Hello everyone! So, uh, different sort of news! I was nominated for "BEST DARK FICTION" 2020 4st Quarterly Inuyasha Fandom Awards, run by FeudalConnection. Whoever nominated my story: Thank you from the bottom of my heart! I didn't even know this was a thing! You'll see my nomination on the announcements page – so exciting! I know nothing about tumblr either so I'm helpless. Hop on over to FeudalConnection on Tumblr (I've linked it on my profile or you can google it) and check it out (voting doesn't start until Oct 29)! Nominate your favorite Inuyasha FanFics and vote for them between Oct 29-Nov12! Because of this, I've had to make a Tumblr account. You can follow/add/whatever it is you do on Tumblr to me there – username is the same IHaveADogShesNeato. I don't know what to do with this Tumblr account yet. Maybe I'll repost fanart I love or give teasers to upcoming chapters or answer questions there, because it's a lot easier to do all of that on Tumblr than on FFN.

Someone asked if I could give updates on where I'm at with writing each chapter. I do like this idea so you guys aren't just left in the dark all of the time. Since I don't have a posting schedule, I'll designate a little section of my profile on Fanfiction to let you guys know how far along I am in writing/how close I am to updating. Each time I pull up the story to write, I'll update my profile and let you all know!

Chapter content warning: gore

"fold me gently

and tuck me away

between the pages

of your heart.

keep me safe

until you are ready

to remember me." - Madalina Coman

Chapter 10

"It's so beautiful outside! I can't believe how warm it is for winter." Misuzu exclaimed while combing a bone-toothed comb through Kagome's wet hair. It was uncharacteristically warm outside today, but it had been warming up all week so she wasn't surprised. The snow had melted, the ground had dried, and warm air had swept in from the south bringing with it high spirits and joyous smiles all around. The sun's bright light reflected off of the rosy pink cheeks of children playing in the court yard just outside of Kagome's room. Their mothers sat nearby in cliques shaking out the wash and folding them into neat piles. It felt more like early spring instead of mid-winter and Kagome's skin was itching with cabin fever.

Inuyasha had just the solution to her problems, ironically enough. This morning Kagome was woken by Misuzu who was nearly bursting at the seams with exciting news, "Lord Inuyasha is taking you out today!" she squeaked, her face red and her eyes twinkling - no doubt she had run all the way here.

"Taking me out?" Kagome yawned, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"Yes! You two are leaving the palace today on a trip!" she slammed the shoji door closed behind her and bounced across the room to the other doorway to part the doors that opened to the courtyard. The moth demon threw the doors open and early morning light spilled into the room and Kagome buried her face into the bedroll.

It had been a week since Kagome had last seen Inuyasha or heard much from him since their last tense conversation in the cave. In the meantime, Kagome was given an unexpected living arrangement upgrade: she was moved out of her dingy prison cell and into a small room in one of the large halls. She took all of her earthly possessions with her – the bed roll and fur – and to her surprise, acquired a large chest in this new room of hers.

Misuzu cross-legged on top of the chest, working the knots out of Kagome's hair while she air-dried in a thin cotton kosode after a bath. A cool breeze rolled into the small room and bounced off every corner before evaporating.

"Why do you think he'd take me out of the palace today?" Kagome wondered absently while picking at the hair on her legs and the pale skin underneath.

Misuzu threw a thick lock of hair over Kagome's shoulder in order to focus on a layer hidden underneath, "To break the curse, of course!" she chided with a stifled giggle.

"Oh, you think it's that easy?" Kagome teased, turning her attention to the hair thrown onto her shoulder. She fumbled it into a braid over and over again. Why was she fidgeting so much? You'd almost think she was…

BONK. "Don't be nervous!" Misuzu bounced the comb off of Kagome's head to get her attention and cease her fiddling, "You have to give love a chance to start somewhere." She explained.

Kagome chased Misuzu's hand and offending brush away and rubbed her head with a scowl on her face before running her out of the room. Misuzu danced out the door into the courtyard and Kagome stopped just short of the door frame, not wanting to step out into the morning sunlight in a thin white undergarment. Misuzu beamed at her with pearly white teeth from safety and Kagome couldn't help but crack a smile, as well.

"I'll be back soon to collect you and bring you to the gates. I've been told you're traveling quite the distance today so dress comfortably." She shouted over her shoulder while running off. Kagome slid the doors closed and knelt in front of the chest. She flipped the latches and rifled through her options, fishing a set of dark blue navy hakamas from the bottom and shaking them out. She shook out the musty fabric and was pleased to see the pleats held. According to Misuzu this chest of clothing had belonged to someone else that lived and worked in the castle long before and it was best not to complain about wearing hand-me-downs. Kagome wasn't complaining though. She was feeling more independent than she had in ages, she thought to herself as she tucked in the crisp white hakui and secured it in places with the waist tie. Lastly, she pulled the haori she'd worn out in the snowy gardens with Misuzu out of the chest and carried it outside with her.

Kagome closed the door behind her and sat on the edge of the wooden deck in the courtyard letting her feet dangle off of the edge. She carefully folded the haori and rested it in her lap before settling on watching a team of staff clean the decks. They were dressed exactly like her, minus the tasuki cords wrapped around their bodies to keep their long sleeves out of their work. She had also scrubbed these floors and she had been trying to chip in all week to do other work. She offered to assist with the palace laundry in order to sweeten the staff's disposition toward her and she was denied. Kagome had brought her laundry to one of the laundry staff and asked if she could help. She man snorted at her, ripped the clothing out of her hand, and stormed off without another word. She had offered to help in the kitchen but was quickly turned away in a nearly identical manner. Kagome's options were scrub floors with Misuzu as her chaperone or sit in her room. Speaking of the devil - Misuzu skidded around a corner and jogged over to Kagome.

The two walked through the palace to the front gates but were stopped short by a large gathering of soldiers grouped together in the entry yard. Inuyasha stood at the head of the group listing duties and giving orders to the generals.

"The patrol on the border will stay the same – we don't want to raise any suspicion from the resistance. Behind the border we'll fortify patrol points 1,5,7, and 8 in case any humans catch wind that I've left the region." A round of affirmative murmurs rose from the crowd.

"My Lord, patrol point 10 is weaker than the rest. It isn't wise to leave it defenseless." Tsunekane's voice spoke somewhere from the crowd. Both Kagome and Inuyasha tensed at the same time.

"Tsunekane, you and your men will patrol point 10 if you believe the men there need assistance… I trust your judgement." Inuyasha said tersely.

The men disbanded and eyed Kagome warily before walking away to find their respective troops. Kagome searched each man's face for Tsunekane's creepy heterochromatic eyes but didn't see them. Inuyasha was left standing alone in the palace entry yard waiting for Misuzu and Kagome to announce their presence.

"My Lord, Kagome is prepared for today's journey." Misuzu said bowing deeply. Kagome bowed as well, rolling her eyes.

"You look like you're prepared to wash my floors." He observed dryly.

Kagome shot up and glared at him, "I've been washing your floors all week, for your information. I'm dressed for a traveling." She puffed out her chest indignantly, "I don't expect you'll carry me on your back like the old days – "Royal Pack Mule" seems a bit too undignified for you now." She snapped at him, her chin in the air. Kagome looked at Misuzu for moral support but the moth demoness looked horrified. She looked to Inuyasha and back to Kagome, her hand over her mouth.

Inuyasha casually looked over his shoulder to confirm that nobody had heard Kagome before nodding to Misuzu, "It's okay, Misuzu. You can go now. Take the rest of the day off."

Misuzu, paler than Kagome had ever seen her, stiffly nodded and hurried away. He waited until the moth was out of earshot before continuing their conversation.

"Listen," Inuyasha's voice dropped an octave, "You can have this attitude, or whatever this is, in private, but in public – in front of my subjects – I will be forced to correct you. Are we clear on this?" his mouth was mere centimeters from her ear and she felt his warm breath tickle her neck. She wanted to "sit" him to oblivion when she saw his cocky grin plastered on his face. Her nose wrinkled in disgust and she stepped away from him to put distance between the two of them. This "love" thing might turn out to be an uphill climb.

"Sir… are we ready to leave now?" called a timid, pathetic voice that Kagome was almost positive she recognized. She spun away from Inuyasha's smug face and found a large pair of eyes staring back at her from behind a stack of barrels near the wall.

"Hachi, stop hiding. We're leaving now." Inuyasha sighed, his smile falling. Hachi stepped out from behind the barrel stack and awkwardly folded his paws in front of his large belly.

"Hachi! It's been so long." Kagome exclaimed. She approached the raccoon dog and knelt down in front of him. He offered her a cautious toothy smile and nodded quickly. While Kagome had never been particularly close with Miroku's half-loyal follower, it was nice to see another familiar face.

"Yes, Lady Kagome, a very long time. I thought you'd be dead by now…?" He asked wringing his small paws. Kagome frowned and Inuyasha knocked the demon in the back of the head.

The three had been airborne for hours soaring through the sky. Kagome sat near the head of Hachi's morphed body and spent some time catching up while Inuyasha sat near the back – utterly uninterested. It turns out that Hachi is certainly a creature of habit and when the war started he had left Miroku and Sango's home to stay near the palace for safety. Hachi has, unsurprisingly, spent the last 150 years drinking sake, chasing women, and running from bigger demons. The first three decades before the war were spent near his Master Miroku's side assisting with the household and business. Hachi informed Kagome that Sango and Miroku had three children, a set of tumbling and squealing twin girls and a brave little boy. Once the three were old enough, Hachi watched the children with Shippo while Sango and Miroku exorcised and slayed demons in nearby villages. In his time away from the children, Hachi wandered town to town leisurely picking up ingredients for Sango's scent beads or smoke bombs, which she sold to the villagers. The children grew up in a demon slayer household but only the youngest child, the boy, decided to pursue the demon-slaying lifestyle. By the time he was a teen he had left home to train with his Uncle Kohaku at the resurrected demon slayer village. The five remained close and happy all their days and they told their children and children's children every story they could recall from their adventures to recover the Shikon Jewel.

Kagome's pressed her lips in a flat line and knit her eyebrows. She would always regret knowing that the lives of two of her closest friends and their children had come and gone without her even realizing it. Like a small thread, it had slipped through her fingers in an instant and was gone. Kagome wanted to snuggle against the soft cheek of their great great grandchild and see Sango's brown eyes, or have a drink with their demon slayer son and hear Miroku's wit in his words. She craved the past as she sat in a future she did not belong to.

"Is Shippo doing alright?" she asked hopefully.

"Hachi down," Inuyasha hissed, "We're getting close."

Kagome felt her stomach float into her chest as Hachi dropped several feet in altitude too quickly. They continued their downward descent until the underside of Hachi's belly nearly brushed against the tops of the tallest trees. Off in the distance she saw a narrow smoke stack rising into the clouds. They rode for several more minutes, clusters of houses and small villages began appearing in the distance.

"What are we getting close to?" Kagome asked, squinting her eyes in order to get a better look.

"The human and demon border." Hachi shouted over the wind.

"We should go now. Hachi, you know what to do. Stay out of sight until I call for you." Inuyasha called now hovering over Kagome.

"Yes, sir." He affirmed before sharply veering right away from the village.

Kagome, not expecting the sudden turn, nearly fell forward tumbling off the edge of his round body but Inuyasha was already in motion scooping her against his side and launching off Hachi into the sky. She automatically hooked an arm around his neck and clung to him as they barreled toward the ground. He landed nimbly on a treetop and for a breath they stopped only to allow him to bunch the muscles in his legs and press off of the frame of the tree and send them soaring once again. He did this a few more times, rapidly gaining ground toward the villages before they sank below the tree line. Inuyasha landed gracefully on the ground and set Kagome next to him once she unlatched her arm from his neck. She leaned over the brush herself off, now glad that she wore what she did even if she was made fun of for it.

"Follow this path." She heard him say before a gust of wind ruffled the pleats in her hakamas again. Kagome straightened herself out and turned but he was gone. He vanished.

"Inuyasha?" she called out to the forest around her, but nobody responded. She spun and searched the trees for him and the darkness that laid beyond but couldn't catch a glimpse of his glistening white hair or red haori. She was out of practice, but she could vaguely sense him in the area, likely watching her from several hundred feet away in the shadows. She found herself wondering for the umpteenth time what the purpose of this "trip" was. Somewhere, her brain was chanting, "It's a test! It's a test! Don't run!".

The earth and forest smelled damp, mossy, and green from the past week's melted snow. There were some places though, like underneath rocks or the shady sides of felled trees, that the sun couldn't reach and the snow there clung to the land. Kagome stopped on the path to dig her toe in a particularly icy patch of snow on the side of the narrow dirt trail before continuing onwards. She walked in silence remembering other forests, in other times, with other friends. She picked her way around rocks and stepped over mangled roots in her way on the tiny foot path. It looked largely untraveled but was perhaps used sparingly at one point or another in the past based on the clearing of the brush. She bent a thorny bush branch out of her way before passing by and letting it snap back into place behind her. Kagome pursed her lips and wondered where she was going.

The forest and path suddenly ended and opened up to a large meadow with tall grasses that whipped back and forth in the breeze. Kagome stood at the foot of a large hill and looked side to side searching for any sign of another path or indicator that she should continue. There were none, so Kagome pushed up her sleeves and waded through the tall itchy grasses and up the steep hill. Halfway up she stopped when she caught sight of the Goshinboku just a few miles away. It stood taller and wider than the other trees in the vicinity, looming over the bustling city of Edo below. She didn't realize she was so close to the well or Kaede's village – Inuyasha was up to something. Wary, Kagome continued up the hill.

When Kagome reached the top, she was relieved to see that the grass had tapered off to a reasonable height and that she was granted a beautiful view. She stood, hands on hips, letting the wind blow through her as she watched the grasses below dance and glint in the sun. On top of the hill there wasn't much, save for the view and a lone oak tree, its bare branches swaying. Not sure where to go from here, Kagome stretched out in the grass and sat for a while and rested.

Kagome had been lounging in the sun for some time when a delicate ringing sound piqued her attention. At first, she wrote it off as her imagination, but then she heard it a second, more insistent time when the wind blew again. She hopped to her feet and dusted off her backside before walking over to the tree to inspect it. When Kagome approached the tree, she felt something powerful rooted in it, and she was fearful at first, until she walked around the back and found a golden staff buried deep in its body and a demon bone boomerang resting beneath it. Her shoulders sagged as the weight of her mission fell completely on her shoulders. By her feet were two humble stone grave markers adorned with trinkets, memorabilia, and flowers. She sank to her knees and traced the shape and engravings of each marker, committing the feel of the cold rough stone to memory. Kagome pulled her hands back and clasped them tightly and bowed her head, hoping she could remember a prayer, any prayer at all, that would let them know she was here now with them. Nothing came to mind and she laughed bitterly – what kind of priestess was she?

"I'm sorry it took me so long," she cracked a shaky smile, "but I'm here now." She buried her face in her hands and her shoulders rose and fell with silent sobs.

Kagome sensed his presence very, very close.

"Is that you?" she asked quietly sitting with her knees drawn into her chest facing the gave stones.

"Is that you?" he retorted from somewhere behind. She turned to look at him, possibly reprimand him if she were in the mood for it, but she wasn't. She wasn't in the mood for mind games and didn't have the energy to engage in banter. She just wanted to look at him, to ground herself and confirm that he really was here.

It was getting late now. The sun was setting over the land, bathing the pair in fiery oranges and burnt golds. It was getting chillier as well, so Kagome pulled her Haori closer and higher up her neck – it'd be a long time before they had more weather like this. Inuyasha strode over and stopped between the graves and the tree before placing a clawed hand on the tree.

"I didn't know you were bringing me to Miroku and Sango's grave today. I would have brought flowers if I'd known." Kagome mumbled, sniffling.

"There aren't any flowers this time of year anyways. You'll have more chances to visit in the spring, if you'd like." He responded softly this time, brushing his hand over the rough bark.

"There's a barrier around this tree." Kagome deduced. Over the course of the past several hours sitting underneath it, she'd been able to decipher that Miroku's staff erected a barrier. What the barrier kept in or out though, was still a mystery.

"Yes, there is. Miroku turned out to be smarter than he looked in the end." Inuyasha mumbled to himself, lost in thought.

The two men slowly ambled up the hill. Inuyasha was itching to just pick Miroku up or call Kirara to aid him, but old men were funny in the way that as they got older and needed more help they insisted they needed less help. Patience was key here. They might not be getting up the hill as quickly as they would have 60 years ago, but at least the old man was still walking. Miroku dug his staff into the dirt below, using it to support most of his weight as they scaled the steep incline. Inuyasha cleared the path ahead by cutting down the tall grasses and kicking away any debris in the path that the old man might trip over. The last thing Inuyasha needed was the old man breaking his bones while he was away from Sango. Why did Miroku insist they come all the way up here? They were a long way from the village and it was dangerous for Inuyasha to be caught away from the palace in human territory, especially with a man of holy status.

At the top of the hill Miroku found a rock and leaned against it. He wheezed and Inuyasha uncomfortably stood next to him, listening to his frail heart pump too fast and his lungs rattle in his rib cage.

"You should have just let me carry you. You're going to kill yourself, stupid monk."

"You worry too much." Miroku panted in between words, "Just like Sango."

Inuyasha scoffed and plopped down on the ground and waited for Miroku to gather his strength enough to continue. It had been a long and bitter winter but spring was in full swing now with flowers dominating the country side and newborn animals frolicking in the meadow below. Inuyasha watched absently as he impatiently clicked his claws against Tessaiga's sheath.

"Inuyasha, Sango and I won't be around forever." Miroku finally sighed.

Inuyasha stiffened, "I don't want to hear it, old man."

"You need to because I am an old man." Miroku laughed, hauling himself to his feet and sauntering over to the lone tree on the top of the hill. Inuyasha followed him in silence. "Sango isn't doing well, Inuyasha. The family is worried about her and I think her time is coming. She's at peace with this, we both are, but this is where she'd like to rest." Miroku explained, stopping to dig the end of his staff into the dirt under the shady oak tree, "This is where I'd like us to rest."

Inuyasha watched the end of his staff grind into the soft ground, "What's wrong with Sango?"

"She's been sick-" he started.

"What does she need? I can get it. I can get anything." Inuyasha confidently flexed his hand into a fist.

Miroku chuckled and shook his head, "I'm afraid there is no cure. It's what happens when we humans get old, Inuyasha. I'm not long for this world, either, I presume." He admitted.

Frustrated, Inuyasha dug his claws into his palms, but then he let go. This wasn't something he could fight or prevent. He had known many humans and was even raised by one – he knew how fragile they were. Getting angry wouldn't change anything. Miroku and Sango were only human and human life was fleeting compared to his (especially now that he was immortal). Still, he'd pretended this day would never come for 60 years and yet here it finally was. For the first time in a long time he felt entirely powerless – it was infuriating and refreshing.

"What do you want me to do?" he resigned.

Miroku lifted his staff and, with surprising strength, forced the end of it into the tree penetrating the bark. It stuck out at a 45-degree angle, the broken and splintered wood curled around the base - the golden regalia looking all sorts of out of place. Miroku lifted a shaky hand to his nose and pointed two fingers skyward, lip moving silently in prayer. Inuyasha stood back and watched silently as Miroku pulled a sutra out of his robe and pressed it under the dirt near the base of the tree into the network of roots below. A barrier, piece by piece, began to materialize around them starting from the tree and building outwards.

"I want you to bring Kagome here to visit us someday." Miroku said finally. Inuyasha began to protest but Miroku continued, "This barrier prevents anybody that is not intended to see blind to what is really here. To anyone, it will look like any oak tree on a hill. To our friends and family, it will be a place of celebration and happiness. We will see every soul who comes here so visit us often, Inuyasha." Miroku finished with a solitary pat on Inuyasha's shoulder before he turned to make his way down the hill. Inuyasha stayed and studied the staff buried in the tree, not ready to join Miroku at the bottom of the hill where time would inevitably go marching on toward his dear friends' demise.

Sango died later that month and Miroku followed her only a few days later.

Kagome stood with her hand pressed against the tree focusing on the reverberations of power she felt pulsing through the trunk - Miroku had to have been buried with hundreds of sutras.

"So, did you?" Kagome broke the silence, her hand now resting on Hiraikotsu, "Did you visit them often?"

"Even more." Inuyasha answered.

"Is there anyone else that visits them?"

"Their great great grandchildren come to pay their respects once in a while but there's only a few of us still alive that remember them. Hachi and Shippo visit, too."

Kagome nodded and turned to face Inuyasha who was no longer bathed in fiery orange, but now soft pinks as the sun dipped below the mountains. She stepped toward him and squared her shoulders looking him in the eyes, "So, you believe me now? You have the confirmation that you need that I am Kagome?" she asked.

He watched, obviously conflicted, yet extended a hand out to her palm up. Unsure, Kagome hesitantly reached out and placed her hand in his and was startled to discover that his skin felt neither warm nor cold. When she touched him, she expected something dark and painful within her to stir but she was surprised to learn that her heart still found him familiar when their hands intertwined. He slowly closed his hard fingers over her hand and held it for several seconds before speaking.

"I don't expect you to forgive me now," he started quietly, "I wouldn't ask you to forgive me now, but someday I hope you can forgive me for what I've put you through, Kagome. I hope that you'll never need to understand why I put you through what I did, however." his voice was low and rumbled through his chest. He gently tugged her hand and collected her in his arms for a brief, tight hug. He buried his face into the thick hair on the top of her head, "I don't know how or why, but I'm glad you're back, Kagome." He murmured.

Then the moment was over as quickly as it began, yet in that microscopic span of time Kagome had managed to stop breathing. She wanted to push him away, she wanted to melt into him and never leave – she had dreamed of falling into his arms so many times so why did it need to be so conflicted and complicated now? Nothing could ever be so easy. Inuyasha released her, dropping her hand and Kagome let it fall uselessly to her side. His ears twitched at an approaching sound and he stepped away from her into the dying light of the day.

"Lord Inuyasha!" Hachi's voice rang out in the distance. His large billowy body ascended above the trees and hovered over them for only a moment before he burst into a cloud of smoke and transformed into his racoon dog form.

"Hachi! What are you doing? You're going to attract attention." Inuyasha hissed.

"It's an emergency!" he cried, exasperated, his arms waving wildly, "The patrol told me to pass along a message: patrols 9 and 10 have fallen! They need help right away!"

Inuyasha's jaw ticked and his eyebrows knitted, "Patrol point 10 was just reinforced by Tsunekane today. It would take days before we could get enough back up and repair the damage done if it's really fallen." He brooded for several moments before he decidedly rested his hand on Tessaiga, "Hachi, we need to go now. I need to assess the damage and find Tsunekane. We'll take Kagome to Shippo's – she should be safe there."

"Shippo's?" Kagome blurted before she could stop herself.

Hachi turned to her and acknowledged her for the first time since his arrival, "Yes, Shippo lives near the border by patrols 9 and 10."

News of this lifted Kagome's spirits so she wiped her face with her sleeves and tried to force a half-smile. Hachi stuck a leaf to his forehead and with a billowy puff of smoke he transformed once again. Kagome climbed on to his back and lingered near the edge so she could look below as they took off - just in time to see two human men emerge from the woods and point after them in the sky. She heard them begin to shout but it quickly faded in the distance as they gained altitude and flew into the clouds.

"It's best nobody on this side of the country finds out you're a human." Inuyasha stated matter-of-factly.

"Why? Wouldn't I be safer here as a human?" Kagome pulled herself away from the edge and gingerly settled near Inuyasha.

"Given the reason the war started, it's not a good idea to let the humans think I've captured another priestess and might be holding her hostage. We don't need anymore trouble." He explained, closing his eyes and folding his arms into his sleeves. Kagome slowly nodded, realization donning on her.

They silently stole through the night sky and Kagome knew that they were getting close when Inuyasha's nose twitched and he muttered, "Blood, lots of it". Hachi once again descended below the tree line and came to a rest in a meadow where a lone house stood. Everything was still and quiet until the door flap lifted and a small figure emerged. He stood in the distance, framed by the light of a fire from within the hut, sizing up the newcomers.

"Shippo...?" Kagome gently called out.

"Who are you and what do you want?!" squealed the demon in response, jumping in place to emphasize the might of his words. Kagome reeled back at the sound of its shrill voice.

Inuyasha hopped off of Hachi's back and strode over to the hut. The small demon scuttled over to him and pointed an accusing finger at him, digging it into his shin, "You can't be here this is private property!". The small demon had small tusks poking out from its lower jaw and a cluster of whiskers on the top of his head and under his chin.

Inuyasha wound back a foot and punted the tiny demon across the meadow and sent the insignificant thing squealing through the air. The flap over the doorway lifted again and a young man with bright auburn hair emerged. He was taller now and slender but still had a young face and mischievous eyes.

"Koji, I told you to stop harassing visitors and use your manners." Shippo brushed his hands off on his hakamas before looking up and flashing a toothy grin at Inuyasha, "… Especially royal ones. It's good to see you, My Lord." Shippo walked forward and clapped Inuyasha on the side of the arm, avoiding his spiked shoulder armor.

"I can't stay." Inuyasha interjected before Shippo could rope him inside.

"I'm making dinner right now and I'd invite you in, but now that I'm out here," Shippo stopped to take a deep inhale, "I can smell the massacre in the air – you better get going. I can also smell -" Shippo finished, his voice dropping several octaves. He peered around Inuyasha's frame and looked at Hachi and then Kagome for the first time. He stared at her blankly before stepping around Inuyasha.

"Kagome is that you?" he asked incredulously as a smile slowly crept across his face.

"Shippo!" she cried out and ran to him, launching herself into his arms. He picked her up and spun her in circles, burying his face into her shoulder and laughing.

"I knew you'd come back! I just can't believe you're finally here!"

He set her down and Kagome held him at arms-length and looked him up and down, "You're so much older now!" she cradled his cheeks in her hands to inspect his face closely before she ruffled his hair - she wanted to cry and laugh at the same time. What an emotionally tumultuous day.

"Shippo I need to leave Kagome here with you while I figure out what happened at the border." Inuyasha interrupted their reunion and they both stopped their giddy ministrations to look over at him.

"Of course." Shippo pulled away from Kagome, straightened, and nodded in the Lord's direction.

"Hachi, you're coming with me." Inuyasha declared. Hachi moaned an inaudible complaint but trudged after Inuyasha's quickly disappearing form through the trees. They both watched the two leave before Shippo broke the silence.

"Are you hungry?"

The hut was cozy and modest in structure, but sturdy and well supplied for the winter. The hut was one large room separated by dividing walls to give the home a more compartmentalized feeling. In the main room was a small firepit with a heavy iron pot hanging from above, chests and built-in shelving holding dried herbs, tools, dinnerware, and other useful bits and ends. Pots, pans, and cooking utensils hung from the ceiling against the wall. On the far side of the room baskets of toys and fox magic tricks sat in piles, just waiting to be used on an unsuspecting victim. In the corner stood bunches of tied-off dried wheat and small bedroll – likely Koji's. On the other side of the wall was where Shippo slept, he told her.

Shippo, Kagome, and Koji sat around the firepit in the hut happily sipping on meat and rice stew. Koji had found his way back into the hut and dejectedly sat down as far away from Kagome as possible and refused to return her cheery greeting upon his arrival. He was a boar demon and looked to be no older than Shippo's age when Kagome had first met him. After Kagome had recounted everything that had happened over the course of the past couple months, Shippo encouraged Koji to introduce himself. Koji turned his head away from Kagome with a snort and buried his face in his bowl. Kagome smiled sheepishly and informed Shippo that there wasn't any need for it. Shippo ignored her and continued.

"Koji showed up on my doorstep about a year ago with nowhere to go demanding I take him in as an apprentice. Apprentice for what? I don't know, but he's been here since and makes a great guard though." He chuckled.

"Do you have any family?" Kagome asked the small boar demon, against her better judgement.

Koji stopped slurping at his meal and turned to look at her, the pain in his eyes clear as day, "No I don't. You know why? You humans killed my family!" he spat at her before slamming his bowl down on the ground and stomping his little hooved feet out the door. The flap closed behind him with a whoosh and he was gone again. Kagome grimaced and kicked herself for asking such an insensitive question. She'd apologize and make it up to Koji the first chance she had.

"That was wrong of me – I shouldn't be so insensitive." Kagome sighed, worrying the sleeve of her haori between her fingertips.

"Don't blame yourself. He's temperamental much like a certain half demon we knew – he'll grow out of it. He'll come back in a few minutes once he's had the chance to cool off."

Kagome looked forlornly at the door flap before nodding at Shippo. He took that as a sign to continue, "So, you're telling me that you've been here for how long now? And this entire time Inuyasha has kept you in a dungeon because he couldn't tell it was you?" Shippo laughed and rolled his eyes before kicking back and folding his arms across his chest and shaking his head, "He may be a Lord now but he's still a dumb dog. I'm a Master of trickery and deceit – if you weren't Kagome I'd know it." He flashed her a toothy grin. Kagome stifled a laugh with her hand.

A blood-curling shriek ripped the mirth in the hut to pieces and stopped both Kagome and Shippo from breathing.

"Koji." Shippo exhaled before standing quickly and scooping odds and ends into his pockets from the baskets against the wall and grabbing a sword resting by the door. Kagome stood and followed Shippo to the door but he stopped and placed a hand on her shoulder, holding her back, "No, you need to stay in here. I don't know what's out there but I need to get Koji." With that, Shippo used his forearm to press the door flap out of the way and disappeared into the darkness.

Kagome stood alone in the hut feeling entirely useless. She strained to hear anything outside but all was silent except for the lazy crackling of the fire. She collected the bowls from dinner awkwardly and submerged them in the water bucket against the wall for the washing and then sat near the pit, quietly stoking the fire. She hated waiting and doing nothing, especially if others were in danger, but she didn't know what was going on and didn't want to risk jeopardizing Shippo or Koji.

Another squeal from Koji. Kagome jumped to her feet. Something was wrong – why wasn't Shippo helping him? She needed to act because she couldn't just sit in here uselessly. If Shippo was in trouble then she was just a sitting duck, as well. Perhaps she could run and get Inuyasha if they were in trouble.

Kagome wrapped her Haori tightly around her bright white top and slipped out of the hut into the darkness. There was nothing out of place in front of the hut where Kagome, Inuyasha, and Hachi had landed just a few hours ago. She sleuthed around to the back of the hut, pressed up against the wall, stepping slowly and carefully so she wouldn't make a noise. As she neared the back of the hut Kagome began to hear voices in the distance, and to her relief she was able to recognize Shippo's among them. She wrapped her fingers around the corner of the hut and leaned around the corner just far enough to get a glimpse of what was happening.

Shippo stood far away with his back to her, but he was surrounded by a hundred or so human men. They held torches, clubs, swords, and bows with arrows nocked and ready to fire. Shippo stood braced and prepared to fend them off, his sword gripped tight in his hands although he was sorely outnumbered. A large burly man with a long beard and a scar across one eye stood off to the side in front of the mob dangling Koji by the leg. The small boar demon was hardly recognizable due to the extent of his horrendous face injuries he'd suffered at the hands of the men.

"Tell us, demon, we know Inuyasha is in the area. There have been reports of Inuyasha sightings all day all over the border. Tell us what you know!" The large man demanded before taking the hilt of his ax and bashing it into Koji's face again. Koji's absorbed the blow silently; the only sound was the bones in his face cracking in the near silent meadow.

"The stupid thing is already dead!" one of the men shouted and a chorus of laughter rang out among the men. The human militia lowered their weapons and howled their victory cheers at the news of the death of another demon.

"How useless," the man holding Koji decided, "demons have become so weak." The man wound his arm up and threw Koji into the forest past the tree line where his body landed somewhere with a lame thump. Shippo flinched toward the direction of Koji's discarded body and the archers lifted their bows again training them on the fox demon.

"Don't move – we're not done with you yet. You'll get yours, Fox." Bellowed the man with the scar. The mob whooped and snickered.

Kagome snapped into action, dashing across the meadow and dipping into the tree line of the forest. She prayed that from this distance that she blended in with the dark of the night and remained unseen. She silently picked her way through the woods and around the trees, keeping her eyes on the men and Shippo.

"What makes you think I know anything?" Shippo shouted at them, obviously buying time. Hadn't Inuyasha said that border patrol points 9 and 10 were nearby? He should be close enough to hear and smell the humans, right?

"Inuyasha was reported heading in this direction on the back of a large beast. You're the only demon alive that we've found so far."

"Alive? You've come across the border and killed other demons?" he growled at them, "What have demons like myself and he –" Shippo thrust his sword in the direction of the forest that Koji was thrown, "done to warrant this?"

"There was a large massacre not too far from here – all the demons are dead. Maybe we did kill them all – what's it to you? We're tired of your shit demon – all of the demons. You're all the same to us." one of the men grinned cockily at Shippo before spitting on the ground. A few other men nearby spat on the ground in agreement.

Kagome was getting close to where the men threw Koji. When she was certain she was within a few feet she knelt down on her hands and knees in the darkness and shuffled around on the forest floor blindly feeling for him. She grappled at sticks, rocks, mud, bugs, until her hand fell on his pudgy belly. Kagome scooped him up securely in her arms and placed a hand on his chest. He was alive - just unconscious – thankfully. Now she just needed to get him back safely into the hut and then find Inuyasha…

Kagome turned around and came face to face with a demon. Its long centipede like body was coiled around a tree and stretched out toward her. It had a thick tuft of hair around its neck and its head was just made of bone. It stared at her with empty eye sockets before its jaws cracked open exposing its long sharp teeth inches from her face. It took a moment for Kagome to come to her senses before she finally screamed and stumbled backwards, tripping over a tree root and fell to the ground. She frantically scooted backwards on her rear until she was out of the woods and sitting in the clearing, Koji still secured safely to her chest with her other arm. Kagome sharply inhaled when she realized her mistake. She pivoted her torso and looked back at the army of men staring at her.

"It's a human woman! Somebody get her to safety!" The man who beat Koji called out.

Several men approached her and Kagome shouted at them, warning them to stay back. They ignored her, and one grasped her arm and tugged, exposing Koji swaddled in her sleeve.

"She has the demon!" The man called back, now tugging on her arm violently in attempt to shake the small boar demon out of her arms.

"No! Let me go!" she yelled pulling her arm back and using her legs to kick at him.

"Woman! Let go of that thing! It's a demon and it'll only hurt you!" the man called out. The other men surround her and began to grab at her arms and legs, finally taking Koji from her. Kagome shouted at them and clawed at them trying to pull the small demon back to her – she couldn't let him down.

"The woman has been possessed by the demon!" the men called out, dropping their weapons so they could use both hands effectively to wrangle her away and to safety.

Shippo, sensing the situation was spiraling out of control very quickly, dropped his sword to the ground and pulled several trinkets from his pocket and threw them into the air.

"Spinning tops – GO!" he shouted. The tops grew astronomically in size and began to spin at high speeds, wreaking havoc and creating gale-force winds. Men were caught in the vortex and whirlwind of the tops and went flying in every direction. Mass hysteria and confusion took hold of the meadow and men were running and flying through the air in every direction. Shippo, happy with the outcome of his work, turned his attention to helping Kagome. He scooped up his sword and ran toward Kagome but skidded to a stop when he noticed the group of men surrounding her picked up their weapons and slowly backed away.

From the tree line hundreds of demons began to emerge, likely summoned by the smell of human blood. The man who took Koji from her dropped the piglet in exchange for his club so Kagome quickly collected him in her arms and kicked at the face of a demon that was slithering toward her legs. She leapt to her feet and ran into the crowd of men toward the spinning tops. Chaos erupted. The demons descended upon the humans and the humans began hacking away at the demons. A large pterodactyl-like demon swooped down on Kagome and nearly took her head clean off of her shoulders but a man with a spear struck it out of the air, swinging his weapon just over her head. She ducked down and crawled over bodies and demon chunks of flesh that were quickly accumulating on the ground with Koji pressed tightly to her chest. Her sleeves and pant legs were sopping wet with guts and blood from being dredged through the gore and she did her best to simply focus on escaping alive.

"Shippo!" She stopped crawling to call out his name. Just then, a dying man on the ground grasped her wrist tightly.

"Help me!" he gasped. Her eyes fell to his perforated belly where small demons, no larger than her hand, were feeding on his entrails. Knowing that doing anything to "help" him would prolong his suffering, she shook him off and trudged onwards.

The feet of men pounded around her on the ground and the tops continued to dig craters into the earth and catch any flying demons into its vortex. Kagome's hand landed on a discarded bow and a quiver of arrows and she grabbed them quickly and stood. She removed her haori and used it to tie Koji to her back, securing him tightly to her torso like a small child. She then slung the quiver of arrows over her shoulder and began to stalk the battlefield with the bow in hand and arrow nocked at the ready.

A demon leapt over the squalor and landed some ten odd feet in front of her. He squared her up just as Kagome pulled the arrow back and released, sending an arrow bathed in pale pink light sailing through the air and into the demon's belly. The demon disintegrated into a brilliant blast of pale pink light instantly.

"A priestesssss?" a cacophony of voices behind her hissed. She turned and found herself backed against a wall of demons, all staring at her hungrily. Kagome took a few steps back but the hoard of demons advanced on her, "Priestesses are the most deliciousssss" they crooned in harmony, their jaws all opening synchronously. Kagome knocked another arrow and released it just as a blinding yellow light tore through the demons and shattered Kagome's arrows to bits. The light disappeared and chunks of demon flesh rained down on the meadow covering everything. Inuyasha landed gracefully in front of Kagome and brandished his sword putting himself between she and the humans.

"Hachi, Shippo – get Kagome out of here." Inuyasha swung his sword around and pointed it toward the mob. At some point the tops had stopped spinning and only twenty or so humans were left in the clearing. "I'll take care of the rest." He growled sinisterly.

Kagome felt Hachi pull Kagome's hand urgently away from the clearing and toward the woods and Shippo was at her other side ushering her as well.

"The demon Lord has another priestess!" one of the men cried. There was a round of shouts and cries that rose around the clearing from the remaining men and they raised their weapons once again assuming their fighting stances. Kagome was pulled into the woods but she looked one last time over her shoulder and saw them desperately crying out for her:

"Priestess! Stop!"

"Don't go with them!"

"Damn you Inuyasha taking and killing our priestesses!"

The three ran through the woods, the moon high above lighting their way, until they could no longer hear the voices of the shouting men. The two climbed onto Hachi's back once he transformed and Kagome slipped Koji to her front situating the small injured demon in her lap. Hachi ascended above the tree line just in time for Kagome to witness Inuyasha raise Tessaiga and behead the first human of the remaining lot. She watched them scatter like rats in a maze that they had no hope of escaping and he chased after each of them with lightning speed and cut through their bodies effortlessly. Their strangled screams and cries echoed in the empty night and their dark red blood stained the grass below. She watched a few escape into the woods and Inuyasha disappear under the branches after them.

Shippo shook his head unable to tear his eyes from the scene below, "What happened, Hachi?"

"Patrol points 9 and 10 at the border were attacked. One of Lord Inuyasha's top generals went to patrol point 10 this morning to reinforce it but everyone was slaughtered – no survivors. It looks like the humans knew we were here today and decided to attack."

Shippo fished a rag from his haori and began to dab Koji's face with it, "The humans are becoming more and more dangerous every year with the technological advancements they're making. They took out two armies and reinforcements – It's becoming too dangerous to live near the border." He sighed sadly and looked back down at his little hut in the meadow.

"Well, not everybody is dead." Hachi offered, "Tsunekane, the General who led the reinforcements has gone missing. We were unable to find him among the bodies and we couldn't track his scent."

It was early the next morning when the familiar shape of the palace took shape on the horizon. Kagome was too troubled to sleep but she woke Shippo, who had dozed off resting against her back, when they began to descend in the woods near the castle. It was a new day and that couldn't be any more evident than by the sudden onset of snow falling from the sky and drastic change in temperature from the previous day – it was winter once again. Kagome shivered and swaddled Koji tighter in her sleeve and closer to her breast when Shippo gave her shoulder a tight squeeze,

"He'll be okay. You've done well by him." He smiled at her and Kagome nodded hopefully.

Hachi landed and the two slid off of his round body. There was a chain of shouts that echoed through the woods and the palace gates slowly drew apart. The three of them walked into the entry yard and were suddenly swarmed by soldiers and generals shouting questions and demanding answers. An entourage of armed soldiers filed out of the gates and dispersed through the woods, checking behind trees and around rocks to make sure they hadn't been followed. Inside, Koji was quickly removed from Kagome's arms and whisked away by fussing medical staff. Kagome reluctantly let go, her arms feeling strangely empty for the first time in 8 hours. Hachi and Shippo were surrounded by generals with critical questions:

"What's going on?!"

"Where's the Lord?"

"How many reinforcements do we need?"

The crowd around Shippo and Hachi was growing by the second and Kagome was getting pushed and elbowed further away from them when a familiar voice croaked above the squalor.

"Shut up all of you!" Harue shouted. Everybody went silent and turned to watch her hobble into the yard, "Hachi and Shippo, you both will come with me. We will hold an emergency council meeting so we can discuss next steps." The generals and soldiers parted to make a path for Shippo and Hachi to walk through. They looked down the end of their noses at Kagome before dispersing leaving her alone in the yard with Misuzu. Suddenly, she felt very tired.

Misuzu hurried to Kagome's side, untying the haori slouched around her waist and draping it around her shoulders. "Let's get you inside and cleaned up. Then we'll get you a hot meal, okay?" she reassured, wrinkling her nose at the smell of rotting demon guts and coagulated blood staining her clothes.

Kagome nodded, allowing Misuzu to steer her into the palace. Peacefully, softly, Kagome let her eyes drift close as she led down the halls and battled away images of blood and severed body parts in her mind's eye, and instead remembered the way Inuyasha looked at her in the dying light of day as he reached out for her hand for the first time.

That is the ending of the first story arc - onto the second.

Jeez what a tough chapter to write. Now you know everything that has happened!

Thank you for reading! See you soon!