"He still hasn't spoken?"

"No, I can't get him to eat either."

"Has he even gone inside to sleep?"

"No. I've never seen him like this. I'm really worried."

There was a brief silence.

"Did you have any luck finding her parents?"

"Yeah…"

"How did it go?"

"..."

"Sorry, I shouldn't have asked."

"No...it's alright...they were...they were kind. I understand where she got her strength from."

Kohaku listened to Kagome and Sango's conversation, despite the fact he was sure they thought they were talking too quietly for him to hear. He was sitting in front of Hotaru's shrine. He hadn't moved or spoken to anyone since the battle ended three days ago. For so long his only goal had been to stay alive long enough to defeat Naraku. He had never imagined surviving past that. The others had all been so relieved when Naraku was defeated, but he just felt empty. The image of Hotaru burning in Hellfire was seared into his mind.

Why couldn't I have died instead? The question was constantly running through his head. Why her?

Suddenly, a mist came out of nowhere. He stood up and looked around, confused. This wasn't a demonic presence, but it certainly wasn't natural. He looked over to find his sister, but the house had completely disappeared. White emptiness spread out in every direction. Only Kohaku and Hotaru's shrine were still there.

"So, she did get a grave after all..." Kohaku turned in surprise to see who had spoken. Behind him was a very tall, very beautiful woman. He had never seen anyone like her. She had a long, slender body and smooth, dark skin. Her hair fell down past her knees and was a shade of dark green that Kohaku had never seen as a hair color before. Her sad eyes were red, but not blood-red like some demons'; a warm, dark red. She was dressed similarly to how Hotaru had dressed, with the top part of her kimono a tight fitting white piece, and the bottom flared out, adorned with two bows. The difference was the color. Where Hotaru's clothes were purple and maroon, this woman was dressed in black and dark brown. The woman knelt and put her hand on the shrine. "I was afraid she wouldn't have."

"Who are you?" Kohaku asked. The woman looked up at him.

"Can't you guess?" She replied simply.

Kohaku blinked, taken by surprise. Then he looked at the woman again.

"You're Hotaru's mother." He said with complete certainty. Physically the two looked nothing alike, but this woman held herself in a very similar manner. Power and purpose radiated from her the same way it had once radiated from Hotaru.

The woman nodded. "My name is Sailor Pluto. I raised Hotaru since she was a baby."

Kohaku looked down, unable to look Hotaru's mother in the eye.

"I'm sorry." He said, tears starting to seep down his face. "It's all my fault that she's dead. If it hadn't been for me she would have gone home right away and she'd still be alive. But instead..." He broke off. "I'm so sorry..."

"Hotaru always made her own decisions. Once she made up her mind, nothing on this planet could deter her." Sailor Pluto replied, "If she stayed here it's because she wanted to. It was her choice."

"Even so, I promised to protect her. And now..." Kohaku balled his hands into fists. He could barely say the words through the lump in his throat. "Naraku said she went to Hell." Sailor Pluto didn't answer. Kohaku dared to look up at her to see what her expression was.

"Would it comfort you for me to say he was wrong?" Sailor Pluto's eyes were somber and serious. Kohaku didn't reply. "He was not wrong." She said ruefully, looking past Kohaku at the shrine. "Hotaru knew what it would mean for her to die under a demon's possession. She chose to make that sacrifice."

"So she really is..." Kohaku stumbled backwards. It was one thing for Naraku to say it, Naraku always lied. But Hotaru's own mother, someone who loved her, confirmed it. He felt like all the air had been stolen from his body. His knees felt weak. "She's in Hell..."

"No." Sailor Pluto's voice was steady. She spoke in a matter of fact way that must have come from many years of being a soldier. "Not anymore."

"What?"

"Hotaru may have been the guardian of death, but she was not the guardian of the underworld. That title belongs to me. I found her and pulled her out. I cannot restore her life, but I can bring her to an afterlife that is peaceful. What you might call Heaven."

A relief washed over him like a river current.

"So she'll get to be at peace, after all." Kohaku said. Suddenly, it felt like the knot in his heart loosened. After everything she had lived through; the guilt from her past life, the years of possession, the battle against Magatsuhi. After everything she had endured, she would get to be at peace. He felt tears stream down his face.

"She wants to talk to you." Sailor Pluto told him. "One last time."

The orb at the end of her staff began to glow.

"I cannot give you long. Her soul is currently very weak and in need of rest...but I can give you enough time to say your goodbyes."

Kohaku watched in amazement as a soul emerged from the orb. For a moment it looked just like the ones Kikyo had used to use to sustain her life, a sphere of warm, wondrous light. Then it morphed and the translucent specter of Hotaru stood in front of him. Her eyes were weary, but she smiled at him.

"Kohaku..."

"Hotaru..."

Her face broke into a wide grin, tears formed in her eyes.

"I was afraid that you would..." she closed her eyes and shook her head, not voicing her fear, "but you did it...you defeated Naraku. You lived. I'm so happy."

"I only lived because of you. Your barrier protected me." He said. His joy from seeing her was suddenly strangled by guilt. "But I couldn't protect you. I'm so sorry, Hotaru. This was all my fault."

She shook her head. "This was meant to happen. I was never meant to survive."

"Don't say that!"

"It's true." She said. "My destiny was to die taking down Magatsuhi. I knew it. I had known it for a while. Ever since we visited the underworld with Lord Sesshomaru."

"You knew for that long? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because there was nothing you could have done."

"I could have forced you to go home! I could have protected you!"

"No." She gently put her hand on his cheek, there was no warmth or weight to her touch. "This was my destiny. I chose to accept it."

He squeezed his eyes tight and pressed his hand against hers. "You went to Hell..."

"I'm not there anymore."

"You're still gone..."

"No, I will be with you, always." Her hand slipped down his face and caressed the back of his neck. He felt a pinch and she brought her hand back around. She was holding his jewel shard in her fingers.

"We will both be with you always." The jewel shard glowed bright and just as Hotaru's soul had come forth from her mother's gem, Lady Kikyo materialized from the shard.

She smiled warmly at him. He had never seen her smile before. It was as if the burden of her soul had been lifted.

"The Sacred Jewel has been destroyed," Lady Kikyo said. "The world is free from its evil." Hotaru crushed the final shard in her hand and it scattered like dust in the wind. "You are free from its evil. From this day forward, I will be your life."

"And I will be your strength." Hotaru added. "Part of us will remain in you for the rest of your days."

"Hotaru." Sailor Pluto said.

Hotaru looked back at her mother and nodded, then she took Kohaku's hands.

"It's time for me to go."

"No," Kohaku cried, "Please...Please, take me with you."

"It's not your time to die." Hotaru told him. "Not yet. There is more still that you must do."

"I don't care."

Hotaru kissed his cheek.

"I will be waiting for you. When your time comes, I will be there to guide you. Until then, be strong. Live well, for me."

"Hotaru..."

She pulled away, his hands slipping through hers.

"Goodbye, Kohaku. I promise, we will see each other again."

Sailor Pluto put her hand on Hotaru's shoulder. Lady Kikyo joined them as they turned their backs to him and disappeared through the mist.

The mist was gone as suddenly as it had appeared, and Kohaku was back in the village. Someone crashed into his body and arms wrapped around him. Sango was pulling him to her chest.

"Kohaku!"

He looked at his sister dazed, Kagome was standing next to her; worry etched into every line of her face.

"Hotaru's okay." He said.

"What?" Sango asked confused.

"She's okay. She's at peace. She's with her mother and Lady Kikyo. She told me that she would protect me." His voice was almost hollow. He couldn't tell what emotion he was feeling.

"I don't sense the Sacred Jewel shard." Kagome said. Sango touched the back of Kohaku's neck in disbelief.

"They gave me back life..." Kohaku told them. "True life. I'm going to do everything I can to honor it."

Tears filled Sango's eyes, and she embraced him. Kohaku closed his eyes. He felt new strength flow into him, Hotaru's strength. He would live for both of them. He would carry her with him until the end of his days, and when the time came, they would be together again.

.

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Author's Note: Well, that's all from me. It's been a wild five months, and writing this fic has really helped me cope. I can't thank all of you enough for reading. I absolutely love Kohaku and Hotaru, and I was so glad to be able to write their friendship all over again. Thank you to everyone who had reviewed throughout the story, special thanks to Rebelling Death, silverhawk88, Atea1793, James Birdsong, and Lel0uch Vi Britannia, who's feedback really helped me shape and refine the story. If you haven't yet, please tell me what you think of it. Stay safe, stay healthy. You're all awesome.