Before you move on to the chapter: IMPORTANT NOTE, PLEASE READ!

Yes, I know, I was supposed to update once a month. That obviously isn't going to work out anymore. I'm sorry I was late with this chapter. However, I'll have to ask you guys to be patient with me. I'm in college now and I started my medical studies, so I hardly have time to write anymore. As a result, the updates might get really really slow. However, even if I disappear for half-a-year or something, don't you DARE even ASSUME that this story's dead. It never will be, not until it's done. And if you ever have any doubt, just check the bottom of the 'writer's work notes' rubric on my profile, info will be kept up to date there.

With that out of the way, there's something a little less important I still need to tell you. Due to popular demand, I am now giving you guys the names of the tracks I used for certain scenes. It'll be indicated in the fic when to start one with an additional breaker. I also added the tracks to the previous chapters, so if you want to re-read them with the soundtrack, go right ahead. If you don't though, you can be sure you'll encounter the tracks I used there anyway, since I'll be more than likely use them for other scenes as well.

OK, all that being sad, I say sorry once again for being late, enjoy the chapter and please leave a review :3

As always, great thanks to Amber for editing :3

ANNONYMOUS REVIEWER:

InuKag4Eva: I still don't get why, even in unsigned reviews, you can use your normal penname… oh well… anyway, I'm glad you enjoy the fic so far. I'm quite sure you weren't expecting what's going to happen in this chapter either LOL

Tracks for this chapter:

Final Fantasy X: Truth Revealed

Within Temptation: Our Farewell

Breakers:

XxX: change of scene

~ξ~: time-skip

実: Beginning/End of Flashback

[T] and [/T]: Beginning/End of soundtrack

Reminder: 'Inuyasha' written normally refers to Inuyasha, while written in cursive (cursive and bold in thoughts) refers to Kagome, the "Gentle Dog Demon". 'Hanyō' written normally means "half-demon", while written in cursive (cursive and bold in thoughts) it means "half-breed".

Chapter 10 – One of Many Goodbyes

Inuyasha awoke suddenly from his sound sleep and shivered. For a second, he wondered what it was that woke him up, since normally nothing could (except for Kagome, of course) achieve such a feat before sunrise. The answer presented itself quickly, however, as a sudden, loud noise not very far away reached his ears. In the blink of an eye, Inuyasha was on his feet, his hand reaching for the sword he knew was lying right next to his bedding, a habit he didn't even notice he'd acquired.

In the next second, the young priest sprang forward, sword at the ready. It turned out, however, that he worried for nothing, for the person his sword was now aimed at had been Kagome. She had turned her head slightly to the side, so Inuyasha's blade was next to her neck. Had she not moved, then it would have pierced her jugular, but as it was, the golden eyed girl wasn't even scratched. She didn't even blink at Inuyasha's sudden approach, either.

"Nicely done, though it was still slower than it could be," she said casually as she walked around him and sat down at her usual place by the fire, opposite him. "But why are you awake?"

"Had a weird feeling that woke me up and heard something in the direction you came from," Inuyasha replied calmly, though his eyes were narrowed as he stared at her.

It had been four days since their run-in with Sesshōmaru. Four days since Kagome acquired Tessaiga, the fang her father wanted her to inherit. Four days since she talked to him. He had no idea why she suddenly ignored him. He hadn't done a thing to make her mad (at least not that he knew of). He didn't really care, either. So what if she wasn't going to talk to him? It wasn't like he cared. Quite frankly, he was glad to finally have some peace and breathing space, since she left him alone.

At least that's what he'd been telling himself all this time.

Still… it didn't look like she was mad now, so maybe she'd start talking to him again… 'And why the Hell should I care?' the young priest chastised himself in his thoughts. After all, he didn't care what she thought… at all… Why should he, anyway? Aside from the fact that he kinda-sorta grew fond of her, there was no reason for him to care. Conclusion: he did not.

Or that was what he wanted himself to believe in, though the longer it all continued, the more obvious it was that he was lying to himself. Not that he'd ever admit that, of course.

"That's good. It means you're starting to be aware of your surroundings even while sleeping and you start using your priest senses, too. Quite a practical capability, though I have to admit, I didn't think you'd start developing it so soon. Still, it's excellent that you do. Shows how much you've progressed," Kagome's voice brought him out of his reverie and the black haired boy almost fell to the ground in shock at how much praise there was in these few sentences. Not only because Kagome rarely praised him or his progress at anything, but because anyone rarely praised him. It just wasn't done.

Then again, no one ever wanted to stick around him as long as she did, either, no matter what her reason for staying was.

"So there was something going on," he stated when he regained his composure (he lost it only for about a second). He hoped the half-demon-girl hadn't noticed that slip-up. Unbeknownst to him, she did, but decided not to comment on it.

"Just a small, weak demon who made the mistake of thinking a human and a hanyō are easy prey," Kagome replied nonchalantly. "Hardly worth raising more than one hand to finish it."

"It didn't sound like it was just some weak demon," Inuyasha countered and directed a glare her way. From the sounds he heard, it sounded like she even used Tessaiga. Kagome raised an eyebrow, then looked away deep in thought.

"Maybe you heard Tessaiga, then? I trained not far from here just a little while ago after killing that annoying pest that came along, and trust me, that sword can easily fell quite large trees."

"You were training?" Inuyasha asked incredulously, his eyes switching from glaring to staring. "At this hour?"

"When else is there?" the young half-demon replied in a slightly irritated voice. Inuyasha shrugged before moving to his side of the fire and sitting down on his sleeping bag.

"I don't know. But don't you ever sleep?" he asked, genuinely surprised this time around. Sure, she wasn't quite human, but she had to sleep, right? There wasn't a living creature out there that could live without sleep and function properly, after all.

"Not really," Kagome replied with a shrug, not noticing the disbelieving glare Inuyasha shot her again. She had to be lying… "I'm half-demon, remember? I don't need as much sleep as humans do," she added after a second of thought. 'Except for that day, of course, but that can hardly count…'

Inuyasha shook his head, trying fruitlessly to get a straight thought in. What she was saying was unbelievable! The next questions came flying from his mouth before he even realized he asked them.

"How about eating and stuff? Do you not need as much as I do of that, too? What puts you actually so apart from humans aside from you looks and physical condition?" Inuyasha asked. It suddenly occurred to him that he never actually saw her eat. Sure, he offered to share his ramen with her a few times, but she always declined and then disappeared for a little while, though he was sure she never strayed far. But he never actually saw her eat anything.

Kagome blinked at the onslaught of questions and shot Inuyasha a confused glance. She had met a lot of humans in her relatively long life (at least in human standards) and had even befriended a few, like Kikyo and Kaede. But never before had anyone ever asked so many questions about her. It made her feel warm inside, and in a good way.

Inuyasha asked because he was curious about her. Still, if he was curious, it meant that he cared at least in some way. He cared enough to ask. And as much as Kagome hid it from others, she couldn't deny that it felt good to know someone cared. She hadn't met many people like that. Sure, there were exceptions, but still…

She smiled slightly.

"Well, I actually need more food than you do to be at top form, but on the up-side, I can go on longer than any human without food or water. Sure, I'll be weakened a bit, but I'll live. As for the other… stuff as you put it… it really depends on what exactly it is, though mostly, I'm lacking what some might consider human weaknesses.

"My senses are heightened and I need less sleep, so it's harder to catch me off guard. I can go on longer without food, so if there's a period of famine, I have a greater chance of survival. I'm not as susceptible to the cold, I hardly feel pain, I practically never get sick… I'm close to thinking that, aside from one single exceptional moment, I just can't get sick. What else is there…? Oh, I learn new stuff quicker than humans do, especially when it comes to different kinds of fighting, and I can quickly learn how to best use a new weapon… get to know it in a way, but I don't know if it's the same for all half-demons or if I'm just adept at it.

"And what sets me apart from humans is, as far as I know, only my blood. Anything else you wanna know?"

"How can you last longer without food when you actually need more of it than humans do?" Inuyasha wondered to himself and Kagome shrugged.

"Beats me, it's just the way it is, I guess," she replied nonchalantly.

"Then what and when do you eat?"

"I hunt." The answer was short, to the point, and the black haired priest decided not to ask for details about that one. He sighed and tried to figure out another thing to say, since for some odd reason he didn't want the conversation to die yet, when a thought suddenly struck him as odd. He narrowed his eyes.

"You said you're adept at learning how to fight and to get to know a new weapon, right?" Kagome nodded and Inuyasha frowned. He had to have caught a lie there. Then again, what reason would she have to lie? He didn't get it.

"Then why do you train so much with the Tessaiga? I mean, I saw you practicing a little these last few days and you say you've been training tonight, too. Why train so much if you can get to know a weapon quickly?" He asked, and Kagome sighed as her golden eyes fell to the sword tied to her hip.

"I just… can't figure it out," the half-demon spoke, more to herself than to him most likely, but it still piqued the black haired priest's interest. It was not the answer he was expecting.

"Can't figure what out?" he asked, his violet eyes narrowing at her even more, his gaze turning without his noticing into a glare once again.

"This sword," Kagome answered as she raised the sheathed fang above her head. "Four days ago was the first time I wielded it. I've been training with it every night since then," she said and Inuyasha blinked at the revelation. 'I guess she really doesn't sleep at all, does she,' he wondered briefly before tuning in her words again. "But it's like Tessaiga isn't compatible with me."

"What do you mean, it's not compatible?" the teen from the future asked with his brows raised. She was sprouting nonsense in his opinion. How could a sword not be compatible with a wielder, so long as said wielder had a pair of legs to move and a pair of hands to wield it? She made it sound as if Tessaiga had a will of its own…

"I can't seem to get to know it like I did with Yougo," the hanyō-girl said.

"Yougo?" Inuyasha interrupted, his violet eyes staring questioningly at her while reflecting the fire's flames, giving them the color of molten gold, so much like her own.

"The first sword I ever wielded," she answered simply. "The sword I learned swordplay with. I never knew another weapon, nor could I wield one as efficiently as I started to learn once I obtained Yougo. It taught me a lot of things. One of them being the importance of knowing your weapon," there was a smile on her face as she talked about the sword, but before Inuyasha could probe the subject, the smile vanished and her voice grew serious again.

"But Tessaiga… I already know it like I did with Yougo. I know exactly how to wield it to get maximum effect, it feels like an extension of my arm. I know its weight, its length, the strength it can strike with. There's nothing that comes to mind that I could yet have to learn about this sword… and yet it feels like there's much more to it, many things I do not yet know. It feels like Tessaiga is hiding secrets.

"And until I figure out what they are, there's no way I'll be able to wield Tessaiga to the best of my abilities, nor will I be able to use its power to the very limit. It's like with two friends, at least in this time. If those friends have secrets concerning their fighting they don't share with each other, then they can never truly fight alongside one another. This is the same. If I don't figure it out, then Tessaiga and I will never be partners. Not like Yougo was."

Inuyasha noticed that her eyes turned sad as she said those words. It was almost as if she were talking from experience. The violet eyed teen decided not to dwell on it, though.

"If you had another sword before… Yougo… why don't you have it now? What happened to it and where is it?" Inuyasha asked curiously. It was weird, to say the least. If she had another sword before, why didn't she have one when he met her?

"I have no idea," the half-demon girl answered casually as her eyes traveled to the sky again.

"What do you mean you have no idea?" the black haired priest asked, not believing his ears. Here she was, speaking of a sword like of a best friend… and she had no idea what happened to it? What kind of bull was she trying get him to believe?

"I mean I don't know. I was asleep for the past fifty years, remember?" the silver haired hanyō replied dryly as she sent him a rather dark glare.

It wasn't entirely true, however. Sure, she didn't know where Yougo was now, but she did know where she left it fifty years ago. Question was, would it still be there and if it was, would it still be intact? It was a durable sword, of course, especially once she strengthened it with her youki, but no sword is eternal. Yougo was not an exception to that rule.

Inuyasha only 'keh-ed' in response and defiantly looked away, muttering something that sounded like 'stupid hanyō-wench', most likely to get the last word in. Kagome ignored him and for a while silence enveloped the pair. The only sound that could be heard was the wind and the cracking of the fire between them. The golden eyed hanyō was about to open her mouth and tell Inuyasha to get some rest, since she knew he'd need his energy the next day, but the black haired priest beat her to it.

"Oi," he started, breaking the silence and catching Kagome's attention. He didn't look at her, however, as he asked slowly: "what's a pack?"

"W-what?" Kagome stuttered, caught completely off guard by the seemingly out-of-the-blue-question while Inuyasha cursed in his thoughts. He hadn't meant to actually ask aloud, he had simply been wondering about the happenings four days ago. He just couldn't let it go, for a reason he could only name as curiosity. Well, it wasn't like he could take the question back anyway.

"When we were getting out of your old man's grave, you said you didn't allow me to kill the toad because he was Sesshōmaru's 'pack'. But what exactly is 'pack' to you and your half-brother?" Inuyasha asked, seemingly forgetting about what he had asked her afterward that also concerned a 'pack'. It wasn't the case, though.

Kagome eyed him with narrowed eyes, a question she didn't dare to ask aloud shining within the golden depths. 'Are you asking because you want to know exactly why I didn't let you kill Jaken… or because you want to know why I don't consider you my pack?' she wondered in her mind as she eyed him. She remembered his question, remembered her own harsh answer, but for the life of her, she couldn't remember how he took it. She blinked. 'Are you… disappointed that you're not pack to me?' it was a ridiculous thought, really. How could he possibly want to be her pack if he didn't even know what it would mean to her? She shook her head at her own stupidity. That couldn't be it. He was most likely just curious.

"'Pack'… It's a social group, you could say. For some demons, 'pack' is a group you stick around with in order to survive, or for protection, for others, it's a group to fight for in exchange for being fed… it's often the case with demons who are strong when it comes to a fight but can't for their life be quiet enough to hunt anything for themselves. It can also be a group that teamed up only momentarily to defeat a common enemy.

"For most demons, however, and I mean demons like Sesshōmaru and myself, though I'm only a hanyō, who are actually the most numerous ones even if it doesn't look like it, 'pack' kept its fundamental meaning. A meaning the lower classes of demons forgot. 'Pack'… is 'family'."

Inuyasha blinked and tried to meet her gaze, but she had already turned away. He stared at her profile as the information she gave him was slowly processed. But why did she sound so sad when she explained it to him?

'Pack… means family,' he thought as he slipped back into his sleeping bag. No wonder she didn't see him as one, they weren't family after all. Hell, they were barely even friends…

It was with those thoughts that sleep reclaimed him

~ξ~

"Come on, you lazy-ass, wake up!"

Inuyasha was roughly awakened a few hours later, like every morning as Kagome unceremoniously threw him out of his sleeping bag and told him to grab his sword. He had, like always, cursed at her for waking him up at such an ungodly hour, but got up nevertheless and readied himself for the training to begin. He noticed their sparring sessions were slowly getting longer, but Kagome had yet to praise him on anything he was doing. It was starting to piss him off.

It was only a few hours later that they picked up their things and set out again, finally leaving the forest behind, a relief Inuyasha didn't hesitate to voice aloud. Kagome had to hold back a snicker at this. 'I wonder how he'd have reacted if I told him I've been purposefully leading us in circles all this time?' she asked herself, but decided not to chance it. It was in his best interest anyway, since the forest was the only landscape she could think of where she could properly train his basic abilities without his notice. They only left the woods now because she had deemed him ready, although she had kept that piece of information to herself.

Since they were now in the open and no longer training, their pace slowed considerably. Inuyasha didn't fail to notice that, but decided not to comment on it. He preferred walking to running at any time.

"If we keep this up," Kagome suddenly spoke as they continued walking. "We should arrive at a village by evening. If we're lucky, we might even get to rest there."

"Don't you mean I get to rest there?" Inuyasha asked surprised, remembering how the last time there was a village nearby, she clearly preferred staying in the forest. He didn't recall seeing her at Kaede's village at night either.

"No, I meant we get to rest at that village," Kagome replied, shooting him a fierce glare. Being as hot tempered as her, Inuyasha glared right back.

"Well, sorry for being surprised, but as far as I know, you never stay at a village when you can help it," he bit out angrily. How did Kagome do that? She was riling him up quicker than anyone, even the thugs in his time, ever had.

"That village is different," Kagome answered as she turned her head and stared straight ahead.

"How is it different?" the black haired boy challenged, a look of confusion crossing his face for just a split second, too short for even Kagome to notice.

"It just is," the half-demon barked back, and, surprising even himself, Inuyasha didn't probe the subject. He glanced at the sky. 'A secret she's unwilling to tell…' he thought. 'How much do I actually know about her aside from her heritage?' he asked himself and almost stopped dead in his tracks as the realization hit him. He didn't know a thing, except that she knew Kikyo. He didn't know who Kikyo was, though. And Kagome was a complete mystery to him, as well.

Then again, why did it bother him so much that Kagome was a complete mystery? She didn't look like she minded not really knowing him, after all, so why was he so bothered by that fact?

The rest of the way was silent between them. Inuyasha didn't really notice when the sun started setting. He did notice when Kagome suddenly stopped dead in her tracks, though.

"What the…?"

"I smell blood. Lots of it. Human blood and smoke," Kagome said tightly as she turned to glance at him. "Either get on or keep up. Your choice," she said simply. When he made no move to get on her back, his pride not allowing him to do such a thing of his own free will, she muttered a 'suit yourself' before leaning forward and taking off in a sprint. Inuyasha didn't waste any time in following her, and though he had to give it his all, he actually managed to keep up with her. She wasn't going at her full speed though, knowing it would be a bad idea to leave the black haired priest behind.

Kagome stopped dead in her tracks yet again once they arrived at the source of the scent her sensitive nose had caught. Golden eyes widened as she took in the scene before her and she knew that had she been human right now, she would have fallen to her knees in despair. As it was, though, she was only frozen in place for a couple of seconds.

"What the Hell happened here?" the young half-demon whispered to herself.

[T]

Before her, the village they had been heading for lay in ruins. Not many homes had been left standing, and those that were, burned with a high flame. The street was littered with bodies of the dead villagers with a few demons here and there, and there was blood everywhere; mostly human blood. Not a living soul was in sight, and truth be told, Kagome didn't smell one, either. The whole place reeked of death and blood.

Kagome clenched her fists as a scowl appeared on her face, replacing her mortification. Without a word, she set off into a run again, believing Inuyasha would follow her. She wasn't disappointed.

"Oi, Kagome, wait up!" Inuyasha yelled after her, but she ignored him. As she neared the village, her nose caught a faint scent she hadn't noticed before, as it was overwhelmed by the scent of blood, death and smoke around her. But it was there and it gave her hope. 'He's alive!' she thought as she forced her legs to carry her faster. Every second counted now. She couldn't afford to wait.

She reached the village within seconds, running swiftly through it and towards the one home she knew the inhabitants of. It was burning like any other still-standing house in the ruined village and Kagome knew it wouldn't be long before it collapsed as well.

Her ears twitched on her head and she stopped momentarily, giving Inuyasha just about enough time to catch up. She didn't spare him a glance though, concentrating on the burning home instead. Was it just her, or was there really someone crying inside?

The young half-demon shook her head. It couldn't be. It had to be her imagination. At least she hoped it was.

Inuyasha stopped next to her, out of breath and leaning on his knees in exhaustion. It was the first time, except for when she fought with Sesshōmaru, that he saw her move this fast.

"What… are you… in such… a hurry… for?" he asked between gulps of air as he tried to catch his breath. He was ignored yet again however as Kagome took a deep breath to scent the air. Suddenly, her eyes widened and not even a second afterward, she was running again, obviously forgetting he was even there. "Oi! Wait up!" Inuyasha yelled as he took off again, trying desperately to keep up with her, or at least not lose sight of her. She didn't run far however, and soon he caught up to her again as she stopped once more, this time most likely because she reached her destination.

"Kogarashi! Ko-chan!" he heard her call as she knelt before a tree and took a man in her arms. Inuyasha slowly approached her, his eyes trained on the pair as Kagome gently lay the obviously hurt man in her lap.

He didn't look older than sixty, which wasn't that old in Inuyasha's opinion, though the black haired teen believed that in any other condition than he saw him in now, he would most likely look his age, and not any older or younger. He had short, black hair tied at the top of his head in a loose knot, a few strands coming out. He was wearing common villager clothing, but his hands were holding on tightly to a sword, with a hold that told even Inuyasha that this man knew how to wield it. He must have been wounded deeply considering the amount of blood around him, but other than a few superficial scratches, Inuyasha couldn't detect the killing injury. It was quite obvious, however, that this man was dying, if he wasn't already dead.

Slowly, the man's eyes opened, revealing deep gray eyes. He seemed surprised to see a half-demon hovering above him, but to Inuyasha's astonishment, he seemed more relieved than anything else.

"Inu… yasha," he whispered so quietly that Inuyasha almost didn't hear him. He knew better than to think it was him the man was talking about, though.

"Ko-chan!" Kagome replied quickly, but Inuyasha noticed that her eyes didn't reflect the relieved gleam visible in Kogarashi's eyes. If anything, she seemed sad. "Ko-chan, I…"

"Not… the time…" Kogarashi interrupted her and hissed loudly. Kagome bit her lip. She knew what he meant, and yet she didn't. 'Not the time for that? What the Hell does that mean? Now's the only time!' Kagome screamed in her head, but said nothing as she tried to soothe the man in her lap.

"We have to help him," she heard Inuyasha say and shook her head.

"Thanks for the offer, Inuyasha," she interrupted gently and Inuyasha stopped in his attempt to find his medical supplies to stare at her. Kagome's tone already implied that she was going to reject the offer, and while he couldn't accept it, he didn't actually get to ask why that was either. "It's already too late for him."

Inuyasha glanced at the gasping man in Kagome's lap, and although he didn't know much about medicine and even less about medical treatment, he knew that she was right. Kogarashi, whoever he was, was already beyond their help.

"Inuyasha…" the man spoke again, and Kagome's eyes turned to him again, her ears twitching on her head to catch every single word of what he was saying. "In the hut… Souta is there… my son… save… him…" Kogarashi rasped out. Kagome's eyes widened for a second before she nodded determinately.

"I will, don't worry," she said loudly and the man in her lap managed a thankful smile.

"Thank… y…" he didn't get to finish as his eyes rolled into the back of his skull and his head turned to the side. Kagome lowered her head before she laid the now-dead man gently on the ground and stood quickly.

[/T]

"Stay here," she said sharply to Inuyasha as she stood up and quickly took off at a run again. Within seconds, she was before the burning house again, cursing in her mind as she saw that it would most likely collapse in a matter of seconds. She didn't have much time. She should have checked it out sooner when she thought she heard the cries.

Shaking her head to rid herself of those thoughts, since they would only slow her down at this point, Kagome jumped into the raging inferno without hesitation. The fire couldn't harm her, since she was protected by her coat. A young human child however, was a different story.

'Shit!' Kagome thought as she covered her nose to block at least some of the smoke that dreaded to suffocate her. She didn't have much time. She had to hurry. Looking around quickly, Kagome slowly walked between the flames. The hut was small, only slightly bigger than Kaede's and it had two rooms instead of one, so it shouldn't be that hard to find one little kid. With her sight blocked by the flames and her nose by the smoke however, it was a much harder job than Kagome would have liked. 'Where is he…?' she thought fervently as a crack sounded above her, signaling that the ceiling wouldn't hold out much longer. Once it fell, it would be over. She wouldn't be able to save the kid then.

A sudden sound, different from the fire and the cracking ceiling, made its way to her ears and Kagome swiftly turned in the direction it came from. She began moving cautiously, yet swiftly through the flames, not caring as they licked her clothes. It wouldn't take any damage anyway.

It wasn't long before she reached the other room. There, next to the bed, surrounded by flames from almost every direction, a small boy lay curled up in a ball and shaking in what Kagome could easily identify as fear. She didn't waste any time.

As another crack sounded above her, Kagome swiftly lunched for the little boy, grabbed him as gently as she could, given the situation, and jumped out of the house through the wall just as the ceiling collapsed. She landed hard on the ground on her back, the little boy who was Kogarashi's son lying on top of her with her arms around him for protection. Securing her hold on him, Kagome sat up to stare at the ruins of what once was Kogarashi's hut. It was already burned to ashes and the fire was even now dying down. Kagome frowned. 'Demonic fire,' she thought angrily as the last sparks vanished. It had to be. Normal fire would have spread and annihilated everything, not just satisfied itself with one hut and it would have been done with such a small structure much quicker.

Sighing, Kagome made a move to stand up when the boy in her arms suddenly shifted. She stopped and glanced down at him.

His hair was the same black as Kogarashi's, though it was much shorter. Short bangs covered his forehead, but they weren't long enough to cover his brown eyes, the color of which he had obviously gotten from his mother. He looked to be about nine years old.

"You OK?" Kagome asked gently. The young child nodded slowly, his eyes still concentrated on the fabric of her robe.

"Ano… th-thank you for s-saving me," he murmured quietly as he finally looked up. To Kagome's surprise, he didn't panic or try to get away from her. Instead, he smiled uncertainly at her. "Are you… a hanyō?" he asked quietly. The question wasn't filled with disgust though, and Kagome took a while to figure out why that was. 'He's Ko-chan's son,' she thought as she nodded to answer his question. 'Of course Ko-chan would pass on this family's teachings about half-demons, not the prejudice I encountered everywhere else.'

That thought brought a small smile to her face, although Souta's next words wiped it right off her face.

"Where's dad? Why didn't he come for me? He said he would… why did you come instead?" again, his question wasn't accusatory in any way. He was just curious and worried. Kagome's expression saddened as she gently hugged the small child, knowing her next words would hurt him and wishing she would not have to say them. But she knew she had to.

"Your father… He's gone somewhere I'm afraid you cannot follow," she said quietly and the child in her arms stilled suddenly. She knew he understood. He might be young, but in this era, there was no age deemed 'too young' to know about death. Children needed to know about it, because you never knew when it would take their parents or when they'd have to face it themselves. Most learned the true meaning of death the hard way, like Souta was now. Kagome closed her eyes. How she wished he didn't have to get through this lesson. Alas, it was too late already.

"No… that can't be… dad can't be…" Souta's words of denial were suddenly interrupted as the young boy started coughing violently. It caught Kagome's attention immediately and the young half-demon quickly scented the air before cursing under her breath and getting up.

The huts burned down by the demonic fire were now emitting a highly poisonous mist that would undoubtedly kill someone as young as Souta if he stayed there too long. Kagome herself wouldn't be affected, and her charge (Inuyasha) probably wouldn't feel it much, either. But Souta was a child and therefore couldn't handle it nearly as well.

"We have to get out of this village… at least until the wind blows these vapors away," Kagome said to herself as she secured her hold on the still coughing child and quickly ran back to where she left Inuyasha and the dead body of Kogarashi. It didn't take her long to get back, and once she explained the situation to Inuyasha, he didn't bother protesting the need to leave. Ten minutes later, they were far from the village, trying to put enough distance between themselves and the polluted ruins before Souta took more damage than he could handle.

They made camp about a mile away, far enough to be sure the pollution wouldn't reach them, but close enough for Souta to know that he could go back to pay his respects to his father any time. Kagome didn't doubt he'd want to do it.

As the day passed, however, Souta made no inquiries about going back and Kagome narrowed her eyes, though she didn't comment. When sunset approached, the young half-demon quickly gathered firewood and soon a warm fire was burning in their camp, above which Inuyasha was boiling water for two cups of ramen: one for himself and one for the young boy who was now with them. Kagome declined, like every other time Inuyasha offered and decided to hunt something for herself instead.

After everyone ate, Souta suddenly broke the companionable, though still a little heavy due to the happenings of the day, silence.

"Where are the two of you headed?" he asked quietly, not looking at either of the two.

"Nowhere in particular," Kagome answered shortly. Souta looked up and shot her a questioning glance. She sighed before elaborating: "We're looking for someone, but we have no clue where to find them, so we travel without a real destination in mind. You can say we hope to just run into him."

"Can I come with you?"

Kagome froze at the question. Quite frankly, she had been expecting a lot from the little boy. But definitely not that. 'Absolutely not!' she screamed in her mind. 'Ko-chan would kill me if I allowed you that!' The words she spoke aloud were much calmer, though.

"It'd be too dangerous for you."

"I know how to fight!"

"It would not be a good idea, kiddo," Inuyasha spoke up from his spot near the fire where he was already getting his sleeping bag ready for use. With the sun already behind the horizon and the night falling, there was no way Kagome would want to continue on.

"But I have to find the demons that did this to my village! I have to avenge dad!" Souta yelled, this time turning his head to glare at Inuyasha, who, stunned into silence, could only stare back. He definitely didn't expect such a reaction. Kagome suppressed a sigh.

"And would your father want you to risk your young life for vengeance?" she asked calmly. 'You know he wouldn't.'

"Yes, he would!"

"Are you certain of that?"

Souta didn't answer and in the short moment that silence fell, Inuyasha changed the subject… though not by much.

"If he ain't going with us, then what will he do? I mean, he can't really go with us, but we can't just leave him here, can we?" he asked as he turned to Kagome. The silver haired half-demon turned her head away, hiding her icy glare from view and trying to control her temper to not burst out at the mere mention of doing such a thing. 'I'll die before that happens!'

"We'll go back to Kaede's village," she answered finally as she turned back to the black haired teen from the future. "Souta'll be safe there, he'll be cared for. It's the best place I can think of… and it's not that far."

"You mean we're going all the way back when we just left the forest?" Inuyasha asked with disbelief in his voice. Surely, she couldn't mean that. They just left! Then again, it truly was their best option.

"Not only are we going back, we're going to cover that distance in one day, so you better get some sleep because I won't be waiting for you tomorrow if you can't keep up," Kagome answered casually. They'd be going in a straight route this time, so she was sure it couldn't take them too long. Besides, at the very least they had to make it to the village at the latest by sunset the day after tomorrow.

'I can't be in the middle of nowhere on that day when I have two people to keep alive along with me,' she said to herself as Inuyasha grumbled something incoherent under his breath. She turned her questioning, golden eyes on him and he glared back. Obviously, the idea wasn't appealing to him. Finally, he sighed.

"Fine. But I'll go home once we get back. I need to restock on food, anyway," he grumbled as he lay down in his sleeping bag.

"Fine by me," the silver haired half-demon answered lightly as she sat down cross-legged near the fire and closed her eyes, after making sure that Souta was sleeping comfortable as well.

~ξ~

"Where do you think you're going?" Kagome asked quietly as she opened one of her eyes to pin down the young child who was trying to leave. Souta froze as he heard her quiet question and slowly turned to face the not-sleeping-after-all hanyō. The fire was still burning to keep the nightly chill at bay and Inuyasha was still sleeping soundly. Souta sent Kagome a challenging stare, as if daring her to stop him.

"I'm going back to pay my respects to dad, then I'm going to hunt for those demons who did this," he replied determinedly. Kagome opened her other eye to send him an effective, rather intimidating glare, although it was not an angry one.

"I'll ask you again, would your father really want that? Besides, how would it help? Avenging him won't bring him back, you know."

"Shut up! You have no idea what it's like! I'm going and you can't stop me!" the young boy almost yelled, though luckily he hadn't been loud enough to wake the snoring priest, and turned on his heel to walk away. He didn't even take two steps before someone grabbed his arm and he glared at her over his tiny shoulder to tell her to let him go because she couldn't stop him. The look on her face kept his mouth closed however.

Kagome had averted her eyes from him and her head was lowered just enough to let her bangs hide her eyes from view. She did it, so that Souta wouldn't know just how much his words had affected her. After all, she knew what it was like. She knew better than anyone. But Souta's words hit home, they reminded her how she had felt the first time she encountered death, so she knew she wouldn't be able to stop him. She wasn't really planning to, anymore, either.

"Get on," she said as she crouched down before the young child in order to allow him easy access onto her back. "It'll be quicker if I carry you there."

Surprisingly, Souta obeyed, and once he was seated on her back, Kagome made sure to leave Kikyo's bow near Inuyasha so it would protect him if anything happened (though she didn't scent any demons nearby, which is why she allowed herself to leave him alone for a while). Considering what happened this morning, she was certain that if any were to show up, he'd be able to hold his ground for a while. Nodding to herself, Kagome sent a last glance his way to make sure he was asleep before running back to the village Souta had lived at.

[T]

It was still in the same, ruined state, if not a little worse since the few huts that had been standing before were now burned to the ground. As for Kogarashi, he was right where Kagome and Inuyasha had left him, lying under the tree, looking as peaceful as if he were sleeping. But Kagome knew better, and his son did as well.

Souta slowly walked towards the body, then knelt next to it and put his hands together in a prayer. Kagome walked up beside him and laid a hand on his shoulder.

"How about we give him a proper goodbye, hm?" she asked gently as the young boy looked up at her. She saw his eyes widen as he stared at her before he nodded slowly. Kagome allowed a small, sad smile on her face as she knelt before Kogarashi's corpse and carefully picked it up.

"I know a good place. Come on," she said softly as she started to slowly walk away, Souta following slowly after her. She led him towards the ruins of his home, then into a small garden behind it that had miraculously been spared from destruction. Two rows of nine gravestones in all stood there, proving it to be a mini-cemetery. Kagome bit back a sigh as she glanced at those graves before she gently set Kogarashi down on the ground and walked towards them to make a tenth one in the second row, making two rows of five.

"How did you know about this place?" came Souta's quiet voice behind her and Kagome smiled sadly.

"I've been here before," was all she said as she quickly set to work. In no time at all, she had dug an almost perfectly rectangular hole plenty deep enough to bury a body there. She gracefully jumped out of the grave and slowly walked up to Souta, who was sitting next to the body and stared at it as if hoping it would wake up after all. Kagome lowered her eyes, but didn't say anything as she gently picked the body up again. Souta didn't protest, although his eyes were becoming hollower by the second. Kagome knew what it meant. She gritted her teeth. She'd be damned if she allowed Souta to go down the same way she did.

She jumped easily back into the hole she had dug and gently deposited the body there. Her hand lingered for a while as she muttered her goodbyes before she jumped out again.

"I think you should do the honors," she said quietly to the silent child. Souta nodded mutely as he picked himself off the ground and approached the unfinished grave. Once he came to the border of the hole, he bent down to pick up a handful of dirt which he then allowed to fall on his father's chest in one final sign of respect. Only once he nodded, though, did Kagome slowly start to cover up the grave before she set out to find an appropriate stone to write at least the name of the one they buried by his grave. It had taken a while, but eventually, she managed even that feat and then she gently clasped her hands in front of her chest and closed her eyes in silent prayer, as did Souta.

When she opened her eyes to glance at him, his eyes were still closed as of he were concentrating on the prayer and his final goodbye. But Kagome knew better and she shook her head before she stepped beside him. Next thing Souta knew, she was kneeling next to him with her arms wrapped around his small frame, bringing him close to her heart. Souta's eyes snapped wide open.

"What are you doing?" he asked quietly, though he didn't try to fight her. Deep down, Kagome was grateful for that.

"It's OK to cry, you know," she replied quietly. "I think Ko-chan would prefer tears above vengeance anyway."

It was as if a dam had been broken. The second she finished speaking, Souta seemed to finally let go of what he was trying to hold within and with a muffled, pained cry, the small child threw his hands around Kagome's middle and hugged her back as his body started to shake with violent sobs. The silver haired hanyō smiled sadly as she ran a hand through his hair in order to soothe him, not that it helped much. Soon, her expression turned mournful as well and she tightened her grip on the young boy.

"I'm sorry," she whispered to him as he continued crying. Kagome was certain he heard her words, however. "I'm sorry I wasn't here when you and Ko-chan needed it most."

Souta looked up at her in surprise and his eyes widened even more as he saw her expression. The hanyō's golden eyes were shimmering with tears she didn't and wouldn't ever allow to fall. But they were there, which was more than enough of a proof that she was mourning as well. Souta blinked and suddenly, realization shone in his eyes.

"You were dad's friend, too," he said quietly. Kagome nodded slightly. Souta looked at the ground and bit his lip. "You're not just any half-demon, are you," it wasn't truly a question and the young boy obviously wasn't expecting her to answer as he spoke up again.

"You're the half-demon my father talked so much about… the one who protected our family for a few generations now… you're the Inuyasha, aren't you?"

"My real name is Kagome," the silver haired girl responded with a nod. What she didn't expect was for Souta's eyes to fill with tears once again as the kid threw himself into her arms again.

"I… I'm sorry," he sobbed into her haori. Kagome raised brow, but didn't get a chance to ask what he was apologizing for. "I'm sorry I said… that you didn't know… when you know better than anyone what it's like… I'm sorry…"

"There's no need to apologize, kiddo," Kagome replied, patting him comfortingly, almost in a motherly way on the head. "I'm the one who should apologize, really."

"For what?" Souta's voice was still quiet.

"For not being here," Kagome replied as she raised her head and let her eyes wander over the graves, from the first pair to the last. "I should have been," she whispered.

"Doesn't matter… you're here now, aren't you?" Souta asked and she turned her head abruptly to face him. A small smile forced its way onto her face as she looked down at Kogarashi's son.

"Yeah… and I'll be there whenever you need me. That's a promise," she said.

[/T]

Her eyes wandered to the two rows of graves again and her expression saddened. 'Kenaku-oji-san(1) and Tsukiko-san…' she thought as she stared at the first pair… the first two people to accept her in this blood-line after her mother… the first couple she promised her protection to. Her eyes moved on to the next two tombstones. 'Hisaki and Yumi-chan…' they were the ones who showed her that even though most humans hated her, there were those who could see past her blood… they taught her to believe and to be unafraid to admit her heritage… they taught her not to hide. 'Tsurugi-kun and Miyako…' she thought as her gaze fell onto the third pair. Tsurugi had been the one to teach her how to use a sword, and Miyako reminded her what it felt like to have a mother. Losing them had hurt, but all living beings had to die sometime. She knew that. Her eyes traveled to the fourth pair, the only ones who were one behind the other instead of beside each other. 'Kokoru-kun and Michiru-san,' she thought sadly as she looked at their grave. They had taught her that as much as her way of living was selfless and admirable, they also taught her it might easily become really stupid, too. Kokoru had been the proof of that… he had died protecting his wife and kid, leaving them alone afterwards. When Michiru was on her deathbed, she had asked to be buried behind her husband, rather than beside him. She had said that way, they could protect each other's backs in the next lifetime. It was as moving as it was sad that they had to be separated so tragically. It was thanks to them that Kagome vowed to herself to never sacrifice her life to save another unless there was truly no other way to save that person.

'And then… Kogarashi… I see you had the guts to ask Kimiko to be your wife, huh Ko-chan…' she thought and smiled sadly before her eyes turned serious. 'One day… we'll meet again on the other side. Wait for us until then with kaa-san, all of you. And Ko-chan, don't you worry. Souta's in good hands. I won't let anything happen to him.'

Kagome nodded to herself, as if in order to reassure herself along with her deceased friend that she would indeed keep the kid safe. Then, she turned her head to the young kid in her arms. He had stopped crying and was very near getting off to dream land. Kagome smiled slightly.

"How about we get back to camp, hm?" she asked before she lifted him up and secured him on her back. With a last glance at the cemetery, she thought a last farewell to all the people there and then ran off.

(1) 'Oji-san' is a respectful way to say 'uncle' in Japanese

Well, that's it for this chapter. I hope you liked it. But tell me, who cried? I sure did while writing it… so sad…

Review please :3