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Come little children
The time's come to play
Here in my garden of shadows

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"Inuyasha?!" Kagome screamed for the umpteenth time as she tried in vain to get stuck back with the man she loved more than life. He was still in there! If she wasn't afraid of hurting him, she would've purified the stupid cursed garden to the ground already.

"No! No! No! No! No!" Kagome screamed as she went into a full blown panic. This was bad. Maybe it was like a youkai fly trap or something. The worst part, the very worst part, was that Inuyasha was probably terrified - not for himself but for her sake. Obviously she hadn't reappeared like he had done. If there was one thing that scared him more than anything, it was the thought of losing her and...

Momentarily shocked out of her own panic, Kagome took several steadying breaths as she digested that fundamental truth. For almost a year, she'd been telling herself that Inuyasha thought of her as just a friend but...but he was never terrified when Sango or Miroku got hurt. Only when she was involved. Since that was undeniably true, did that mean he maybe thought of her as more than just a friend? Was it possible...

Well now she sure as hell was going to save him if it was the last thing she did because she needed answers!

"Okay, okay, okay," Kagome breathed as she psyched herself up and shook her hands, "I can do this. Just...just need to maybe..."

An idea struck her. They were connected, right? So long as the beads were on they were connected.

"Hold on," Kagome murmured before bursting into a sprint and bellowing at the top of her lungs as her foot crossed through the entryway, "INUYASHA! SI..."

As her cut off words reverberated off the cold stone, the wind blew a few stray leaves across the newly abandoned courtyard.

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Sniffling, Inuyasha used one finger to wipe away a tear. One thousand ninety six days. One thousand ninety six days. Why he was still keeping track he'd never know. It wasn't like it mattered how long it had been because he had an eternity left to go. Why else would he be stuck here in hell? He had died. All alone. Like he'd always feared he would.

To add insult to injury, his personal hell was being back in the place that held nothing but hurtful memories. Filled to the brim with people he hated and who acted like they'd never been anything but accepting of him. Despite being surrounded, he'd never felt more alone. The only person he would've wanted to see wasn't here. The only person he'd like to spend eternity forever out of his grasp. It was ironic that he'd wasted so much time keeping Kagome at arms length - all his reasons for doing so seemed so stupid in retrospect. He could've convinced her to stay in his era. He could've. Or he could've just gone to hers. So what if they were from different periods of history? They could've made it work. Besides he was pretty sure Kagome had felt the same way he did and even if she hadn't considered being with him like that, he could've put in some effort. Convinced her he was worth a try. He sure as hell could've been nicer to her. But no, he'd been the one thing he hated. A coward.

Another tear fell and he wiped it away.

And now he was the lord of this underworld. A very boring underworld at that. Nothing ever happened here. No one visited. There was no drama. No attacks. Just...

Allowing himself one more tear, Inuyasha sighed shakily as he tried to collect himself. At least he wasn't confined to just the fortress itself. He had 'lands'. There was an edge to them of course. He tried to see if he could make it to the village that was his home but...but...

You know...barriers. Hell. It just wasn't possible. Closing his eyes, Inuyasha inhaled deeply and tried to focus on staying positive. Kagome wouldn't want him to be miserable forever. She...she...

Amber eyes flew open as his nose went into overdrive. She was here?! Kagome was here! Laughing tearfully, Inuyasha almost burst down the sliding door in his excitement. So what if her being here meant she died? Even if she was old and wrinkled and looked worse than Kaede, that was fine. More than fine.

Rushing down the halls, Inuyasha followed the scent like his life depended on it. A soft cry escaped him as she came into view...

And looked at him like she'd never seen him before in her life. He slowed down as his heart absolutely shattered. There was no recognition in those sapphire orbs. None. She actually looked slightly frightened. It was suddenly hard to breathe.

"Oh Lord Inuyasha," one of the other servant women choked in suddenly - her voice sounding a thousand miles away, "What brings you to our quarters?"

"I..I just..." Inuyasha tried miserably as he continued staring at Kagome and praying that she'd remember him. He hadn't expected that reaction but this was hell after all. It wasn't supposed to be pleasant. The elderly servant woman followed his gaze before making a noise of understanding.

"Ah. This is a new addition to the cooking staff," the old woman hummed before making a curious face, "Unless you wish to place her elsewhere."

"Yeah," Inuyasha responded thickly after a moment, "If, um, if you could."

The elderly woman studied his expression before a knowing smile graced her lips.

"I'll arrange to have her placed somewhere more appropriate," she replied cryptically which had Kagome looking endlessly confused, "I believe they are expecting you in the great hall to discuss the harvest my Lord."

Nodding miserably, Inuyasha tried to compose himself even as a part of him curled up and died. Maybe...maybe he could make the most of this? At least she was nearby. That was better than nothing. In time, maybe he could...

As he turned to leave, he heard Kagome whisper to the woman, "That's the lord? He's rather ugly looking, isn't he?"

Flinching, another tear fell but this time Inuyasha didn't wipe it away and simply continued walking.

"He's a half-demon dear," the elderly woman explain and Inuyasha took a calming breath. He didn't want to hear anymore but he had no choice. Picking up his pace, Inuyasha was still in earshot as he heard Kagome reply, "Well that explains it then."

This really has to be hell. Even in life, Kagome would never say something like that. That couldn't be Kagome. It just...couldn't.