawn forth by the promised safety of Andy's barrier. Gentle pressure against her side and the smell of antiseptic tells Andy that Kagome's doing everything she can to help Andy with the limited time and supplies they have.

As the light fades Andy's barrier quivers but doesn't fade. Beyond the swirling, sizzling colors Andy sees Inuyasha; there's one hand around the hilt of the Tetsusaiga and another on Sesshomaru's shoulder, his head bent closer to his older brother's bicep than his throat. Biting. Inuyasha is attempting to bite off the dead man's arm.

Clever boy, the voice in her head coos before going silent.

Helpful is not a word Andy would use to describe the voice in her head.

"He's pushing the sword back!" Miroku exclaims so suddenly that it startles Andy, and Inuyasha too.

The distraction is all Sesshomaru needs to drive green-tipped claws deep into Inuyasha's chest, blood spewing from the wound just as it had from Andy's. Kagome screams, Miroku and Shippo gasp, and Inuyasha's legs tremble beneath the force of the attack. For a second everything is quiet. There is no buzzing in the air above them, no squawking from the imp, no enraged proclamations of death: there is only the distant roar of thunder in her head until the wet squelch of Sesshomaru removing his hand seems to bring everything back into focus.

"If you have any last words, I'll hear them now." Sesshomaru says to Inuyasha, his tone kinder than Andy's ever heard out of him.

"What, Sesshomaru? Haven't you realized it yet?" Inuyasha's facial expression is a mystery to her but it must be a smug one because one moment Sesshomaru seems pleased and the next Inuyasha is ripping the borrowed arm from his body. "I'm taking my sword back!"

Thump!

A withered, grey-blue hand lands meager inches from the barrier but too far to the left for Andy or any of the others to get it without putting themselves in Sesshomaru's path. Still, they have the sword back. Sesshomaru's much less a threat now than he has been all evening. Everyone knows it too. Even the imp who so unhelpfully points out his Lord's current inability to touch the sword. Andy pushes herself to her feet, swaying slighting on her feet until she manages to get herself sorted, and then she moves through the fire of the barrier - which remains even after Andy has crossed the distance to Inuyasha, slipped her fingers just beneath the collar of his shirt - there's a technical name for it Andy's sure, but the name escapes her - so that she can brush against his skin, and then her fire tears into his body. Inuyasha growls lowly but doesn't pull away and slowly, so slowly, the bruise on his cheek fades, then the hole in his chest knits itself together until nothing remains but unblemished skin and torn fabric. Andy pulls away feeling lightheaded and weak but also rather pleased with herself. Her own body may be beyond her current ability to heal but Inuyasha's injuries were comparatively minor... Besides, healing him is only going to piss his brother off.

The two stare at Sesshomaru, gold and hazel eyes boring into the poised demon Lord who glares back at them. After a moment Sesshomaru turns on his heel and takes a step away.

"Come Jaken, we're leaving. As the Tetsusaiga is beyond my reach, there's no sense in staying." He tells the imp, who gapes.

"Oh, already?" blanching, the imp tries to correct the seemingly rude comment, "Certainly."

Then they're gone. Disappearing into the sky on a cloud of silver mist and white light. It escapes no one's notice that the insects immediately gather themselves into a large cluster and follow after the retreating demon Lord. Once he's gone Andy finds herself crashing back onto rough stone. Black fuzzies turn into large spots that dance across her vision. One of them obscures Inuyasha's face as he kneels in front of her to examine her hastily treated wound.

"You're an idiot," He tells her as he gathers her up into his arms.

"Trading compliments are we?"

"Hardly."

Andy smiles against the surprisingly soft fabric of her friend's fire-rat robe and says, "Think your brother'll lay an egg when he sees me next?"

"I think you need to focus on healing."

"Kill joy."

Andy thinks Inuyasha might have said something unpleasant but she's not entirely sure. She's lingering in their weird place between half-awake and half-dead, everything seems foggy, like her mind's two or three steps behind her body. When Inuyasha puts her down she feels stone under her back, when he removes the remains of her sweater she feels the chill of the night air, and when Kagome begins frantically tending to her wound Andy feels it but can't comprehend any pain. Maybe she's beyond that... or maybe she's at the point where her body's getting ready to reassemble itself. Shit. This is going to be the first time she dies. When she comes back is she going to be a baby?

You worry too much.

An image of a rude gesture, Andy isn't sure which one, is sent out toward the voice.

But I suppose being de-aged will help your attitude. Perhaps this Naraku will be less willing to murder you if you resemble a child?

Unlikely. Naraku seems like the type of asshole that would purposefully go after a kid if it meant hurting one of his enemies or alleviating his boredom. Naw, her new body's going to be more a hindrance if de-aging's the case.

Sleep, I'll be there when you wake.

Andy does as she's told. Slipping off into darkness despite the distant urging telling her not to close her eyes. In the darkness there's warmth, in the darkness Andy sees stars form and live and die in an explosion of matter that scatters across the universe to create more stars, more planets, more wonders. Occasionally someone will drag her from the vast, limitless ocean of space to check on her, but the moments are fleeting and hazy at best. The first time, Andy is sprawled out on something warm and fluffy, she falls asleep listening to a heartbeat. The second time, Andy is being transferred into a home, she only knows because there's a fire and an old, familiar woman who begins checking her injuries. The third time, the last time, Andy wakes to darkness. Pain radiates through her body. Everything hurts from the tips of her toes to the top of her head. There's no one else in the hut with her but Andy can't help but feel like she's being watched. The fire that's trying to die at her left offers a bit of light and in it she can see very little of the house she's been brought to but it has to be Kaede's, because where else would they take her?

Not wanting to cause herself anymore pain is the driving motivator to remain still but Andy casts her eyes about the older priestess' home. There are bags off to the side, hers and Miroku's but not Kagome's, and she thinks the oddly shaped lump further away might be Kaede's body. Considering the fact that it's incredibly dark out she's comfortable in assume Kaede's asleep.

"Inuyasha!" Andy croaks, "Kagome?"

"They're not here." A voice says, footsteps only just loud enough to be heard.

Probably one of the village women helping Kaede. Nothing to worry about. Andy swallows hard and asks, "Where are they?"

"The sister-of-our-soul is back home while the monk, the half-demon, and the kit are off searching for jewels shards they'll never find."

Sister-of-our-soul.

Our.

Andy forces her head to turn as much as she can manage to stare at the person speaking to her. For a moment everything blurs as the pain makes her eyes water, she blinks several times and licks her chapped lips as she tries to regulate the pain. While she does that the person she'd been speaking to closes the distance, lowers herself onto the floor beside her, and reaches out to stroke her hair out of her face. Pain gives way to warmth that spreads through her body, driving out the aches and misery with nothing more than a soothing touch. Andy sighs and opens her eyes to stare at her savior, mystified to find herself staring back at her.

The woman sitting beside her looks like her, looks exactly like here. There's nothing about the other woman that doesn't perfectly match the perfections and imperfections that pepper Andy's being. From the fiery hue or her hair right down to the way she crosses her legs. Everything about the woman is Andy.

"What are you?"

"I'm you, and you're me, and we are we." She says as she smooths a knuckle down Andy's face, "Separated by years but still the same... There can only ever be one but look at us now."

Fear causes her heart to thunder against her ribs, when no power comes to aid her Andy finds herself tearing up for a completely different reason than she had earlier.

"Are you going to kill me?" She asks her mirror, who smiles fondly and shakes her head.

"Of course not. We're the same person, Andromeda, and there can only ever be one of us."

"I can't call my power."

"You've exhausted yourself, pulling at power that's being split evening between us when you don't have the capability of understanding it."

Andy groans. She doesn't have time for weird Yoda-like mind games and she doesn't have time for the vague half-answers she's giving herself. Being given? This whole situation has to be some sort of trip. She's delusional. The wound probably got infected on the way to Kaede's and now she's suffering from hallucinations as a result before she dies.

"This isn't a fever dream?" Her double says.

"Uh-huh," Andy blinks at her and decides to indulge her-most-definitely-a-fever-dream double, "What is this then?"

Her double smiles and says, "Don't fight."

"What are you-" Andy chokes as the warmth that had spread through her turns into magma beneath her flesh.

Arching, thrashing, attempting to rip away from her double so she can fight does nothing but bring her more pain, more agony, that not even her power responds to. Why isn't she fighting? Why aren't her powers coming? It feels like something is carving itself into her bones, pushing aside organs and other parts of her body to make room for something different. Andy finds her voice and scream, scream, screams just as that something different slips into the hollow spaces of her being. There's a voice telling her not to fight, that everything will be ok, that she'll be better, stronger, so much more than she currently is after the pain fades but all Andy can think about is the chest buster from Aliens and how much she doesn't want to die. Crying, Andy calls for Kaede. Black is seeping into her vision, blotting out the world like wayward ink blots out a sentence on a page, and in the seconds before it swallows her whole Kaede's face appears amidst the fog.

Born among light and fire there is no concept of self. She is aware that she is alive, she is aware that she is alone, and she is aware that the darkness around her is filled with half-formed objects and distant pinpricks of light. Alone she remains, tucked in the security of her creator, until one day curiosity forces her out into the emptiness. Time is not a concept. She slips through the cold expanse with nothing but her own light to keep her company and she watches as stars are born, live, and then die in an explosion so powerful it sends matter sailing across the emptiness. And then, when she returns to her creator, there are other objects. Planets that fall into her creator's gravity, unable to pull away as she is able to. The closest is so small that she almost dismisses it. Pale in color, it spins around her creator faster than the others and yet nothing comes of it. She watches as it spins, spins, spins without purpose. Even she has purpose. The next is the hottest but it too merely spins around her creature. And so on and so forth. The masses spin but nothing springs forth from them; no being such as she to explore with, to fight with, to learn and find companionship with, but still she visits the masses. Occasionally, she will pull her power into herself and explore them, slipping beyond their strange feeling atmospheres with ease. There is nothing to hold her attention long. How can there be when there is no consciousness to engage with? She is unwilling to stay too far beyond the farthest mass, however, lulled back by the promise of something. So she remains, unable to leave but unable to determine a reason to stay... And then the bipedal species appears. Strange as they are she cannot help but love them, admire them, be fascinated by them. And so one day, after they have risen and fallen and expanded, She takes on a form likes there so that she can walk among them.

It does not end well.

Blood tastes strange in her mouth, pain and fear and hate a concept she doesn't understand, and the ash that covers her body is a result of something out of her control. She runs from the destruction but doesn't leave. Instead she remains. Like a star she appears in the lives of people, lives for a time, and disappears. Sometimes she leaves the people behind with knowledge she was born with and some she acquires over her travels, sometimes she simply leaves and never looks back. Years pass, civilizations form, wars are fought, she hardens and softens and redefines what it is to be alive. Living, she decides, is different than being alive. So she takes to music, art, she learns all that she can about herself and the world around her. She grows more powerful. Fire and light bend to her whim, people heal at her touch, and so long as the sun shins, so too shall she.

Then she sees a dark haired girl dripping in jewels and terror, held by two men as another advances with a sword.

She has seen this before. She has witnessed sacrifices and death, it's nothing new. Mortals die, they are not meant to live the eternity she or other immortal beings will... But there is something in those wild, dark eyes that call to something even more wild in her own being. Metal flashes and blood stains the girl's dress dark red. The men holding her release their grip and her body tumbles into the sea. She is quicker. Plucking the girl up just before her body hits the water is a simple matter, leaving before the humans comprehend what they're seeing is even easier. She takes the girl far away from the gathering of armed men and crying women. They have killed her. They do not deserve her. She takes the girl to a place where the water is like glass and the sands are warm and heals her broken body so that no evidence remains of her attempted murder.

Her name is Iphigenia and she is quick to become the daughter-of-her-heart.

Months later they sit at the edge of a cliff and she listens as Iphigenia names the images the stars make. There are so many cultures, so many constellations, she knows the stars at their most raw state and having had only them for company for so long has bred a sort of disinterest in her. But Iphigenia loves the story of Andromeda, loves the similarities between herself and the maiden in the story. She tells Iphigenia she likes the story to make her happy. Somehow she ends up taking on the woman's name.

Andromeda, Andromeda, the Wild Lady Andromeda!

Year after year, rebirth after rebirth, the names change but one of the first memories to come back is always the one of Iphigenia's smile when she heard how much Andromeda liked her story. So she keeps the name and no matter how often the daughter-of-her-heart changes it Andromeda is her name, the one she has claimed and accepted as her own and has no intention of leaving.

During their travels they meet deities, monsters, demons, and heavenly creatures. Andromeda is the first, therefore the strongest, and she does not fear the rage that can come from those she meets who are of great power as well. Sometimes she will split ways with the daughter-of-her-heart so that Iphigenia can see the world on her own. It's alright. Andromeda will always know where and when to find her. Pulled together like all matter in the universe there is no way for either of them to be parted forever and so no reason to fret. Iphegenia is immortal now, her body does not age and her body does not take the damage it used to. Safe. She is safe and Andromeda is curious by nature.

Then, one day, thousands of years later a prickle of awareness brings her to... herself.

A splintered, faded version of herself. One that broke apart from herself at some point in the future and somehow managed to find her way back. Andromeda watches her, Andy, by pulling on their connection and slipping into her head, filling the part of her mind where memories, age-old instinct, and laughter should be. She's brave, so very, very brave and bound to a girl named Kagome. The sister-of-their-soul. Andromeda watches as the faded piece of herself pulls together a clan consisting of a reborn priestess, an abrasive but loving half-demon, a powerful kit, and a lecherous monk. Good people. All of whom become part of Andy in ways they will never be able to comprehend. Andromeda considers letting the fragment live her life, considers letting her grow into what little power she has, but then the Thunder Brothers happen. They batter the sister-of-her-soul, threaten her half-demon and kit, and have the audacity to try and slaughter her shadow self. Andromeda finds she is unable to leave Andy to her suffering, to her defenselessness. So she gathers herself, abandons the snowy tundra she's found herself in and the tribe of people thriving there, and makes for Japan. Connected to her fragmented piece as she is, Andromeda is able to witness all of Andy's fights and her almost death at the hands of the half-demon's brother, who sparks something in Andy's chest that even Andromeda doesn't know how to describe despite her many, many years. She doesn't linger on it as she streaks through the sky, guided by the invisible tether stretched between herself and Andy. Finding that despite her pain and lesser power Andy is still fiercer than most immortal beings made Andromeda smile when she found her lying prone on the bedding provided for her. Explaining to her that they would be one soon enough - one body, one mind, one being, one power as they were always meant to be - had been tedious and more time consuming than she'd cared for but she offered her fragmented self an explanation none-the-less before she began the process of binding them together once more.

When Andy wakes it's to the sound of birds and the feeling of something more pulsing through her veins, sunlight slipping through the door to cast a sharp beam of light across her face. Kaede hovers over her looking more worried than Andy's ever seen her, to her left is Kagome. The sister-of-her-soul. Andy groans as she rises into a sitting position, weight braced on the arm extended out behind her as she tries to breathe through the pain in her head. Awakening - or is it merging? After everything that's happened she's not quite sure - hurts when you have several lifetimes worth of memories and thoughts and feelings crammed into your head. Even her body feels too small for her frame despite it being no worse for wear than it had been when she first arrived in the feudal era. Andy turns to Kagome and reaches out, sighing when her hand brushes the soft fabric of her jumper. Too weak for her own body, but still too strong to interact with Kagome as she once had. There's no longer a voice in her head but an instinct tells her that she needs to be gentle. Soft. Like she is with Iphigenia, like she is with hatchlings, soft and gentle and so very careful not to damage fragile human bodies.

"Hi." She says and both women in front of her sigh audibly in relief.

"You scared me so bad!" Kagome cries, tears welling in her eyes and spilling over to run down her cheeks.

Something twists insider her at the sight.

She never meant to make Kagome cry.

"Hey, hey, it's ok! I'm fine!"

She is too.

Andy - Andromeda - feels better than she's felt in a long time. It's as if she's needed glasses all of her life and after finally getting a proper prescription she's able to see clearly. Everything is brighter, sharper, almost too much. Andy looks away, flexes her fingers, and then runs her tongue over her teeth. Kagome and Kaede need to know what happened but so do Inuyasha, Miroku, and Shippo... If anyone's going to understand what's happened to her it'll be one of them. Inuyasha and Shippo because of their demon heritage and Miroku because he's spent so much time around demons that he's probably picked up a thing or two over his travels.

"How long have I been asleep?" She asks, deciding that it's as valid a question as any.

"A little over a week... Kaede was scared you weren't going to make it." Kagome offers.

Offense flairs its ugly head at the words but Andy swallows it back, because Kaede had every right to be afraid when Andy was... less than what she is, less than what she was meant to be. Wincing, Andy shifts so that she's hunched over her knees and blinks slowly. Words and ideas fly through her mind, half-thought in some cases, and it's almost too much for her to handle. Too much for her to comprehend. So she starts with what she knows: Andy was like the pieces of the Shikon Jewel, separate from a larger, more powerful entity that has finally been brought back together. She doesn't understand how or why this has happened, she doesn't think anything about herself has necessarily changed. Her name is Andromeda, she was born of the sun, and she has lived far beyond the comprehension of humanity, but she is still the girl that fears too little and loves too much. She's still Andy. Maybe. She feels like she hasn't changed but something tells her that what's happened over the past few days is going to have consequences.

"Where are Inuyasha and the others?" Andy asks.

Kagome shares a look with Kaede before saying, "He's around."

"Around."

"Aye, much has happened since last ye woke, child." Kaede says, her gaze is troubled.

"Tell me about it." Andy commands, and they do.

They tell her about Kikyo, who has risen and learned the circumstances of her death at the hand of Naraku and is still clinging to a life that has long since faded into possibility. They tell her about Inuyasha, who is indecisive about who is more important to him. Andy understands. Kikyo was his first love, the first woman to try to accept him as she was who wasn't his mother, and losing her broke something in him. Kagome is kinder, more accepting of all him as a whole, and there's something far more healthy growing between Inuyasha and her, but it is a sapling compared to the deep rooted thing that sprung up between Kikyo and Inuyasha over their many months together. None in their group has any right to judge Inuyasha for his feels on the matter... Though, Andy doesn't particularly like all she's heard about Kikyo, she can't say that the woman wasn't good for Inuyasha in some way or another. They were who they were and while it may not have been the purest relationship Inuyasha had loved Kikyo and it ended bloody. There are just some pains that don't fade, some emotions that cling no matter how doomed they are.

Andy sighs as she carefully climbs out of her sleeping bag. Hands settle at her arms and shoulders in an attempt to help steady her. She wants to tell them that there's no point, that she feels fine, but her knees wobble when she climbs to her feet so she keeps her mouth shut. A glance at her body shows that someone - Kaede, probably - has tried to keep her clean and well cared for but Andy feels like she hasn't bathed in years. She turns to meet Kagome's eyes.

"I want to take a bath." She tell the blue eyed girl, who nods once before going over to Andy's bag to grab her toiletries and a change of clothes.

"Come on," Kagome says, "Kaede and I will take you to the river."

She'd rather have a hot bath but as long as she's getting to clean up there's no point in bitching.

"And then we can get food?" Andy asks, because she's ravenous.

Kagome laughs.

"Yes, we can get food after." She promises.

The promise of food and getting clean is what gets Andy to the river but it's the promise of being able to wash her hair that gives her the strength to strip naked and enter the river without either Kaede or Kagome's help. Priorities, she knows, she should probably work on but she's been without a bath for over a week. Somehow she doubts starvation will kill her. So keeping clean seems like a bigger issue than going a few days without food. As she scrubs the remnants of dried blood and accumulated body oil from her person Andy thinks back on everything that happened. Between Sesshomaru and Naraku she isn't sure which is a bigger threat. Naraku probably. At least Sesshomaru did't seem all that interested in anyone other than Inuyasha. And will she be any more of a threat to either of them than she was before the... well, due to everything that's happened Andy isn't quite sure what to say about learning that the voice in her head wasn't actually some primal instinct but her own past self tapping in on a radio frequency the two of them shared just to keep an eye on Andy. It's weird now. Andy isn't sure how to handle all of this but she knows there's no going back. Not now. Not when being part of a whole feels right and will come in handy later on when they finally meet Naraku. With a quiet moan Andy rinses the last of the conditioner from her hair and decides that for now she's going to have to put everything on a back burner and stop worrying about it until Inuyasha comes back. Hopefully her half-demon friend will have some sort of advice to give one managing her current inner turmoil. It's not like Inuyasha doesn't have a shit ton of experience when it comes to that anyway.

~X~

A/N:

Hey everyone,

I hope you're enjoying the story so far. I've been turning out a couple of chapters because I've caught a really good inspiration streak and so I'm running with it, so I would really appreciate some feedback on this chapter specifically. I know that someone asked about the version of Andromeda living in this time period and I've had this idea in my head since the beginning but I wasn't sure how to execute it without it seeming misplaced - if that makes sense? Like I have a specific plan for this idea and it'll work with the plot and buildup but I wasn't sure if putting it in now was a good time or later? I felt like now would be good since this is the first time Andy's really been almost-killed since coming back. I know that Yura stabbed her - and this will be explained alter too - but I feel like since Yura isn't nearly as powerful at the Tetsusaiga is tat it would have been easier for Andy to heal a wound that's so much less severe than the one Sesshomaru gave her during their not-quite-fight. Yura's blade really didn't have any sort of demonic energy to it. She mostly just used her hair to control it so it would have been like getting pricked with a needle instead of stabbed by a sword to Andy, whereas being struck by Tetsusaiga's attack would have been far more physically traumatic. We wee her attempt to heal her wounds, which is why she didn't die right off the bat, but there wouldn't have been any way for her to truly heal herself from it. Again, it'll be explained better later on. I'm just babbling about ideas.

That being said; I know some of you aren't big on reviewing and I totally get it - I'm not always great about reviewing myself - but I do enjoy seeing commentary on chapters. I especially like seeing and reading fan theories or seeing interest in the development of characters/settings/dynamics between the various characters. So for those of you who would like to review please do, for those who aren't as into it I get that so there's honestly no pressure. You guys do you.

Thanks again!

Rate, Review, and Recommend to your friends!