Realization of a Separated Love

" Inuyasha!" Kagome screamed out. She could see the youkai in the shadows behind the hanyou about to attack. She watched helplessly as he whirled around, the Tetsusaiga drawn to try and protect her. He was stubborn; not wanting to leave a good fight when the one he loved was in the danger zone. But the mysterious demon in front of them launched an attack of it's own before Inuyasha could hurl a backlash wave from the Tetsusaiga.

Inuyasha stared dumbly at the tentacle that protruded from his chest. Blood dribbled from his mouth as he died at the end of the tentacle. Chuckling, the demon threw the hanyou's corpse away and stepped into the light.

" Naraku!" Kagome exclaimed.

" I hope you have a better life after Kaguya takes your body from you," The demon said as he turned away.

" I'll fight just as hard as we all fought you," Kagome said and drew her arrow tight over the bow. Taking a good aim, she fired and watched in grim delight as the shaft found its mark, Naraku's forehead.

Kagome woke up, gasping for air. She sat there crying in fear. Naraku was dead, but why was he haunting her dreams? And Inuyasha, was he actually going to die in front of her? She knew that Kaguya had lost her body and wanted to lure Inuyasha to her when the demoness had grabbed her at her castle about a year ago, trying to transform Inuyasha into a full youkai. That was the time when Naraku had faked his death, but he didn't this time. He had appeared in his own flesh and blood and had lost his head to Inuyasha's Tetsusaiga when they had battled four months past.

" Baka," She scolded herself for being such an idiot. Naraku was dead; she had seen it herself. Why was she worrying? If had faked his death, again, he didn't have control over Kohaku and couldn't use him against the rest of the gang like he did at the Kaguya's castle.

" I love you as a half demon," her voice played the line through her mind as the memory of kissing the hanyou as he transformed into a youkai to keep him the way he was sprang to her imagination.

What ever was going to happen, she was sure to going to keep the child she carried safe from any type of danger. With that thought locked firmly in her mind, she promptly went to a corner in her cell to empty her queasy stomach. Her morning sickness was a pain nowadays.

Inuyasha leapt from the tree when the sun rose. His sleep had been hauntingly disturbing during the night. For some reason, he kept seeing Kagome dying, and his own first pup being used against him. And to make it even weirder, the realm of dreams had deemed that his pup would be much stronger than him, and having him being thrown around like a stick of absolutely nothing. Trembling slightly from the thoughts, the silver-haired hanyou walked over to his older brother's grave. He made sure that no one had disturbed it during the night. This one was only temporarily. After he got Kagome back from the demoness in black, he would stop here and bring his brother back to Kaede's village and bury him somewhere on the outskirts of the town.

Shippou woke up when Inuyasha left the camp. Quietly, the kitsune got up and followed his newfound dad. When the hanyou stopped at his brother's grave, the little fox demon sat down and waited for a while before going up to the hanyou. When he reached the half demon's side, Shippou clambered up on Inuyasha's shoulder.

" Inuyasha?" he asked.

" Shippou, what do you want?" Inuyasha demanded.

" I came to see if you were all right," When he got no answer from the inu hanyou, the fox demon continued. " Well, are you all right?"

" No," Inuyasha whispered. When he looked up from staring at the ground, the kitsune saw the tears in the hanyou's golden eyes. " If Kagome dies, I'll going crazy, Shippou. I love her with all my heart, but, if any thing happens to her, I swear some one will get hurt. And that would be if my pup went with her as well."

" You'll get her back and see your pup grow up. You know that and I know that, but does this demoness know it?" Shippou pointed out.

Inuyasha nodded at the orphan youkai's logic. When he got up to leave, Shippou held on tightly to the half demon's red, fire rat haori to keep himself from being swept off. The hanyou grunted, not his usual kind of grunt that he gave out. It was a grunt of caring and understanding, something that he kept a secret deep inside of him and never let out all that often. He had to make sure that others who saw him didn't take him as a soft hearted half-breed. He wanted others to fear him and not bother him.

Smiling, Shippou ducked to avoid a low branch. The little kitsune was sure that if Inuyasha failed in getting Kagome back, he would go on a revenge spree. If any one got in his way, they had better run from the hanyou. And even then, there was a good chance that the hanyou would turn youkai, without Kagome to 'sit' him or the power of the Tetsusaiga to keep him hanyou.

When they got back to camp, Kohaku was up and already making their breakfast. He knew that his sister and the monk she was married to would get up and out of each other's embrace when the food was ready. He nodded a polite but curt hello to the hanyou and the orphan youkai before turning back to the food he was cooking over the fire.

" Get them up, will you?" the boy asked, jerking a thumb in the direction of Sango and Miroku.

" Sango!" Shippou yelled out as he jumped onto the demon exterminator, startling her awake.

" Oi, monk, get up," Inuyasha said as he rolled Miroku out of his sleeping roll. He watched as the monk rolled out of the bag and into a nearby tree, He listened to his muttered curses as he sat by the fire. " We have a long way to go today, baka."

Miroku rubbed his head where he had connected with the tree. He scowled at the inu hanyou as he sat down and accepted a dish of food. With a sudden impulse, he let his hand stray a little too close to Sango's butt. He couldn't help it, even if he knew it would cost him.

" Hentai!" Sango screamed as she took her hiraikotsu and whacked Miroku on the head, giving him a matching bump on the other side of his skull. " You… You…. Kami, stop doing that!"

" Oh, but my Sango, I do it for you," Miroku said as he tried to give his wife a kiss to say he was sorry. All he received was a slap across the face, Sango's hand leaving its bright red print on his cheek.

Inuyasha watched the spectacle in front of him with no interest. He had seen it a hundred times over. So did Shippou. They just dug into their food. Kohaku didn't have the pleasure of that. He gaped at his sisters' antics with an open mouth. He was shocked about her actions, but then he closed his mouth when he realized that Miroku had been doing this act of his for a long time, longer than from the time he had regained his memory.

And that was true. Sure, since Sango and Miroku had joined Inuyasha's little group, Miroku had continued to asked woman to bear his child. But he had also decided to grope Sango's butt. Every time he did that, he received a slap or hiraikotsu across the head. At least the monk had finally admitted his love to the demon exterminator, but he never did stop grabbing her butt, and that cost him. Too bad it never gave him any decency or any better manners.

After every one had finished with their breakfasts, The group packed up and went on their way, relying on Inuyasha's sense of smell to tell them were the demoness had gone. They had travelled for most of the day when Inuyasha said he smelt a demon nearby. Unsheathing the Tetsusaiga, the hanyou charged forward, followed by the rest of his group on Kirara.

Up ahead, the hanyou spotted a type of scorpion demon. Its red eyes watched as the hanyou approached, the transformed Tetsusaiga held low in front of him. The scorpion youkai hissed at the hanyou and lashed out with its tail, the poison barb at the tip glistening with venom. Dodging the attack, the hanyou kept up his little game before he decided to attack with the windscar.

He took too long. The scorpion demon lashed out again with its tail, causing Inuyasha to dodge, but this time a claw caught the half breed demon in mid-flight. He gasped at the sharp pain before crying out. The claw dug into his chest, crushing his lungs. Unable to draw air into his lungs, the half demon kicked his legs uselessly in the air. The Tetsusaiga slipped from numbing fingers, Inuyasha could only watch as Kirara flew in, her mouth open, fangs bared. The fire cat demon's fangs bit through the claw's arm, but the claw was still reluctant to let go of its prey.

Sango directed Kirara down to the claw that was holding Inuyasha. Swinging her hiraikotsu with all her might, the taijiya smiled as her weapon cut through the claw's arm. Stopping Kirara beside the unconscious hanyou, Sango let her brother and Shippou off so that they could take care of him while she and Miroku fought the scorpion demon. Sango ordered Kirara to fly to its head while Miroku prepared some sutras to be thrown at the demon. Swinging her hiraikotsu at the demon again, Sango yelled at Miroku to throw the sutras. The paper landed on target, on the demon's face and eyes. In a moment, Sango's hiraikotsu thundered into the demon's back, killing it almost instantly as the sharpened edge cut through its spinal column.

Kohaku, was busy taking off Inuyasha's haori to check how the half demon's chest was when his sister, Kirara and Miroku landed. Every one gathered around to see if the half demon was indeed all right. As the rest of the hanyou's haori was removed, the humans and youkai sighed in relief.

Luckily, the hanyou didn't receive permanent damage. He was bruised and there was sure to be a couple of ribs cracked. At least they would heal with time. But what worried every one were the raw, bloody cuts on the hanyou's abdomen. Though all they could do was bandage them up, they didn't feel any better without covering them with some type of ointment. But no one had any; the medical kit was back at Kaede's village in the old miko's hut.

They decided to make camp, but put some distance from the demon's corpse as it started to decompose. Dragging Inuyasha away from the site, Sango covered the half demon with a blanket up before helping the others prepare the camp. Shippou watched over his new dad as it started to rain. Kohaku and Miroku hurriedly set up a couple of lean-tos where every one could rest out of the rain. The young boy was a great help around camp.

Shippou lay down after having a bit of the sparse meal that had been thrown together. He sighed as he cuddled against Inuyasha's arm, eyes closing almost immediately after he found a comfortable spot.

Later that night, Inuyasha woke up to find bandages on his chest and stomach, and a certain little fox demon cuddled against his arm. Gingerly, he placed his arm around the demon and snuggled him between his side and arm. He smiled when the orphan youkai tightly grabbed his haori. Eyes closing, he fell asleep with a tiny grin in his face.

Kaede gathered herbs, keeping a close eye on Rin as the little girl giggled as she put flowers on the toad, Jaken. The curses he uttered where nowhere near ear wilting, but the elderly miko decided enough was enough. She didn't want the girl to start saying the words. She was too sweet to start with those words. Then again, Inuyasha swore colourfully and there was a little kitsune present in the group.

" Rin, Jaken is beautiful," Kaede said to the little girl. " Would you mind decorating my hut?"

" Okay Lady Kaede," The girl replied and dragged the toad with her as she looked for more flowers.

Smiling to herself, the old miko sighed as she got up and brought the herbs to her hut, arranging them on a drying rack. She knew that Rin knew not to touch them, as some were deadly if ingested alone. Closing the fabric door, she went around the village, checking on a couple of patients. They were all doing well and asked about Rin, wanting to know if she was a good a girl as she seemed to be.

" Hai, she is good. Her wanderings with Inuyasha's brother has made her good and able to comply with demands or a simple question," Kaede would respond before she would move on. As she made her way to her hut again, a wolf demon appeared in front of the door.

" Koga, why are ye here?" the old woman asked as she entered her hut, eyes wandering around as Rin she placed flowers every where she could think of.

" Who's that? She smells of inu," The wolf prince demanded.

" She is Rin, the adopted girl of Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha's older half brother. Now ye haven't answered me yet. What do ye want?" Kaede repeated her question.

" I've been smelling a strange new demoness in the area, the first time around the time of Naraku's demise. I smelt her again about five days back. I smelt the blood of an inu two days ago. What is going on?" Koga said, his blue eyes wanting to know what was going on.

" If I told ye, will ye run off and try to be the hero?" Kaede asked the wolf prince, wanting to know if he would chase after Kagome.

" No," the wolf youkai answered.

" Very well then. About five days ago, Sesshoumaru came to speak with his half brother, leaving Rin and Jaken with Kagome. There was an attack. A demoness took Kagome. Sango, Miroku, Kirara, Shippou, Kohaku, Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru went after her. As for you smelling inu blood, that I can not answer for ye," Kaede said, hand grasping a sturdy stick as Koga seethed.

" Why that mutt! He left Kagome alone. I'll…" Koga ranted as he paced around the hut, scaring Rin.

" What ever ye do, get out of here before ye do," Kaede said as she stirred the fire, adding a couple of sticks to the flames. The flapping of the door covering signalled to her that the wolf demon had left. She sighed to herself. No wonder Kagome was always tired whenever Koga showed up, prompting Inuyasha to start the fight. That wolf was a pain in the ass.

Kagome's thoughts were all over the place. She thought about her relationship with Inuyasha. She loved him and wanted to keep him safe. Hopefully, when they came for her, they didn't forget her bow and arrows. Deeply hidden in her thoughts, she never knew when Nianniai had entered her cell until the demoness spoke out loud, almost in her ear.

" It seems that your hanyou has suffered an injury, and another loss," the demoness whispered. " And you, my dear, will show me what you fear the most."

Kagome tried to run away, but a couple of demons had entered the room and wrapped themselves around her, preventing Kagome from escaping. The demoness in black placed her hand on Kagome's brow and concentrated. The room darkened.

A younger Kagome sat underneath the Goshinboku, her father tending to the garden around the house. He whistled a tune to himself as he worked. He looked up at his daughter, smiling and waved back to her when she waved at him. He looked down at his work and decided that he had done enough. Getting up and dusting the dirt off himself, he made his way to Kagome, who was busy trying to read The Three Little Pigs. He sat down beside her and helped her pronounce the words she couldn't get. When he looked up, there was a young man standing at the shrine entrance.

" May I help you?" Mr. Higurashi asked the man.

" Yes, I'm looking for a Mr. Higurashi," The man said.

" I am Mr. Higurashi. What may I do for you?" Mr. Higurashi asked. He suddenly paused in his steps as the young man drew something from underneath his jacket.

The young man's finger tightened around the trigger of the gun he held. The report of the weapon startled Kagome. She stared as her father fell, clutching his chest, blood flowing, dying from the damage the bullet had caused him.

" Daddy!" Kagome screamed out.

The man with the gun turned to her, horror of his deed written on his face. But he soon realized that he couldn't risk being identified. Raising the gun, he levelled it at Kagome, finger tightening up on the trigger again. The bullet dug up a furrow in the ground beside her, causing her to scream in panic. Then there was a flash of red and the man was down, unconscious.

The flash of red turned around, and looked lovingly at a screaming Kagome. Walking to her, he comforted her and told her how she would be all right and powerful later on in life.

When she looked up at her saviour, she was surprised to see white dog-ears peeking over the top of a head of long, white hair. His red hakama was rough against her face, absorbing her tears as she shed them.

" Kagome, listen to me. I have to go now, but I will see you again," The white-haired stranger said before disappearing.

The shock of her father dying in front of her erased the memory of the hanyou from her mind forever. Her mother kept her as safe as she could without restricting her daughter from learning and making new friends.

Kagome screamed as the memory hidden deep within her mind surfaced. The pain and horror of it ate at her. It was no wonder that she had hidden from it after witnessing her father's death and almost dying herself. It was only then that she realized that the stranger from he past was actually Inuyasha, or at least his future self.

" Inuyasha! Oh Kami, bring him here," Kagome screamed as the memory kept filling her mind, no matter what she thought of. The blood and fear that she knew when she was a child reminding her of the people she had seen as they lay on the ground, butchered by demons

" You see, if you had died, nothing would have changed. You living through that ordeal has changed the future," Nianniai said as she left, the demons holding Kagome following her, leaving the sobbing miko alone.

Inuyasha tossed and turned in his sleep, disturbing Shippou. The little kitsune watched silently as the hanyou mumbled something under his breath and then seemed to listen to something or someone else as they spoke to him. Crawling over to Kohaku, he shook the boy awake.

" What is it, Shippou?" The boy asked sleepily, rubbing his eyes with a fist to try and wake himself.

" Shh. Something's up with Inuyasha. He's talking in his sleep and he seems sick. Come take a look." Shippou said, beckoning the young demon exterminator to follow him as he crawled back over to Inuyasha's side.

They went over to see Inuyasha, the hanyou sweating profusely now and obviously talking to some one or some thing as if it was beside him and friendly. Together, the two young ones watched and listened to the hanyou, trying to make sense of his murmured words.

Inuyasha's dream.

Inuyasha walked through a thick fog. It wasn't the miasma of a demon; it was the fog of a ghost. Peering intently, he thought he saw a dog-eared figure walking around. But it disappeared as soon as he took a step to it.

" Inuyasha," A familiar voice said, causing the hanyou to turn around. The voice belonged to Sesshoumaru.

" Sesshoumaru? What am I doing in the realm of the dead?" The hanyou asked.

" This is not my fault that you are here. Go, the one who wishes to speak to you is behind you,' the youkai said and disappeared.

Turning around, the hanyou watched as a man walked up to him. His eyes were sad, but filled with hope.

" So you are Inuyasha. I've spoken with your brother," The man said as he stuck out his hand. " You are in love with my daughter and are responsible for impregnating her."

" You're Kagome's dad?" The hanyou said, disbelief filling his voice.

" Hai. I don't have a lot of time. You are looking for her whereabouts, am I right?" Kagome's father asked.

" Hai," The hanyou replied uncertainly.

" Go to the north. The demoness, Nianniai, is the sister of Kaguya. She wants to kill you and give my daughter's body to Kaguya. Go save her and take care of your child before that happens," The man said. " She will kill her."

Another spectre appeared beside Kagome's father. It was Midoriko. Her battle gear shone brightly, causing Inuyasha to squint slightly.

" I give you my strength, my armour and my weapons. They will help you in the fight against evil. Use them wisely, and hurry. There is not much time left," The dead warrior spoke to the hanyou before they both disappeared. " The power of good is the victor, and that power is from an inu hanyou."

" I will do you all proud, Midoriko, father, Sesshoumaru," The hanyou said.

Shippou and Kohaku started at Inuyasha's last words. They came out clearer than the others. They backed away in fear as the hanyou's body glowed a bluish-purple, awakening Miroku and Sango. They stared at the forming armour and weapons around Inuyasha.

As the light abated, Inuyasha's eyes opened slowly. He sat up, silvery-white hair swinging into his eyes as he gasped for air, hands grasping the Tetsusaiga and the new sword at his side. Standing up, he oriented himself to the north, nose sorting through the many scents.

" What is it Inuyasha?" Sango asked, her hands fidgeting with the Hiraikotsu as she watched the half demon.

" Kagome is located to the north," The half-breed said before he took off, faster than the speed he usually ran at. Grinning, he made good progress, following the scent he had finally found hidden beneath those of many, many youkai.

The morning came and Inuyasha found a surprise waiting for him at the next clearing he passed. There, sitting lazily around the place, was Koga and his tribe, Ayame of the northern white wolf tribe, Kirara, Sango, Miroku, Kohaku and Shippou. Skidding to a halt, Inuyasha faced the assembled demons and humans.

" Mutt, do you think that you can really defeat this demoness alone?" Koga asked and that started up the whole fiasco of questions.

" How are you going to do it?"

" What are we going to do while you're off saving us from that bitch? Grow grey hairs?"

" We'll be rusty come the time for another battle."

" You're one really stupid inu if you go off alone."

" You'll need a lot of help, and you know it."

" Why keep us out of the action?"

" We're coming and that is that."

" You can't stop us."

" You can't stop me, papa,"

The last comment came from Shippou. Kneeling in front of the fox demon, Inuyasha smiled and placed the kitsune on his armoured shoulder.

" If you want, you may come, but don't get in my way if you see that bitch, Nianniai, watch out and get out of her way. One look can kill you," The hanyou said. He walked over to Koga and looked him straight in the eye, gold to deep blue. " Understand that, wolf?"

" Yeah I got it," The wolf demon prince said. Shouting out loud to the rest gathered, he spoke out a couple lines that shocked the hanyou. " The miko Kagome is the objective. We are going to retrieve her and destroy a bitch determined to bring back a dead demoness. Let's go stop that bitch!"

The roar the sounded was so deafening that Inuyasha's ears pressed against his head, trying to keep the noise out. As the racket slowly subsided, Inuyasha led the small army of wolves and three humans, one fire cat and an orphan fox demon to the north, following the faint image of Midoriko only Inuyasha could see as she led the hanyou to his destination; Nianniai's castle to the north where Kagome was being kept.

Kirara carried Sango and Miroku. Kohaku rode on one of the wolves. As they marched to what could be their doom, they all seemed extremely confident that they would have their earned victory. But what they couldn't know was how long one simple battle would be, especially against a demoness as strong as Nianniai.

Inuyasha was lost in his own thoughts as he followed the image of Midoriko that he was able to glimpse. He thought about his brother, how he had tried to protect him when Nianniai had tried to paralyze and capture him. But once again, Sesshoumaru had intervened and it had cost him his life. Now the question came to him. How would he break the news to little Rin and that toad, Jaken? But he would fulfil his promise that he had made at the exact moment of his brother's death. He would take care of Rin for the youkai lord no matter what.

Sango watched the hanyou as he marched to his objective. He was quiet, his face betraying nothing of his inner thoughts. She wondered why he was so serene. Usually, he wasn't, being so obnoxious that he deserved and earned a couple of 'sits' a day, maybe even more if he had really pissed Kagome off. But then again, he had claimed the miko as a mate and she knew that he planned to protect her and if anything happened to her, he would blame himself until he reach the end of the world.

" Inuyasha," Midoriko said.

" What?" The hanyou spoke so low that no one knew if he said anything.

" Keep going to the north. I cannot follow you any more. Kami wishes that you find your woman without my help any more. I wish you luck in succeeding though," The dead woman who had created the Shikon no Tama said and vanished from sight.

Sighing, Inuyasha glanced at Shippou. The little fox demon was having fun clinging to the hanyou's shoulder, almost falling asleep with the smooth rocking motion.

" Inuyasha, where did you get this armour? Kohaku and I were watching you when you were sleeping last night and watched it appear. Where did it come from?" the kitsune asked as he ran a finger over the metal.

" Would you believe me if I said that Midoriko and Kagome's father appeared in my dreams last night and Midoriko gave me her armour and strength to help me?" The hanyou replied.

The kitsune was staring at him in disbelief, Inuyasha could feel it. Looking at the child, Inuyasha smiled, a smile that said that what he said was the truth.

" Shippou, it's true, and just now, Midoriko was leading me for a bit, but now she's gone back," Inuyasha said as he turned his gaze back to the land in front of him. " She wants me to find Kagome and keep her and our child safe from harm. I will do that, but I will need your help, if you want to."

" I'll help you Inuyasha. After all, you're my father now, and I'm your son," Shippou said and smiled.

" Then let's go find Kagome and bring her home," Inuyasha said and increased his speed by that little bit that no one would know about. " And I hope you don't mind having Rin in the family. Sesshoumaru wanted me to keep her safe if something happened to him and I intend to care for her."

" As long as she doesn't decide to decorate me with flowers, I'm all right with it, I suppose," Shippou said.

Oi—hey

Baka—idiot

Kami—god

Hentai—pervert

Hai—yes

Miko—priestess