Tender is the Night Chapter 5

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I honestly can't believe I'm uploading another chapter of this. Anyway, enjoy.

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Never before had Kagome dreaded going to school more.

Granted, normally it took no less than her younger brother Souta rushing into the room armed with a twenty-pound cannonball (otherwise known as Bouya) and several metal pans off the breakfast stove to drag her out bed. That is, the only way to shut him up was to get up and throw him bodily from the room, and after such early morning exercise staying awake was much easier.

But today was very different. Waking up was easy after the nightmares that began to haunt her after the attack only a week ago. However, the once familiar path to the school seemed a lot longer this time around. By the time she had covered just a few blocks, it felt like her lungs were on fire, and she counted no less than three stitches on her side.

Probably tore something throwing that brick...how sad...

She snorted quietly, but the sudden intake of breath made her wince slightly. Not only did her sides ache, but every morning since the 'incident' she had woken up in a cold sweat, her hands tingling slightly as if she had been sitting on them for a while. Even if these and other physical ailments had not been plaguing her for the past few days, there was no doubt that Mrs. Higurashi would still have been as vehemently opposed to her return to school as she had been that morning. In addition to her grudgingly-accepted soreness, she now had a pounding headache from their argument that morning.

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The kitchen table was set with three plates and dishes of pancakes, sausage, and scrambled eggs crammed in haphazardly in the middle. Souta was already in the smallest chair, pouring what amounted to half a bottle of syrup over three pancakes.

"You're gonna get fat eating all that, you know!" All the same, the sight of the veritable feast in front of her made Kagome's mouth water slightly. Usually she just had a one or two pieces of buttered toast for breakfast, but lately, unless she ate more, her stomach was already growling half-way through her first class. Sadly enough, this particular class was math, giving the teen yet one more plausible excuse for her failings in the subject.

Her younger brother scowled slightly, and his grip around the bottle tightened. The thick, golden liquid had spilled off the flat bread by now and was pooling in his plate.

"You're one to talk!" he shot back.

Kagome opened her mouth for a retort, only to find herself temporarily at a loss of words. It was true...for about two weeks previous to the 'incident' (as it was now referred to only as) big breakfasts had become a regular menu item for her. And not just during the morning, either. Though it probably wasn't healthy, she had began packing her own lunches on school nights to make sure all her favorite foods got in there. All her friends had started asking her about her dieting secrets in addition to her nonexistent love life.

So it was no wonder that her family had noticed.

Despite the remark, she still sat down at the table and loaded her own plate with the still-steaming food before her. However, the sausage remained untouched. Though her appetite had increased to almost comical proportions, meat repelled her. She couldn't even stay in the kitchen while her mother was cooking it, the combination of the horrid smell and the sight of the slippery, raw meat being held by human hands was sickening. Though she took care to never mention that to her mother, as the house matron took pride in her cooking.

She had just snagged the syrup bottle from Souta's grip when said cook walked back into the kitchen. The older woman had a familiar smile on her face, only it faded when she saw what Kagome was wearing.

Specifically, the trademark white blouse with a green pleated skirt. And that could only mean one thing.

"A new fashion, I assume...?" Though normally so cheerful and sunny even during the ungodly hours of morning, this time her voice had taken on an icy tone. Just like whenever either of the siblings should happen to mention their long-lost older sister's name.

Kagome gulped audibly, both to force down a particularly gluttonous bite of gooey batter and in a fit of nervousness. What she had to say would probably not go over very well, and even Souta was able to catch the aura of tension and guilt coming off her, and set his fork down at looked up eagerly.

Effing little tattle-tale...once he starts middle school I'll put up those pictures Mom took when he was a baby...

Once she finished clearing her throat, she said in a rather quiet voice, "Actually...I thought I would go to school today..."

Her mother's face tightened slightly, and for an instant she looked nearly unrecognizable. "I don't think so."

"But mom—"

"No but's about it! I won't have you going back there! It's only been a week since that—that horrid..."

"Stop worrying about it!" Kagome had stood up by now, plate forgotten. "They're holding the assembly today, and I want—I want to...you know, check on everyone..."

Mrs. Higurashi's eyes softened slightly, but she seemed unwilling to let a little sensitivity derail her now.

"I understand that it was thanks to you that your friends were perfectly alright when we left. And how could you put yourself in danger like that?! Completely irresponsible! What if you had died?!"

Her daughter was struck speechless. "Would you prefer it had been Erika?! I had to...I just had to! Don't you understand?! Don't you..." her yelling dimmed down to a small murmur when she saw the crushed expression on her mother's face.

The woman sighed slightly and braced herself against the back of her chair, her other hand kneading her forehead. "You're just like your sister..." And to Kagome's surprise, there was a slight, sad smile on her lips. "Just...promise me you won't do anything like that again unless you have to..."

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The remaining half hour until it was time to leave for school had been nearly unbearably awkward for everyone in the room. Yet once she had escaped the stifling house, she found herself strangely reluctant to move any closer to the school. True, there was an assembly, but she dreaded facing everyone's hollow faces, as everyone who had died just a week ago had left behind friends and family...

Or at least, that was part of the reason.

Inexplicably, a sense of foreboding was fogging her brain, weighing down on all motivations to keep going. Even her legs felt slightly weighed down, and her fingers tingled more than ever. However, the thought of seeing her friends again, alive and well, was more than enough incentive.

And with that thought, the raven-haired teenager took off at a dead run, leaving her worries behind her.

"Kagome! KAAGGOOOMMEEE!!!" Sango's voice rang throughout the dead-silent quad. Ironically, the only one who didn't turn to look at her was the object of her attention.

The tom girl trotted up, and then screamed in her ear. Everyone jumped slightly at the noise, as the scene was almost a bit too reminiscent. The student body massed in the quad, the cloudy sky...only this time the teachers were walking amongst the students bearing lists...

This time, Kagome couldn't ignore the girl. "WHAT!"

Sango smiled sweetly, and then replied in as sweet and quiet a voice as possible. "Want to eat some brunch with us?" she pointed to a secluded alcove about twenty yards away from them in which Erika and Ayame were waiting. The latter seemed pale and slightly shell-shocked, and Kagome was surprised that she had been allowed to return to school. Then again, pretty much everyone there looked exactly the same. The loud girl in front of her was the only exception.

Sighing resignedly, she allowed herself to be dragged over to join the rest of the group. About halfway there, they were stopped by none other than Kagome's math teacher, Mr. Soichiro. He held a slim blue binder in his hands. It was quite innocent looking unless you knew what it contained.

"Anybody you want to...account for?" The man seemed exhausted, and the new lines that had formed around his mouth and eyes made him look thirty years older.

And secretly, both girls hoped that it was guilt settling into his face.

"Is...is Hojo on there?" He flipped open the cover, traced the name, and then shook his head no.

"Thank God then...I wonder where he is?"

"Thank God indeed..." and with those last words, the man wandered off, and Kagome was not sure if he had even said anything. It just wouldn't do to discover she had voices in her head now. Other than the one that gave her false hope during tests.

As soon as he was out of sight, Sango wrapped her arm through Kagome's and whispered in her ear behind her other hand, "I can't believe that guy! They let us get attacked! Helped, even!!"

The other girl merely raised an eyebrow. "What's this? I ask whether or not Hojo was viciously attacked and then sucked dry by a vampire and you didn't assume I had fallen madly in love with him? Are you sure we aren't really dead and I'm in Heaven?" She cocked her head to the side slightly. "Then again, if that were true, then why are you here?"

Or them, for that matter.

Though she did feel a great deal of hatred for the man, along with the rest of the teachers who had lead them to their more-than-probable deaths out in the quad the two girls were crossing now, it was probably nothing next to any other student who had lost a friend during the battle. Not to mention, the talk a.k.a. screaming match with her mother that morning had pointed out something rather unpleasant that she had never really noticed before.

That is, nobody was infallible. Their teachers...their parents...everybody who was supposed to care about their safety and futures would not be able to help them when they were needed most.

Once they reached the alcove, Kagome noticed another girl there with Erika and Ayame. It was Rin, the girl who had screamed the warning what felt like yesterday. She had always been rather short and small for her age, almost like a child, but now her skin was sallow and there were startlingly dark circles beneath her eyes. Her hair was lank, and she leaned against the wall slightly.

Did she lose somebody?

That shattered look was mirrored over and over again on every person milling about the quad. Some even burst into tears, and Kagome felt even luckier to have had all her friends spared. She spared a glance at Erika, who was staring at her folded hands in her lap, and the rush of gratitude suddenly transformed into nausea. They had come very close to...

"Kagome?"

"Wha—" her neck cracked slightly as she snapped to attention and faced her friend. "What is it, Erika?"

"I just wanted to say...in case I didn't before. I mean, it's just—"

"I get it, it's alright."

"But I—"

"Not but's. Just forget about it. You all would've done the same for me." At that point, Sango and Ayame, who had been listening in on the conversation with no small amount of confusion, suddenly understood what they were talking about.

Sango immediately interrupted hotly, "Of course we would! All for one and one for all! Whatever that means, anyway..."

She immediately looked around, waiting for their other two friends to throw in their responses, maybe even join in some cheering. However, she was wrong on both counts.

Ayame lingered slightly in the corner, looking down at the ground. Erika, however, kept eye contact with both of them.

"I-I don't know about that...I mean, facing off one of them...it just chills me to the bones and my legs just start without me even knowing...if we were switched around, I really don't know what I would have done..."

Ayame spoke up quietly, "I saw what happened to you Sango..." Said girl swirled around to face her, mouth dropped slightly open. Her tanned skin had managed to pale slightly at Erika' confession.

"I saw when you fell and nearly got trampled in front of the science building. You were bleeding and your eyes were closed..." she sniffed slightly and her voice wavered, "and I—I didn't stop! I couldn't see them, but I was just so scared, and everybody was screaming and I didn't want to be left behind..."

"So you left me there."

All five girls perked up at this, even Rin snapped out of her daze, recognizing the tone in Sango's voice. One didn't hear it often, as she only used it when about to beat the living hell out of someone who had managed to offend her somehow. Not something petty like stepping on her foot and then not apologizing. When it got dangerous.

"S-Sango, I—"

"I what?!" Her voice was rising now. Unlike the other two girls who were quavering before her, she did not dissolve in a mess of tears, and though her eyes got slightly shiny, when Kagome looked into them she saw only a raw strength so common to the girl. "I was too much of a coward to save my best friend's life! I couldn't even spare a moment to drag her into hiding? I was so keen on saving my own hide to even think about anyone else? Even someone who would have stood by me, even run by me?!"

"That's not what I—"

"Maybe not what you meant to say to me...but what you were thinking, wasn't it?"

"Look, I know you have a right to be mad, but I've never been in a situation like that before! I was scared, and—and..."

"Well, look at Kagome!" As her voice echoed across the strangely still field, Sango pointed her index finger like a sword and the other girl. "She's not like a tomboy at all and she saved Erika! Who probably would have left her to die if they'd switched places! You know what, they say it's a crisis that tells you who your friends really are. And they're right about that."

And with those words, Sango seized Kagome's hand and dragged her along once again, only this time away from their friends.

An hour or so later, after all the speeches and memorial pieces had been said, most of the students were hanging around in the quad to talk with their remaining friends. Though they would all like nothing better than to leave that place, it was probably the safest spot by now. And one never knew when one of the rogue vampires would be loitering around, waiting for them on the streets outside the school.

Sango had been grinding her teeth loudly throughout the whole service, shooting dirty looks at Erika and Ayame when the principal mentioned "the heroes among us". Kagome could swear that she had heard the girl muttering under her breath as she glowered at the two, "Budding relationship with that damned Sesshoumaru...I'll shove her into his waiting arms next chance I get..."

And that chance came all too quickly.

Because the students were so jumpy this time around, Rin wasn't the first one to scream. But most of the students just stared up in shock, like this was some sort of nightmare, or perhaps the previous was a nightmare and this the reality...

Kagome and Sango were already up and out of their seats. They couldn't afford to separate, and their hands were tightly clasped as they sprinted from the wide-open stage to the edge of the school.

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"Why—are—they—here?!" Sango panted, her hand held over Kagome's sweating slightly. Despite this, the latter felt reassured looking into the other girl's eyes. There was fear, yes, but also determination. It was just something she knew, that she was absolutely certain of. Their survival however, rested on the chance that they could hide in one of the neighborhoods surrounding the school. There'd been no warning about this no doubt, it was unheard of for the same place to be attacked twice in a row. Especially in a week.

Perhaps fellow people's doors wouldn't be barred against them. And if so, Sango was prepared to throw Kagome over a fence and then jump over herself.

"Maybe—they're—negotiating?" However, both girls kept running, unwilling to take the risk.

As Sango managed a snort of disdain even as she was panting for breath in mid-stride, Kagome just focused on covering as much distance as possible. Before she had concentrated on finding her friends, on keeping them safe. However, at the moment, the person she most wanted safely beside her was already there.

Have we all really changed that much?

Before they knew it they had reached the back wall of the history department, marking the south end of the campus. Instantly they gained a second wind, the sounds of screams and roars were long distant, and perfectly manicured green lawns and the typical suburban houses were just a few yards of black pavement away. And nothing could happen there, right?

For an instant an image of that man, no, monster, who had attacked her just a week ago came to mind. Why had he stared at her like that?

Just like he was staring at her right now.

Though she was running at full speed, there was no way she was going to dodge the pale hand with poisonous purple stripes running across it that flew from his trench coat and wrapped around her throat.

She choked and at first didn't even register the lack of oxygen her tired legs desperately needed. The force of being stopped solely by a few inches of cold flesh around her throat was like a sledgehammer, and she felt stunned for a moment or two. Dimly, she heard Sango in the background, screaming something. The grip was steady, and once she noticed how hard it was to breathe, her vision was already blurry around the edges.

A second later, however, the grip released her and she collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath. Once the black spots faded from her eyesight, she saw Sango get back-handed, the sound of the slap absurdly loud to her ears. It was almost like a flyswatter, only on a much larger and more worrisome scale. The girl collapsed on the ground, cradling the side of her face with one hand. It wasn't like in soap operas on TV, from the force of it, she likely had a broken cheekbone, assuming he hadn't bent her head around enough to snap her neck.

Where are these thoughts coming from? Images of war, blood, horror ran through her mind. Though she could see the tall vampire walking calmly towards her as if he hadn't nearly just killed her friend, her thoughts had slowed down.

He said something, but all the sounds were slurred together. However, when he pointed to Sango and gestured to some unknown presences behind her, even her fogged brain could understand that it was too late.

Maybe it's all a dream...maybe I'm still taking that math test...ha ha...

Then the fingers were back, only now she felt the hard, sharpened nails on the edges digging into her skin. With a somewhat unconcerned expression she met his gaze, and golden met sapphire.

He really does have beautiful eyes...Ayame was right, for once...it's too bad that—

Then the nails pierced through, and she screamed. Sesshoumaru did not flinch at the high-pitched sound, but paid more attention to the ominous hissing noise coming from his hand. It was disturbingly familiar. Her blood was dripping from his talons down his rest, and wherever it went his skin was searing, steam was coming off of the wounds.

He snarled but did not let go, determined to finish off the girl. It was obvious what she was now, the hand of the statue, the blood...better to kill her now, than let her...

Let her what? And then that annoying, rational voice in his mind spoke up. Usually whenever he felt especially angry, whenever his instincts took over, the last vestiges of his once-human mind tended to manifest. In this case, it was reason, or perhaps cunning.

The blood was still trickling down his arm, melting the protection seals he head wrapped around it. Extraordinary.

Wait, had that thought been his, or another's?

Nevertheless, she would have to go. That bastard brother of his already had two of them on his side, and if he didn't know any better, this girl looked disturbingly familiar to the female one the half-breed was besotted with. If they were related...and with this power already...

With the satisfied look of one who is absolutely certain of the future, Sesshoumaru leaned down and sank his fangs into her throat.

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A couple seconds later, Sango awoke, only to find a face looming over her. A face with fangs on it.

With a yelp, she leaped away and saw that there were, in fact, three of them. Looking at her with a somewhat amused and...for lack of a better word, hungry expression on their faces. One of them, obviously the leader, smiled at her.

"Well well well...what do we have here? A stray, perhaps?" His voice was smooth, and he, like all vampires, was extremely pale. She could see the veins snaking across his face, and wondered if they had any blood in them.

But whose...

And then it hit her.

"Kagome?! KAGOME!!! Where are you—"

"Oh no, calling for your friends already? I don't mind actually, as I'm not as fond of sharing as of...other things." The grinned suggestively at her, probably in more than one way, to her disgust.

"You better not have hurt her, or I'll—"

"You'll what? Throw a rock at me? Call for help? Spray some mace?" he taunted her. "You are the only one here, though I would be more than happy to be introduced to your friend. Don't you agree?" the other two, who looked a bit like suck-ups to her, nodded eagerly.

But his words had given her an idea. True, half-eaten, greasy garlic bread wrapped in foil in her pocket for a snack was probably not the best defense against three blood-thirsty vampires, but it couldn't hurt to try. She reached down with her right hand and pulled the half unwrapped silver ball up in her hands. They were chatting amongst themselves now, no doubt looking forward to draining her.

With a small grunt, she tore open the foil. It was in worse state than she had thought, as the strong-smelling butter and dribbled off the bread and pooled on the bottom. As it was her only hope of distraction, she threw it at them.

In one of those few great bursts of luck life throws on occasion, the grease at the bottom flew up and spattered across the lead vampire's open eyes and throat. Immediately he began to shriek, and as Sango watched in a fascinated horror, he clawed at his eyes so frantically the blood and a thick white fluid began to pour. From some distant biology class, she remembered what it was called.

Vitreous fluid...

He screamed again, the substance that had landed in his mouth slipped down his throat and inflicted damage from the inside, and within a few moments he had collapsed on the ground, still twitching every now and then. His voice died down as his trachea was damaged beyond repair. Not that he would need it anymore.

She turned to face the other two, who were still staring at their leader in horror. Her fingers still felt slick with the oil, and knowing that the opportunity was limited, she leapt at the taller one and, against all reason, jammed her hand down his throat.

For a split second it was the oddest feeling, with burning, constricting flesh around her and pricks scraping the back of her wrist but not piercing the skin, and then she pulled out her hand as the smoke rose once again and he fell to floor just as his master had only a few seconds ago.

"Aw, gross..." She wiped her hand on her skirt, but then froze, cursing her stupidity. What was she going to do now? There was still one left...

Apparently, said attacker was just as aware of her mistake as she was, and without a moment's pause to gape at his second fallen comrade, he leapt at her, fangs flashing slightly despite their yellowish tint. His eyes were stretched wide and his fingers bent like bird talons.

Like I'm gonna try that trick again!

Sango cringed and leapt to the side, hands out braced for impact. Fortunately, her nearly-obsessive knowledge of basic self-defense tricks kicked in, and she rolled across the pavement with barely a scratch. When she looked up, a familiar blob of black hair became visible. Only it was surrounded by white.

What the hell...Kagome?

Before she even had time to process the discovery of her friend, it felt like some invisible force grabbed and began dragging her along the pavement. It was almost like a wind tunnel, only, to her horror, Sango simply could not hold on to anything. Everything reachable—trees, street poles, even the other, struggling vampire—were all being dragged along with her. Yet she still seemed to be moving farther away from Kagome, why wasn't it sucking her in too? Whatever it was.

"Stop it, the girl's caught it in!" A harsh, feminine tone rang through the air, and though there was still a harsh wind blowing into her eyes, Sango caught a glimpse of a tall figure in the middle of the street. Or, more accurately, standing on top of an armored vehicle stopped in the middle of the street. If she hadn't been so close to certain doom at that point, Sango would have burst out laughing.

A young woman, probably in her twenties, who could pass for Kagome was dressed in, of all things appropriate for the moment, priestess robes and even had a bow and arrow slung over her back. And she wasn't the only one. There was a giant white blur mixed with red flying right at her, and the next moment she was huddled against the truck's front tire, safe from the mysterious wind.

"Are you okay?" Amber eyes met her own, and Sango's eyes widened. They weren't a normal human color, which could only mean—she shoved away from him, only his arms around her were unnaturally tight.

"It's all right...what's your name?" The woman was back, and it was true, she did look just like Kagome. Only older and with no tan. "He's a half-breed, but he won't hurt you, okay? And that idiot—" she shot a glare back out to the school compound, where another man was standing, in even odder clothes yet, "shut up the wind tunnel. He has no sense of when to use it, though I suppose when he saw a girl about to be killed, he just acted on instinct..."

"Like I'll let a beauty like this die...hello..." The man walked up with an exaggerated swagger. He too was dressed in robes, only his were purple and black. He even had sandals and a staff to match. Most interestingly, on his right hand was a thick glove with a string of beads wrapped around it. "My name's Miroku, but you can call me...uh...Miroku. And since I saved your life and all and maybe we won't be living that long anyway, would you potentially maybe perhaps by chance be interested in the possibility of bearing my chi—" His staff was snatched from him and mercilessly banged around his head.

The miko was back again, and her serene face was filled with rage. "One, you didn't save her life, you nearly killed her! Two, what's up with those lines? Who do you think you are? Let me think...how about, a bum slacker monk who steals half the funds so he can pick up girls and show off that stupid hand trick? And another thing—"

"Um..." Sango spoke up slightly to put a stop to the tirade and save this 'Miroku', who seemed to be shrinking a little with each word, but the hanyou put his hand on her shoulder.

"Best to let her let it all out..." he muttered softly, shaking his head.

"How...entertaining. Is this really the company you keep, InuYasha?"

Everyone standing there froze, including about five more people that had exited the truck. They were all men, one of them dressed in a ridiculous fur outfit. However, like 'InuYasha', he too gave off that strange aura.

Is he another one of the...

But her thought was interrupted when she heard a soft moan of pain.

KAGOME!!

Her friend was draped in the speaker's arms. Long silvery hair, golden eyes that looked so similar to InuYasha's...

Oh no...

Kagome was breathing quickly, fast enough to be clearly heard. There was a strange rattling coming from her chest, like she had a cold. When Sango looked closer, she could see two marks on her neck, some sort of black—veins—radiating out from them across her friend's throat. Her trademark blouse was soaked in blood, though the wounds did not seem to be bleeding any more.

Sesshoumaru drawled out, "How ironic though...I seem to be sharing the same—friends—as you are this afternoon, brother..." He tilted her head up slightly, so her face was clearly visible.

"They could be twins, couldn't they? Not that I need to recognize their faces to tell..." he traced a long, slim finger down her cheek, and a hissing sound permeated the air. When he lifted up his hand, the fingertip had turned black, as if he had laid it on the stove too long.

The oddly-dressed woman looked speechless as she took in Kagome's features. Somehow, her face had gone even paler, and her hands convulsively tightened around the bow, longing to shoot an arrow. InuYasha looked nearly the same, though he seemed stunned more by Sesshoumaru's demonstration than anything else. Miroku merely laid his left hand over the rosary beads wrapped around his right arm, loosening them slightly, his dark eyes never leaving the vampire's face.

At the monk's gesture, said creature merely lifted an elegantly sculpted brow. "Oh? Didn't my brother's little whore teach you to be more careful with that? Hate to kill a pretty girl, isn't that what you were saying earlier?" He shifted Kagome about in his arms, and her head slumped against his shoulder. "Not that it matters..."

"Wh-what do you mean?" The other members of the group that had just arrived looked at her in surprise. Kikyou was never one to stutter, Sesshoumaru or not.

He chose to pause a few seconds before answering, long figures brushing the girl's hair out of her closed eyes. "She's much like you, though I suppose you wouldn't know that. How long has it been now, six—seven years?"

She gritted her teeth while Sango listened in, slightly confused but still tremendously worried for her friend. "Shut up."

"Well that would go contrary to your earlier impulse, correct? Now then, as I was saying, you're very alike." He glanced at his burned forefinger, and the black still remained. "So much spiritual power...maybe even more than you...though I've taken care of that...and no, she's not dead..." he spoke impassively at her horrified face.

"Not yet, anyway..." And with that, he dropped her carelessly at his feet, and in a black and white blur, melted into the air. As soon as he disappeared, Kikyou rushed up to Kagome and checked for a pulse. She sighed in relief after a few seconds, apparently having found one, but prodded the marks on her neck, looking concerned.

"Um..." InuYasha cleared his throat slightly and tried to attract her attention.

She didn't respond, but instead checked the other side of her throat.

"Kikyou..."

"What?!"

"I don't mean to rush you or anything, but there are still people out there to save..."

"They can wait!"

The men looked at each other in surprise, both at her obviously distressed tone and at what she had said. If they didn't know any better, they would have sworn it sounded like she was genuinely...emotionally upset.

"What did that albino mean, when he spoke to you?" The man in the fur outfit stepped up, and Sango saw his eyes clearly. Sapphire blue, bright and sharp as the actual gemstones.

Kikyou stiffened, and then, with an uncharacteristically gentle gesture, tried to lift Kagome up in her arms. However, the girl's dead weight was too much, and InuYasha rushed forward to take her burden.

"Don't touch her!" The priestess jerked away from him, gasping slightly. He looked slightly hurt, but she shook her head at him.

"It'll burn you if you touch her...even I can feel it...and this is my responsibility now...I can't believe she got mixed up in this. Though I should've seen this one coming..."

"What coming?"

"Her gifts...they're quite common in our family line. From our father's side, actually..." With those words, Kagome's older sister was able to place her in the truck bed, and then climbed in after her.

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Right-o. Anyway, probably a few necessary words about this fic.

It was nearly abandoned for about a year, but when I saw all the rather sad and touching reviews coming in, I decided to write another chapter. Then the consolation prize grew into the longest single chapter I have ever written. Sad, I know. I wish the quality could have been better, but I have no time now-a-days.

This chapter is longer than the rest of the story put together, I just realized. Double victory cheer for me!!!!!

I hope you did enjoy it after all, it even has a bit of a plot going, but know that I'm not that much into IY anymore and this was my first story EVER. So naturally, it'd be a bit inconsistent. Particularly in the style, though I like to think that I've grown as a writer since then. At the very least, I write longer chapters, right? Some of the old ones were even less than 1000 words, how sad is that?

Feel free to review, it's the only thing keeping this story alive. It's like the iron lung of Tender is the Night.

Absent writer (this story was what made me change my name from Haku-dono. That, and I'd decided I didn't like pretentious Wapanese names/words anymore. What a baka. Somehow, I refrained from the temptation of using that word in Kikyou's speech). I know, the plot for this chapter is pretty unoriginal, but it'll change from here, assuming I update.