Again, the version of Heaven here is the Judo-Christian version of Heaven. If you don't like, don't read. Thank you.

Sesshomaru, Rin, Sango, and Kiara momentarily stopped and stared at the breathtakingly lovely building that lay before them, "It's beautiful!" Rin cried out. "It's almost as lovely as the castle, Father!"

"WE don't have any time to waste," Sesshomaru said, looking up at the sky. "we must hurry."

"Yes, let's run," Sango said. She and Rin began running as fast as they could toward the hill. Kirara jumped down from Sango's shoulder and ran as well. Sesshomaru simply waked, but he was able to take big steps. Finally they reached the top of the hill and the entrance to the shrine. Sango then reached over and knocked on the door. A very small old man came waddling from around a corner inside the building and went to the door, opening it and stepping outside. He was dressed in an outfit almost identical to Kaede's, bright red pants and a white shirt. He was bald except for a white ponytail down his back and a small mustache and goatee.

"Yes?" He asked. "May I help you?"

"My name is Sango."

"Yes, Sango?"

"Yes. This is the Higurashi Shrine?"

"Yes, it is. I'm Hideshio Higurashi, the curator."

"Hello," Sango shook his hand. ":This is my husband, Sesshomaru."

Mr. Higurashi put out his hand. "How do you do?" Sesshomaru shook his hand. "Oooh…you got quite a grip there! That's a great grip for holding a sword."

"And this is our daughter, Rin," Rin politely bowed and Mr. Higurashi shook her hand gentily.

"Its nice to meet you, Little Miss. You know, you look very much like my granddaughter did when she was your age."

Rin beamed "Really?"

"Really."

"And this is our cat, Kirara." Mr. Higrashi smiled, lifted up Kirara's paw and shook it gentily.

"How do you do?" Kirara purred gentiy against his hand. "Heh, heh, she tickles. Very friendly little lady."

"Yes, Kirara is a very friendly kitten, quick to make friends."

"So I see. Well, welcome to the Higurashi Shrine! Is there anything you care to see in particular in the Shrine?"

"Actually, Mr. Higurashi, we're here to see Kagome. We're friends of hers."

"I'm sorry, Kagome isn't home right now. She's at a Graduation Committee meeting at her school."

"Mr. Higurashi, it's imperative that we see Kagome immediately," Sesshomaru answered.

"I'm sorry, but this IS Kagome's Senior Year of High School, and I don't want her to miss it. This is a crucial time for her. But she'll be back in about 20 minutes. Would you like to come in and take a tour of the Shrine in the meantime?"

Sango grabbed Seshomaru's hand and gave him a message with her eyes. Sesshomaru nodded, "Very well, we shall be delighted to take a tour, Mr. Higurashi."

"Splendid! Do come in, do come in!" He held the door open as the four stepped into the neat, cheerful shrine. It was big and filled to the brim with many different artifacts, some Sango and Sesshomaru recognized right away as belonging to their era. "Welcome, welcome! Pease don't touch anything."

"Mr. Higurashi, I know you don't know me, but I believe you've met my parents. They came to this Shrine to see you years ago. Inio-Yo-Taisho and his wife, Kumiko?"

"Hmm…Inio-Yo-Taisho and Kumiko…"

"My parents. I assume my father looked like me. My mother may have looked the same…long black hair, violet eyes much like mine…about four months along."

"Ah…yes, I do believe that sounds a bit familiar."

"Yes. She was carrying me at the time and you blessed me in the womb."

"Oh…she was carrying you? Oh yes, now I remember. Your mother had the same lovely black hair as yours."

"Yes…thank you for your blessing. It has done me a lot of good"

"Well, my pleasure," Sesshomaru immediately went over to look at the sword display. Mr. Higurashi came over. "Ah, I see you've found the sword display. Yes, these swords date all the way back, from the oldest ones from the 11th century, to ones as recent as about 20 years ago." He picked one out of the display. "Now this one, this dates back to the early 13th century. It was commissioned by the Mikado of Japan at the time himself by his finest blacksmith. He wanted a sword that would not ony prove to be a strong weapon against his enemies, but also something he could pass on to his eldest son, which would be passed on to HIS eldest..and so on and so on."

"I believe my father had one just like that. May I?"

"Of course," He gave Sesshomaru the sword…and he proceeded to do some fancy moves around the room. Mr. Higurashi watched, clearly impressed. Sesshomaru gave him back the sword. "Those are impressive moves. You're a natural swordsman."

"Thank you. I learned a great deal from my Father. He was known throughout our village as a master swordman. He kept an impressive collection in his study of many different swords, very similar to this display you have here. I believe my practice sword was very similar to this one in fact."

"Well, I have another sword here you might be interested in seeing," he took another sword from its holder in the display. "Now this sword is a very unique battle weapon…in fact, there are only about 12 left in the entire world. This was commissioned by the greatest warrior in Japan at that time in order to defeat their sworn enemies. As you can see by the handle made out of pure gold it was made for a great deal of money. In fact, legend has it that the Samurai had his own god teeth pulled right out of his mouth and melted down to make this handle. That way he knew the sword belonged to him and to no one else. His own mark would be upon this sword. For the longest time his family were the only ones permitted to touch it. They say if you take the sword in your hands the spirit of this legendary warrior will become one with your body. Here, hold it." He gave it to Sesshomaru. "can you feel the energy of the warrior?"

"I don't need to," he proceeded to do some strokes with the sword. Mr,. Huigurashi watched, amazed.

":Astonishing! You have a remarkable talent for swords, the likes of which even I have never seen before!"

"My father was the true master swordsman in our family. My entire life was spent learning all I could from him."

"Bet he never before had a sword like that!"

"No, you're correct, he never did. But I know my father could master a sword like this in mere seconds."

Mr. Higurashi then gazed over at Sango. "Ah, you've been looking at some other weapons we have here?"

He walked over and took a spear from its display case. "The legend of this spear is that this came from the 14th century. This was made from pure demon bones from a legendary Demon Slayer known far and wide for his skills."

Sango looked upon him with interest. "Really?"

"Uh yes. The Demon Slayer himself captured and killed a gigantic bear demon that had been attacking his village with his own bare hands and with the spine of the beast he made himself this spear."

"I come from a long line of Demon Sayers myself, actually."

"Really?"

"Yes, I'm the direct descendant of one of the greatest Demon Slayers in Japan."

"Well, here then. Feel free to try it out," Mr. Higurashi gae the spear to Sango, who easily began to twirl it around and around her body, finally bringing it to a stop with the point directly in front of him. "Oh my…you're just as impressive as your husband there."

Sango smiled. "We're both martial arts experts, active in the Special Forces. In fact, that's how we met. "

Mr. Higurashi ganced over at Rin who was gazing upon the doll display. "Ah, I see your daughter has discovered out collection of dolls!" He smiled and waked over to her. "Well, well, I see you've discovered the doll display."

Rin turned toward hm. "They're really lovely dolls."

"Ah yes, they are. Some are several centuries old." He pointed to an absolutely beautiful porcelin doll. "That doll in fact was made in the 11th century. It was a special birthday gift to the Princess of the land that is now known as Kiyoto. Her mother, the Queen, ordered it specially made. As you can see the dress is made of the finest silk, and you'll notice the jewels on the gown," he pointed to the glittering green and white jewels sewn into the skirt. Rin nodded. "Those are real emeralds and diamonds."

"It's beautiful!"

Sesshomaru then came over to Rin as he heard a car pull up into the driveway. "Someone's coming here, I heard a car just now."

A voice was heard from outside. "Father? Who are you taking to in here?" A pretty 40-ish woman that greatly resembled Kagome with chin length dark hair and a smart business suit came into the shrine. She stopped when she saw the guests. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know we had company."

"Ah, you're home, Dear." He turned toward them. "This is my daughter-in-law, Myoshi. Dear, this is Sesshomaru, Sango, their daughter Rin, and their cat Kirara. They're friends of Kagome.I told them she was at school but they were welcome to take a tour of the shrine while they wait.

Oh," Kagome's mother smiled and put her hand out. "Nice to meet you."

Sesshomaru came forward and shook her hand. "Hello…you are Mrs. Higurashi, mother of Kagome, are you not?"

"Yes, I am. You know Kagome?"

Sango stepped forward. "We're friends of hers, in fact, Mrs. Higurashi. I'm Sango."

Mrs. Higurashi shook her hand. "Nice to meet you…wait a minute…Sango…that name sounds familiar….aren't you that Demon Slayer from Inuyasha's time that Kagome's been telling me about?"

"Yes, I am, in fact."

Mr. Higurashi stopped in his tracks. "D…Demon Slayer?"

"Well, it's so nice to finally meet you, Sango," Mrs. Higurashi happily shook her hand. "Kagome's been telling me so much about you. It's really nice to finally be able to place the face! May I say you're just as pretty as Kagome's told me you are."

"Oh…thank you, Mrs. Higurashi! Kagome's told me a great deal about you as well."

"Oh?"

"Yes, Kagome's said constantly that she is where she is today because of all you've done. Your daughter is truly my best friend, she's one of the sweetest, kindest people I've ever known. She's brave, honest, and extremely caring to almost everyone she meets. She attributes all of that to you."

"Aw. Well, Kagome's spoken well of you too. She says how brave you are and what you've been through in your life. She tells me how amazing you are when it comes to fighting against demons and monstars."

Mr. Higurashi stared open mouthed at Sango. "D….demon slayer? You mean..you're an ACTUAL Demon Slayer? You…" he knelt down on the ground. "Oh…Mighty Demon Slayer…I know you said you were descended, but I had no idea you were THE Sango Kagome has openly spoke of…oh Mighty Warrior, it is an honor to have you in our presence!" He kissed her hand.

Sango blushed a bit, ":Thank you. But really, it's alrught, you don't have to do that."

"Father," Mrs. Higurashi shook her head. Rin giggled a bit.

"I like Kagome, too. She's really nice."

"She is a remarkable young woman," Sesshmaru agreed.

"Well, won't you all come in and sit down for some tea?"

"We would greatly appreciate that, thank you," Sesshomaeu said. They followed Mrs. Higurashi to her car. "I see you have a few big boxes there."

"School supplies, we're cleaning out our desks for the end of the year."

"That looks rather heavy. Please allow me to help you," he picked up the box with one hand and carried it into the house. Mrs. Higurashi gasped a bit.

"Oh my."

Sango smiled. "Sesshomaru is really strong, as am I. Let me get that other one for you." she picked up the second box and carried it into the house. Amazed, Mrs. Higurashi followed them into the house.

"My you are strong."

"Yes, Demon Slayers have to undergo a lot of training to tone our muscles," she pulled a picture out of her album. "This is me in Slayer's uniform. You can see the weapons that we have, in particular this Katana and.."

"That's the Hiraikotsu, right? I've heard about that from Kagome. Wow…she was right, that IS huge! You can carry that with one hand?"

"Yes. It requires a lot of practice and training."

"So I see," they reached the house and she pointed to the table in the living room. "Just set them down there." When they did so, Mrs. Higurashi opened up the boxes and with a joyful "MEW!" Kirara jumped into the box, scattering the packing peanuts around. Mrs. Higurashi giggled at that, while Sango looked embarrassed.

"Kirara, that's not polite!" Kirara poked her head up ad gave a tiny 'Mew!' before she dove right back into the box.

Mrs. Higurashi laughed. "She's perfectly welcome!" She reached into the box herself. "Don't worry, I know the drill," she fished her out and gently brushed off the packing peanuts before handing her back to Sango. "From one cat lover to another, right?"

"Oh, you have a cat?"

"Yes, and when he was a kitten, he did that all the time," she put the box on a high shelf as Buyo came into the room. Mrs. Higurashi picked him up. "This is Buyo. Buyo, meet Kirara." Both women put their cats on the ground. The cats stared at one another for a bit.

"Mew?" Kirara asked.

"Meow!" Buyo answered. Both cats slowly walked around each other, studing each other carefully. Finally Buyo went into the kitchen and came out with his catnip ball, which he proceeded to roll toward Kirara. Soon both cats were meowing to each other and rolling the ball back and forth. Mrs. Higurashi had to laugh at that.

"Don't you just hate it when you can't speak the language?" she laughed .

"Actually I can understand Kirara."

"Oh? You speak cat?"

"Not really. I've just had her for so long I can interprit some of her actions."

"I see."

Now that we're here alone, Mrs. Higurashi," Sesshomaru began. "I feel that now is the time I can tell you about myself."

"Yes, I was meaning to ask you. Would you be a friend of Sango's?"

"Yes…but I am also something else. I'm Inuyasha's older brother," with that he removed the pendant to show his true self. Mrs. Hirgurashi gasped.

":Oh my..I can see the resemblance!"

"Yes. The only thing is Inuyasha is my half brother, I'm a full blooded Demon as both of my parents were demons. Inuyasha's mother was Human, so he's half demon."

"Oh yes, Kagome explained that to me before. Well, welcome to our home! Well, would you like to sit down? I'll get you some tea."

"Thank you very much," Sango, Sesshomaru, and Rin all sat down upon the couch. In a little bit Mrs. Higurashi had come back carrying a silver tea tray with a large teapot, three cups, a small cup of fruit juice for Rin, a sugar container and a a cream pitcher. There was also a small pate of cookies. She set it down, put down a dish of milk on the floor, which the cats began to share, poured some tea, and handed Rin the fruit juice.

"Here you are, Dear."

"Thank you. What is it?"

"It's fruit juice, Honey. I thought you might like it."

Sango looked at Rin. "Kagome's brought some over to us before. It's a sweet drink made of many different kinds of fruit. Try it." Rin sipped it and smiled.

"This is good, Mrs. Higurashi. Thank you."

"Youre welcome, Dear. Have a cookie, too." She held the plate out to her. "So, do you take sugar or cream in your tea?"

"I just take a small amount of sugar, please," Sesshomaru said.

"Just some cream and a little sugar for me," Sango answered.

When the tea was all fixed, Mrs Higurashi sat back down on her chair with her own cup of tea. "So, Sango, Sesshomaru, to what do I owe the honor of this visit from you?' She looked around. "And…where's Inuyasha?"

Sesshomaru exchanged a look with a deeply pained Sango. He nodded to her and cleared his throat. "Mrs. Higurashi," he began, "Inuyasha is fatally ill," Mrs. Higurashi raised her eyebrows in alarm. "In fact…he's dieing."

Mrs. Higurashi gasped and fell back against the chair. "No," she gasped a bit. "Oh no…oh the poor dear!"

"Yes…it happened two days ago. I don't know if Kagome ever told you abut Kikyo…the woman Inuyasha loved 50 years ago?"

"I think so, it sounds familiar to me. Isn't she the one who first sealed Inuyasha to the tree when they were both tricked by Naroku?"

"Yes. She died of injuries brought on her by Naroku when he was disguised as Inuyasha. Well, an ogress resurrected Kikyo, but only a part of her soul entered the body…the part that was still blaming Inuyasha for the past."

"Oh yes, Kagome told me all about that."

"Well, two days ago Kikyo caught up with Inuyasha as he was preparing to go into the well and see your daughter. Did he say anything to you beforehand about speaking to you about something important?"

"Well," she said, thinking. "He did ask me if he could talk to me in the middle of this week about something…"

"It's because this Wednesday he was planning to ask Kagome to marry him, ad he wanted your blessing."

Mrs. Higurashi sat up just then. "He was?"

"Yes, he was."

"Oh, how wonderful!" her face lit up. "I would give him my full complete approval, definitely!"

"He was on his way to speak with you about it ad to ask for your help in setting up a picnic underneath the tree when Kikyo came and stopped him. She brought some demon friends to distract everyone else, and then shot Inuyasha in the arm with an arrow that had been drenched in a special kind of poison called the Black Hate of Death. The poison is spreading to his body and slowly killing him."

Mrs. Higurashi's eyes filled with tears.. "Oh…I can't believe it. I've heard of hell hath no fury like a woman scored, but…oh poor dear!"

Sango by this time had lowered her head into her hands and sobbed quietly. Sesshpmaru gentily touched her shoulder and looked at Mrs. Higurashi. "She's taking this very hard," he explained. "Anyway, Mrs. Higurashi, seeing as how it's a spell, your daughter can remove the poison. But she's the only one who can. She needs to out her hands over Inuyasha's heart and channel her love into it. Only then can he be saved. But if she doesn't do it by sunset tonight, he will die."

"Oh no! Oh poor thing" Mrs. Higurashi looked at her watch. "Kagome should be home soon..those meetings usually don't last too long.."

"There's more, Mrs Higurashi. It turns out Kikyo wasn't alone in this!"

Mrs. Higurashi's head snapped up. "She wasn't?"

"No." Sango stiffened up, knowing full well what was coming. "I don't know if Kagome ever mentioned a wolf named Koga.."

"Koga…Koga…oh yes, she has…isn't he that wolf that sometimes helps you out? Inuyasha doesn't get along with him too well if I remember correctly, am I right?"

Sesshomaru stiffened at this while Sango continued to sob in shame. "Mrs. Higurashi, Koga has tricked your daughter as well as a lot of her friends. He could care less about anyone else but Kagome, and not in a good way. He wants to take your daughter away with her and make her his mate, and Inuyasha has been protecting her from him all this time."

Mrs. Higurashi sat up. "He what?" she asked in a deadly calm voice.

"He's tricked Kagome and all of her friends into believing he was their friend and was trying to help them, but in reality he only wanted to try to win Kagome's love so he can take her as his mate. He was only helping out her friends to gain their trust. Inuyasha, being a half demon, can see his true aura which is why he didn't trust him at all, and every time he fought with Inuyasha he would play victem to make it look like Inuyasha was just an immature person, when in reality the immature one was Koga."

Mrs. Higurashi became very angry, set her tea down, and said sharply, ":I'll have to have a long talk with Kagome later on about choosing her friends…"

"It's alright, Mrs. Higurashi," Sesshomaru said. "It wasn't entirely Kagome's fault. Koga has a way of manipulating people and fooling them. In fact he has done that just now."

"What do you mean?"

"I heard this from my Mother, Koga has used his persuasive powers to manipulate a large group of villagers into believing that I was the one who had helped Kikyo poison Inuyasha. He's trying to frame me for the crime to take suspiscion off of himself."

"That purely evil son of a…..oh I'm giving Kagome SUCH an earfull.."

"There will be no need, Mrs. Higurashi. Once Kagome finds out what Koga and Kikyo did, she won't hesitate to help is get rid of both of them once and for all!" They were interrupted by Sango's sobs growing louder and louder, Mrs. Higurashi moved over to sit next to Sango on the couch and hand her a napkin to wipe her eyes.

"Sango? Honey, what's the matter?"

Sango looked up. "I….I just can't help but feel responsible in a way for all of this! I mean..I…I'm a demon slayer…I should have been able to see Kgoa's aura..I should have been able to sense Koga was up to no good…but I didn't…and I listened to him..and I took Koga's side…and I did it again and again..…and now Inuyasha's dieing…because I agreed with Koga..I agreed with that beast…and Inuyasha saved my life, he saved Kirara, he was always there for me when I needed him…and now he's dieing…and it's all my fault!"

Mrs. Higurashi hugged Sango close to herself. "Honey, this wasn't your fault!"

"Yes it was!" Sango sobbed openly.

"No, it wasn't!" Mrs. Higurashi said.

"I've been telling her she is not to blame for this," Sesshomaru said, taking Sango's hand. "Sango, you are not to blame. This wasn't your fault at all. No one is perfect and Inuyasha had already forgiven you for listening to Koga. Koga is very persuasive and can charm almost anyone into taking his side, just by using his words. He's very clever and knows just how to get to the inside of people so that they'll listen and let themselves be persuaded by him. Inuyasha knew this, which is why he never held it against you for very long. Even the most trained Demon Slayers can't see all auras, especially not one as powerful as Kogas!"

"You aren't at fault at all, Dear," Mrs Higuraski said. "YOU ddn't mix that poison, YOU didn't fire the arrows that the poison was on. It was that horrid Kikyo that did this, not you! I don't blame you for this, Honey, not at all! You're here to get Kagome, right? To bring her back to Inuyasha?" Sango nodded her head. "I think you've made up for listenig to that wolf now, so please don't beat yourself up over it any more, OK dear?" She nodded. Just then the sound of the front door opening and closing was heard as Kagome's brother came into the room. Sota ran in and threw his backpack down on the floor.

'I'm home, Mom!" he called out. "I got no homework this weekend!"

"Manners, Sota! Can't you see we have guests? Say hello."

Sota'a eye grew wide for a second. "INUYASHA!" he called out, starting tio run to Sesshomaru. "Inuyasha, did you get a new kimono? That looks.." just then he stopped as Sesshomaru turned to look at him. "Oh, I'm sorry..you're not Inuyasha."

"No," Sesshomaru said. "My name is Sesshomaru, I'm Inuyasha's brother."

"Oh…yeah…you look like him!"

"Yes, and you look very much like Kagome. You're her brother, am I right?"

"Yeah, my name is Sota." Sesshomaru gentily shook his hand.

"A pleasure."

Sango held out her hand. "It's so nice to meet you, Sota. I'm Sango, I'm Kagome's friend, she's told us a great deal about you."

"Oh, you're the Demon Sleyer, right?"

"That's right."

"Cool! Kagome and Inuyasha told me such amazing stories about you and your boomerang…did ya bring it with you?"

"No, I'm afraid I didn't. But I brought my cat, Kirara," Kirara jumped into Sango's arms and purred. Sota reached over to pet her, and she purred in his arms.

"Hee, hee, she tickles!"

Rin jumped up. "Hi, I'm Rin."

"Hi, I'm Sota, Kagome's brother."

"Oh! I'm Lord Sesshomaru's daughter. "

"Really?" he loolked closely at her. "Then where are your ears?"

"Sota!" His mother said, but Rin giggled.

Actually, I was adopted by Lord Sesshomaru."

"Yeah? Cool! What's it like to live with an actual demon?"

"It's wonderful! Lord Sesshomaru has thre most beautiful castle and there are so many nice people that help him run it. He's always there when I need him to be, he's caring, sweet, nice..he's such a wonderful Father!"

"Castle? LORD Sesshomaru? Inuyasha's royalty?"

Sesshomaru stood up. "Inuyasha likes to keep a low profile. He's very down to earth."

"Wow!" Sota turned to Rin. "Hey, how old are you, anyway?"

"I just turned 9."

"Hey, me too. Ya know, some of my friends are coming over and we're gonna play some soccer. Ya wanna come play with us?"

"Soccar?" Rin looked confused. "What's soccer?"

"Oh don't you have soccer?"

"No. What is it?"

"Well, I was just teaching it to Inuyasha.. It's a cool game, I can teach you. "

"Really?" Rin jumped up, but remembered her manners and turned to Sesshomaru. "Lord Sesshomaru, may I please play with Sota?"

"Yes, Rin, but don't get too involved. As soon as Kagome comes here, we must eave immediately," Rin nodded, bowed, ad went outside with Sota.

Mrs. Higurashi watched them go and saw Sesshomaru's face as he watched them. "don't worry, Sota's a very good boy. He's kind, sweet, and very well mannered."

"Traits he no doubt learned from you ad Kagome," Mrs. Higurashi smiled at that. "So, Mrs. Higurahi, as we have already explained, this situation is most urgent. Please, if it's possible, may I have the directions to Kagome's school so I may meet her the moment she steps outside? The sooner I explain the situration to her, the better for Inuyasha."

Mrs. Higurashi nodded ad got up. "Of course." She went over to her desk ad quickly wrote directions to the school.

"If it's possible, Mrs. Higurashi, I would refer to go through alleys or back streets. That way I can use my speed without causing suspicions."

"Like when Inuyasha uses his speed?"

"I can move faster than Inuyasha due to my full Demon status," Sesshmaru explained He quickly dashed from one end of the house to another to demonstrate. Mrs. Higurashi stared.

"My, my!" She read over the directions ad gave them to Sesshomaru who quickly read it and nodded. He gave it back to Mrs. Higurashi and prepared to leave. Sango stood up then.

"You might wanna put this back on?" she held out the pin. Sesshomaru nodded and took the pin from Sango, fastioning it onto him and assuming his human disguise again. He looked outside, seeing Sota patently explaining the game of soccer to Rin and introducing her to his friends as they came over. Satusfied she was alright, he stepped out, made sure no one could see him, then set off as fast as he could down the back alleyways, following the directions Kagome's mother had given to him, until he finally reached the school. He stopped and staid against the brick wall of the alley, waiting for the first sign of Kagome. Soon enough he saw several girls aroud Kagome's age exit the school. He recognized Eri and her sister walking together and sharing humerous stories. He couldn't help but give his small half smile at this lovely scene. But he made sure to keep himself hidden so no one would see him. He did enjoy their talk, but time was running out and the only one he had any time to talk with now was Kagome. Thankfully he saw her just then step out of school and head in the direction of her bike. Before she could get on, Sesshmaru stepped out from behind the wall and ran quickly to where she was, lightly tapping her on the shoulder. Kagome looked up, surprised at first with who she saw.

"Inuyasha?" she asked. "What are you doing here in your human form? It's not nighttime yet!"

"No," he said quietly. "I'm not Inuyasha. It's I, Sesshomaru."

Kagome looked startled. "Sesshomaru?"

He nodded and pointed to the alleyway. "Come into the alley with me, Kagome, and then I'll explain." She followed him into the alley, where he took off his pendant, showing her his true self. Kagome gasped as he quickly put the pendent back n.

"Sesshomaru?" she said. "But…how did you…what are you doing here,…and where's Inuyasha?"

"Come back to your house with me, Kagome, and I'll explain."

"Oh my God…what's going on? How did you get here…why isn't Inuyasha here…did something happen?"

"I'll explain everything once we get to your house. Climb on my back, Kagome, we have no time to lose," quickly she climbed onto Sesshomaru, and he grabbed her back as they sprinted back to her house as quickly as he could.

Meanwhile Sango was still sobbing quietly on the couch. Mrs. Higurashi handed her another napkin and hugged her close to herself. "There, there. Sango? Do you want to talk about it, Dear?"

Sango was unsure of how to proceed...she was torn up inside and feeling horrible about how she'd treated Inuyasha, even after all he'd done for her...saving her life, saving Kirara from certain death, even helping to bury the bodies of her fellow villagers and vowing to help her get her brother back from Naraku...and all this time, she'd taken his friendship for granted. Now that he was less than a day from death, she was sick to her stomach with the fear that she'd never be able to tell him how much his friendship meant to her, and how sorry she really was for all the times she hadn't been there for him.

Kagome's mother rested a gentle hand on Sango's shoulder, and she said, "Don't worry, dear...Kagome and I have talks like this all the time. Believe me, you'll feel better once you get it off your chest. That's the first part of healing."

Sango smiled a bit...Mrs. Higurashi truly was just like Kagome...warm, caring, and understanding. She said, "I've known Inuyasha now for over two years. We first met when Naraku killed my entire family...and blamed Inuyasha for it. In a rage, I attacked him, but he never made a move to come at me, since he could smell the blood on me from my injuries. When I collapsed in his arms after stabbing him in the shoulder, he brought me back to my village, where I found out that he and the others were burying the dead, and Kagome had bandaged my wounds. Inuyasha didn't even leave me to fend for myself when Naraku tricked me into stealing Inuyasha's Tetsusaiga, which he then turned into a trap and had my own brother nearly kill me. Kirara took a huge dose of his poison in the mouth, and if not for Inuyasha...her and I both would've died that night. True he was angry with me for a while…he had good reason to be. I shoud have told him what Naroku said instead of just taking the sword, but he forgave me….and he helped Kagome get the remedy ti get the poison out of Kiarara. Even still...I've called him names when he's acted...differently than I expected, but I know that's just how he is now...he's trying to defend the ones that mean the most to him, and he has a hard time trusting others, due to his harsh childhood. I should have talked with him more, instead of calling him names like 'warped', or questioning his intelligence...not to mention listened to his side instead of just Kagome's when they had their arguments.…..I always took her side…Inuyasha was so good to me..I never appreciated him…always calling him names..calling him stupid..when WE were the stupid ones...every damn one of us…God...am I really worthy of being his friend?"

Mrs. Higurashi said, "Sango, what's done is done, and he's obviously forgiven you. Sesshomaru told me that he'd learned from Inuyasha that he thinks very highly of you, not just for your skills in battle, but he also admires your knowledge of all those demons you've faced, and the fact that you never back down no matter what. Everyone makes mistakes, dear...we just have to learn from them and not let the guilt chew us up inside. If both Inuyasha and Sesshomaru consider you as a friend, and my daughter thinks of you as being the closest thing she has to a sister, then I'm sure they've got excellent reasons for it. You need to be strong and get through this, Sango...Inuyasha needs your help now, and once this is over, you can tell him how happy you are to have him as a friend. Remember...friendship is a wonderful thing, and everyone deserves it. Don't let your guilt stop you from helping Inuyasha...the last thing I want is for Kagome to be heartbroken over his death."

Sango replied, "Thank you, Mrs. Higurashi. I promise you, I'm going to set things right with Inuyasha, just as soon as we get rid of that rotten wolf Koga and that jealous bitch Kikyo."

They were suddenly interrupted by a loud rude soundig voce from outside. "Hey, what's going on here, pipsqueak? Something I wasn't invited to?"

"Oh no, it's him again,"Mrs Higurashi mumbled.

"Him who?" Sango asked.

"A horrid spoiled brat who lives down the bock. His father's the local Congressman and they're one of the richest families here. Therefore he thinks he owns this whole town and can just do whatever he wants cause no one wants t go against a Congressman. Unfortunately he's in Sota's class and he bullies all the children in his class to no end, demands money from them, and steals things." Sango's eyes narrowed.

"Oh, is that so?" she stood up angrily. "We'll just see about that! I know Inuyasha's been the victem of bullies his wholefe. Hopefully this can be the start of my making it up to him!" She started to walk outside.

Meanwhile Sota was facing the bully bravely. "Look, you get out of here, we're about to play soccar!"

"You can't tell ME to get out of here! don't you remember who my Dad is? He can fix it so your whole family can get kicked out of your house by next week!"

"You can't do that!" Rin spoke up. The bully turned to her.

" I can do whatever the hell I want to! Who are you anyway?" He turned to Sota. "Who's she, shrimp? You got a new girlfriend?" Sota blushed at that.

"I just met her today, I was teaching her how to pay soccar."

"Yeah right, like I believe that!" He started to laugh. "Sota and someone up in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G.."

"You stop that now, he's telling the truth!" Rin said. The bully pushed her to the ground.

"Aw, shut up! Hey Sota, ya might wanna call off your girlfriend here, or you're all gonna owe me your lunch money for a week, and if ya say anything I'm gonna tell my Dad YOU GUYS took MY lunch money! You know who my Dad is?"

"No, and now ask me if I CARE," Sango said, coming up from behind the bully.

"Who the hell are you, Lady?"

"Ya know, you got quite a mouth for someone your age! Why Don't you go pick on someone your own size?"

"You can't talk to me like that, I'll tell my Dad! He'll track you down and get you arrested so fast…"

Sango put her face close to the bully. "First of all, I don't live around here, so your Dad can't do ANYTHING to me! Second, you really have nothing better to do than threaten these innocent kids who've done nothing to you and were right in the middle of playing soccar. Third you should be lucky her father wasn't around to see you do that, cause if he did YOU'D be in for it BIG TIME! If I were you, I'd turn around and get right out of here before he DOES come back!"

"Yeah, well he can't do anything to me or he'll end up spending his whole life in jail!"

"Ya know, you have to be THE most spoiled kid I've ever met!" In answer Kirara ran right up to her and started to growl at the bully, who started to laugh hysterically.

"Oh gee, I'm being threatened by a powderpuff!" He knelt down to stroke her. "Hey, kitty, kitty, kitty.." suddenly she was encased in a huge ring of fire and before the bully's eyes he was now staring face to HUGE fang with a ten foot saber toothed two-tailed cat! "Ki…kitty.." in answer Kirara growled. The bully screamed. "MONSTAR!" He jumped up and ran off as fast as he could. "MONSTAR! MONSTAR!"

"AND DON'T YOU TELL ANYONE ABOUT THIS, OU BRAT! NO ONE WILL BELIEVE OU ANYWAY!" Sango called out after him. She turned back to Mrs. Higurashi, who had run out and gentily picked up Rin. "I don't think he'll be bothering you anymore, no one's gonna believe him anyway."

"My, my," Mrs. Higurashi said, looked at the full grown Kirara. "I know Kagome was telling me about what Kirara can do…but it's something else to see it with your own two eyes!"

Sango looked around and saw the other children all backed up in fear. "Oh, no need to be afraid," Sango said. "Kirara is usually a very friendly cat. She loves people, she just hates bullies. You can all pet her, she won't hurt any of you." As if to prove Sango's point, Kirara came up to the children and purred up against the kids, who relaxed and started to laugh and pet her gentily. Sango smiled. "She can even fly!" As if to prove it Kirara leaped into the air and flew for a bit before touching down. The kids all 'ooh!'ed and 'Ahh!'ed at that. "Does anyone want to ride her?" The kids all put up ther hands. "She can take 5 at a time, you can all have a turn." She put Sota, Rin, and 3 other kids on Kirara's back, and by the time Sesshomaru had returned with Kagome, all the kids had had a turn riding on Kirara.

Rin looked up as she caught sight of Kagome. "KAGIME!" she called out, running to her happily and squeezing her tight around the waist. "Kagome, you're here! Lord Sesshomaru found you! You came!"

"OOf…I'm glad to see you too, Rin!" she knelt down to give her a hug. "Rin…you look so oretty in that dress!"

"It's actually yours, Kagome!" Rin said. "Kaede shrank your dress to fit me!"

"That's MINE?" Kagome said, looking hard at it. "Well, it looks great on you!" Kirara lept into her arms with a happy "Mew!" and purred up against Kagome, "Hi, Kirara! Hee,hee, hee, down, down, that tickles!" Just then a familiar image came rushing toward her and hugged her tightly. "Sango!"

"Kagome! Thank God we found you! Oh, thank God!"

"Sango.." Kagome was at first at a loss for words as she held Sango at arm's length. "Look at you! You look great!"

Sango looked down at her jeans. "You were right, Kagome! These ARE comfortable, and they're excellent to walk in!"

"I KNEW you'd like them, you look fantastic in them!" Kagome said enthusiastically. "I'll be sure to bring some more back with me when I go into the well again." She went over and kissed her Mom on the cheek. "Hi, Mom. I guess you've met some more of my friends from Inuyasha's time."

"Oh yes, we've had the most wonderful visit," her mother said.

"That's great, Mom. So...where's Inuyasha?"

Sesshomaru and Sango exchanged painful looks. Right away Kagome knew something was wrong. "Guys?" she asked. "Where's Inuyasha? What's wrong? Did something happen?"

Sesshomaru cleared his throat. "Lets go indoors, Kagome. We can explain better there," he glanced at Rin. "Rin, continue to play out here, but be ready to leave when I call you."

"OK," Rin said.

"Kirara, watch over the kids," Kirara 'mewed' and ran to join the soccar game. When they had all gathered in the living room Kagome accepted a cup of tea from her Mom and glanced at Sango and Sesshomaru.

"Guys? What's wrong? Where's Inuyasha?"

Sango looked down. "Kagome…we have news…and…maybe you better sit down for this," Kagome sat down worriedly. Sango cleared her throat, then cleared it again as she sat down next to her.

"Sango? May I?" Sesshomaru asked. Sango nodded as Sesshomaru sat down on the other side of Kagome. "Kagome…Inuyasha is very ill.." Kagome's face paled.

"No."

"Yes, in fact….Inuyasha is dieing."

"DIEING?"

"It was Kikyo," Sango explained. "Three days ago she surprised us and attacked us with a demon army. While we were distracted she fired an arrow at Inuyasha that was soaked with a poison called the Black Hate of Death, created by herself."

Kagome's face turned from worried to angry and then to a bright shade of red. "That…that…that BITCH!" Kagome cried out, to her Mother;s shock. "That damn little witch, I'm gona KILL her for this! DAMN her! Sango could feel her spirit energy begin to flow around her.

"The poison is slowly spreading all throughout his body. The only way to cure it is if you go to Inuyasha put your hands on him and channel your love in to him. There's no other way to remove the spell."

"But you must do it by tonight, Kagome, otherwise by the time the sun sets Inuyasha will die."

Kagome stood up. "Let me get my stuff from my room and I'll meet you by the well as soon as I can!"

"Kagome, we didn't come through the well," Sango said.

"You didn't?"

"No, we can't go through ad neither can you now."

"What are you telling me?"

"That was another part of Kikyo's plan," Sesshmaru explained. "She destroyed the well with her energy. We can't go through and neither can you."

"Then how did you get here?"

"Kaede," Sango explained, "She used her spell to disguise Sesshomaru and send us all to your time. Only we landed on the outskirts of town and we walked for two whole days to reach you in time."

"You walked all the way here?"

"Yes," Sesshomaru said. "There's not a minute to lose, Kagome, we must get there before the sun sets, or it will be too late. There's something else you need to know, Kagome. Kikyo wasn't alone in this."

"Who helped her?"

"Koga."

"KOGA?"

"Yes, I heard from my Mother, who passed on this information. Koga and Kikiyo worked out a deal. He would help her get fresh souls, she would help him get rid of Inuyasha so he culd have you for himself."

"THAT….THAT….THAT LIENG PIECE OF CARPET!" Kagome yelled. "DAMN HIM TO HELL! HE DID THIS? HE DID! I;M GONNA TEAR ALL HIS FUR OUT OF HIS DAMN BODY!"

" Save him for me and Inuyasha. But you and Sango can have Kikyo. First things first though, Kagome, you must go to Inuyasha right away!"

Kagome jumped up. "Let me get to my room and get my things"

"I'll help you," Sango added. Both women raced up to Kagome's room as fast as their legs could carry them. Once they reached Kagome's room, she flung the door open and grabbed her yellow backpack. "Sango, get my bow and arrows out of my closet, I have to get my first aid kit." She raced into the bathroom frantically pulling out her first aid kit and various bottles, putting them into her bag as fast as she could. "pills, medicine, Alka-Seltzer,…oh God, please let me get there in time!" she said to herself. "I can't BELIEVE Koga! KOGA! Kikyo I can understand…but Koga…that son of a BITCH! Did he think THIS would persuade me to marry him? THIS? And to think I used to sit Inuyasha for picking fights with him…" she paused. "I used to sit Inuyasha…I should have just let him kick the crap out of that creep! I should have LET him beat him up! I used to punsh Inuyasha…and now he's dieing..all because of that beast who I prevented him from hitting…" tears began to form from her eyes. Tears of shame and anger. "Oh, Inuyasha…I'm so sorry…you were right...GOD you were right…if anything happens to you, its all my fault! Oh God, please don't take him, please…let me get there in time!" She carried her full backpack to her bed, threw it down next to the bow and arrows, ripped off her school uniform, pulled on her blue stretch pants and pink T-Shirt. "Hand me my sleeping bag, Sango, and my spare shoes."

"here you are, Kagome. Is that everything?"

"I think so, but no time to go over it. I'll check it later, come on, let's go!" Both girls descended the stairs quickly. Sesshomaru saw them coming and stepped outside.

"Rin! Come inside now, we're about to leave."

"Oh, do you have to go so soon?" Sota asked.

"Yeah, but I had a great time, and thanks for teaching me that fun game!"

"Can you come back?"

"I'll ask my Father. Bye," she waved to all the kids and went back inside.

"Waitl Kagome, dear!" Mrs. Hgurashi called out as she ran in from the kitchen with a few covered dishes. "Here, take these cookies to your friends, and here, there are two special dinners for you and Inuyasha."

"Thanks, Mom!"

"Gve him y love and tell him I hope he gets better."

"OK," She tured to Sesshomaru. "Wait…if I can't go in the well…how are we gonna get there?"

Sesshomaru pulled out the amulet that was around his neck. "Kaede gave me this amulet. When we foud you I'm to tap it three times and that will be her signal to bring us back."

"Then tap it and let's go!"

"All right. Rin, hold in to my hand, Sango will hold your other one."

"Take my hand, Kagome," Sango said. Kirara jumped on Sango's shoulder.

"Rin bowed to Mrs. Higurashi. "We had a wonderful time. I hope we'll be back."

"As soon as we can, Rin, I promise," Sesshomaru said. Sango and Kagome looked at him, surprised. Rin backed up and took Sesshomaru's and Sango's hands.

IN THE FEUDAL ERA…

Shippo staggered into Kaede's hut, blinded by hysterical tears. Kaede and the villagers stopped singing for a moment as Kaede ran to Shippo. "Shippo, what's happening, Dear?"

"K…K…Kaede.." he whispered through his tears. "Did Kagome come yet?"

"No, Shippo, I'm afraid they haven't found her yet."

"How's Inuyasha?" one of the villagers asked, causing Shippo to start crying again.

"He's…he's getting worse and worse. The poison's spreading to his chest…he's in pain even when he breathes, he's almost white the sweat is poring out of him and I dunno what we're gonna do!"

Kagome glanced at the position of the sun, it was starting to inch its way toward the horizon. "Oh dear!"

"Oh, Kaede, isn't there any way to try to REACH Kagome?"

"No, Dear, there really isn't.

"Well, how will you know if they've found her?"

Kaede lead Shippo to a crystal globe that was ropped by a wooden stand. "I gave Sesshomaru a magical amulet and told him when he found Kagome, tap it three times. When that happens the globe here will glow a bright red and that'll signal to me that they've found her. I'll then say the spell that will bring them back."

Shippo glaced at the ghlobe. "Oh hurry. Hurry, glow already, please glow!"

"Shippo, a watched globe doesn't glow, dear."

"Oh but we're running out of time! The Shinigami is here to take him away!" The crowd then gasped, a few women started to sob quietly.

Kaede's face grew pale. "So, I was right? That WAS a Shinigami!"

"Yes…oh but she's nothing to be scared of at all, she's really nice. I talked to her."

"You spoke to a Shinigami?" a man asked.

"Yeah, she's really nice, her name's Rukia. She promised me she'd take good care of Inuyasha and he'd be going to a wonderful lovely place…oh but I don't want him to go yet! "

"It's considered a great honor to speak to a Shinigami," Kaede said. "All my life I've wanted to speak to one myself."

"Wat's she like?" A woman asked.

"Nice," Shippo assured her. "She told me all about Heaven and what a wonderful place it is, how Inuyasha will love it there and everything…." he started to sob again. "But I don't want him to go!"

Just then one of the villagers gasped. "Kaede, look!"

"Look, Kaede!" another woman cried out. "Look, the globe!" Kaede turned around and gasped. The globe was glowing bright red!

"It's glowing! Kaede, the globe is glowing! They found her!" Shippo cried out. "Yea! They found her!"

"Praise God, they found her!" Kaede cried out.

"The spell! Quick, Kaede, do the spell!"

Kaede went over to the globe and waved her hand over it.

"Travellers from near and far,

Follow now this wandering star,

Return to the land which you call home,

No more will either of you roam.

Bring her now and bring her here,

And may she lift this spell we fear."

A blue white glow filled the hut, and when it cleared Sesshomaru, Sango, Rin, Kirara, and Kagome were all standing there to the cheers of the villagers. Kagome waved to all of them.

"Kagome, oh thank God!"

"Thank God, she's here, she came!"

"They found her!"

"KAGOME!" Shippo cried out, leaping into her arms happily. "Kagome, you're here! They found you!"

"Hi, Shippo!" Kagome said hugging him back.

"Kagome, we're all so glad to see you!" Kaede said, giving her a quick hug. "Quick, Dear, the time is short, you must get to Inuyasha right away! Hurry, we don't have a moment to lose!"

"I'll go tell Miroku you're on your way!" Shippo said, jumping on Ah-Un and flying off. Kagome gave Sesshomaru a questioning look.

"Inuyasha is in my castle, Miroku and Shippo have been taking care of him," Sesshomaru explained. "We must go there right away!"

Kirara jumped down from Sango's shoulder and transformed. Kagome climbed on Kirara's back, followed by Sango.

"Wait, Dear," Kaede said, "Those wolves might be lurking around. Here, cover yourself with this blanket so they cant see you. It's been dipped in herbs so they can't smell you, either."

"All right," Kagome covered herself tight in the blanket.

"Go, Kirara," Sango said as she took off. Sesshmaru flew a few feet behind her.

"Go, Kagome! We'll be here..and we'll be praying.." Kaede assured her.

IN SESSHOMARU'S CASTLE…..

Rukia was sitting on the tree branch, gazing at Inuyasha through the open window. She took out her pocket watch and sighed quietly. It was almost time! Quietly she turned into a butterfly and flew through the window, materializing at the foot of his bed. She looked at the sleeping Miroku in the chair next him and quietly sat on the bed. Inuyasha was sweating brght blue profusely, his breath came in short gasps and his face was so pale it was almost white. Rukia reached out, ran her hand down Inuyasha's cheek, and took his hand. "Inuyasha?" she whispered quietly. "Inuyasha?"

"Huh…wha…" he mumbled, opening his eyes painfully. Inuyasha looked up, and through his blurred vision, saw what looked like a young girl in black, with hair the same color as Kagome's. If not for the black, he would've thought it was Kagome. He blinked his eyes a few times, and his vision cleared. He saw now that the person before him was shorter than Kagome, and instead of Kagome's dark brown eyes, hers were an icy blue, and she carried a sword at her side. He said, "Wh-who are you?"

She said, "It's alright, Inuyasha. I haven't come to hurt you. My name is Rukia...Rukia Kuchiki. I'm a Soul Reaper...or Shinigami, from the Soul Society. I've been sent down here to bring your soul to Heaven, in case Kagome doesn't reach you in time. Meanwhile, I just came to talk with you, so you'll be at ease when it's time to pass on."

Inuyasha tried to sit up, but his entire body was almost sapped of strength. He groaned, and Rukia set her hand on his. She said, "Don't try and move, Inuyasha...there's still time for Kagome to get here, if you don't speed up the poison by trying to move. I promise...I won't take you until sundown, but if I do have to take you, the Soul Society is a wonderful place. I've lived there for a long time now."

Inuyasha said, "Oh? What's it like up there?"

Rukia smiled, and she replied, "It's always warm and sunny...no snow, no rain, and you'll be surrounded by people that accept you just as you are. In fact, your parents are both up there. Your mother is really looking forward to seeing you again, and she told me in her own words 'Tell him I love him...my little red prince.' Your father also stated how proud of you he is...you killed Ryokotsusei, a demon that your father could only battle into unconsciousness and seal him to a mountainside, you've made peace with your brother Sesshomaru, just as he'd always hoped you would, and now you've found someone who loves you completely...not just one part of you, both sides of your soul. You've been through so much hardship, Inuyasha, and yet you've still managed to hold onto your human heart, instead of turning murderous like so many other half-demons. That's why I was sent to guide you...I'm something of an outsider myself."

Inuyasha said, "Outsider? What do you mean, Rukia?"

She replied, "I died at a young age, and when I entered the afterlife, my then-friend and now-boyfriend, Renji, used to run around through the streets of the Rukongai...Soul Society's lower-class area. When we got older, both of us managed to gain entry into the Soul Reaper Academy, and I was adopted by one of the most noble families of the Soul Society, the Kuchiki's. My adoptive brother, Byakuya...he's one of the most powerful Soul Reapers of all, and he's also the Captain of the Sixth Squad. Renji is his Vice-Captain...his highest-ranked lieutenant. I'm a member of the Thirteenth Squad, under Captain Ukitake. There are thirteen squads in total, each led by a Captain, a Vice Captain, and several other lieutenants and other lower-ranked Soul Reapers. I'm not yet a seated officer, but I have earned the respect of my Captain. You'll like Captain Ukitake, Inuyasha. He's one of the nicest, most patient people I've ever met, and I have lots of other friends up there as well."

Inuyasha asked, "Who's in charge up there...besides God?"

Rukia replied, "Captain Yamamoto, Inuyasha. He leads the Council of Captains, and speaks directly to God himself. I've spoken to God a few times, but it's usually Captain Yamamoto that confers with him. Some of my other friends are Captain Unohana of Fourth Squad...she specializes in healing. There's Captain Kenpachi Zaraki and his Lieutenant Yachiru, and one of my best friends, Lt. Rangiku Matsumoto of Tenth Squad, and her Captain, Toshiro Hitsugaya. You'll be meeting them upon arrival in Soul Society...if Kagome doesn't get here in time. I am hoping she does come in time...I really do hate to tear apart two people that are planning to start a new life together."

Inuyasha blinked, and he said, "Y-you know I was going to ask her to marry me?"

Rukia smiled, and she replied, "Yes, I know. From up there in the Soul Society, I've been watching you and your friends ever since you were born...and especially since you all united to take down Naraku. I've seen the bumps in the road you've had with your relationship with Miroku, Sango, Shippo...and even Kagome, but I've also seen...and been very pleased with the way they've realized their mistakes...and how you've forgiven them all...especially Sesshomaru."

Inuyasha said, "I don't know where I'd be without them, Rukia...even though they drive me crazy sometimes, particularly Miroku or Shippo, they've both really helped me out over these last few days. Miroku may have started out as a lecher and a con-artist, but he's matured quite a bit...I think meeting Sango really helped him with that...she's given him something to live for, something to focus on along with getting rid of Naraku so he can be free of that Wind-Tunnel curse. While he may have called me names in the past, or been less-than-helpful, he's done quite a bit of work on making amends for that. Just a few weeks ago when we were fighting a bunch of demons, one of them went after Kagome, and he knocked it away with his staff, before Sango used her Hiraikotsu to split it in half. On the subject of Sango...she's the only one of us that can spar with me evenly...and she's human. I don't think I've ever known anyone that can fight anywhere near as ferociously as she can, aside from myself or Sesshomaru. She may have given me some trouble with the name-calling, and taken Kagome's side when we'd argue, but she hasn't done that for close to ten months now. She's saved us a great many times with her fighting skills, her knowledge of different demons, and the friendship she shares with Kagome...they're like sisters."

Rukia said, "I know how that feels, Inuyasha. One of my friends, Ichigo Kurosaki...I have a closer relationship to him and his own family than I do with my adoptive brother. Byakuya...he's so focused on his duties, he never has time for me. There are times I wish I could be adopted by Ichigo and his family...in fact, I prefer to spend most of my time at Ichigo's house anyway, rooming with his twin sisters."

Inuyasha said, "Sounds like the way my brother and I used to be...he wanted me dead for so many years, just for being half-human and inheriting the Tetsusaiga, one of the two swords our father forged from his fangs, the other one being Sesshomaru's Tensaiga. It wasn't until he adopted a little human girl named Rin, and began to realize just how important to him she was...he eventually adopted her as his daughter, and before long, he finally came to see the light...we were able to make peace, and he gave me his blessings to marry Kagome. She's become my reason for living, and I don't want to die without at least seeing her long enough to tell her how I feel about her. I hope..." Inuyasha coughed, and Rukia helped him sit up to ease the pain. Once the coughing stopped, Inuyasha said, "I hope she gets here in time...I love her so much, more than I ever loved Kikyo. She's the first human, other than my mother, to love and accept me...both halves of me. Even though she's lost her temper with me so many times, I could never find anyone that has the special gifts she does...her beauty, her strength...I've never seen her back down before, she's faced off against Naraku and almost killed him a couple times, and she's even shielded me from one of Sesshomaru's attacks...stopped him by jumping on top of me. She'd give her life to save mine, and I'd give my life for hers if I ever needed to."

Rukia replied, "I know, Inuyasha...she is truly a special young lady. You two are perfect for each other, and I truly hope she can make it before the sun goes down."

IN KOGA'S CAVE…..

"Boss? Hey, boss?' Several of the wolves said, knocking on Koga's door.

"Huh..huh…wha?" he mumbled, opening his eyes wearily. Being a Demon he didn't get hangovers, just sleeping off the drink was all he needed. "Did the sun go down yet?"

"Almost, boss. I'd say in just a little bit. The sky's starting to turn pink."

Koga practically jumped up. "It is? Heh, heh, fantastic! Just a little more time, and the half breed is gone up to the sky and my bride comes to my home!" He steeped out of the door and looked over where the waterfall was. The wolves had built a wooden arc right next to it and covered it with flowers. "Wow, boys, you've outdone yourselves, that is gorgeous! Like it's fit for a queen!"

"Speaking of queens, bass, I got the crowns you wanted," the wolf who was in charge of the crowns said, kneeling down to Koga and resenting him with what he had asked him to make. The crown meant for Kagome was small but lovely, made out of pure gold, and woven in an intricate design with tiny jewels at the very tips. The crown for Koga was also made of pure gold, it was even larger that Kagome's, and while it wasn't tipped with jewels, the decorations were huge and fancy. Koga took both in his hands and turned them over ad over in his hands, examining them. "These are fabulous, remind me to double your rations after the ceremony! OK, now you know when to present these, right? Just after the vows are exchanged and before the rings. Speaking of which, where are the rings?"

"Here they are, I took them from a jeweler's stand thus morning," came another wolf, putting a pair of gold bands into his paw.

"Lovely, OK, now keep them close to you until the ceremony, can ya be trusted with that?"

"You bet, boss!"

"Man oh man, what a day it's gonna be tomorrow!" All the wolves cheered their King and howled out loud.

"Cheers, cheers, cheers! May Koga live 900 years!"

Meanwhile Ginta and Hakkaku were standing just outside of the waterfall on the other side keeping an eye out and at the same time exchanging unsure and sorrowful looks. "I tell ya," Ginta said, "I don't like this. I don't like this at all."

"Ya think I do?" Hakkaku said "I don't want this to happen to Inuyasha! He's a good man, and after the hell he's been through, this is how his life's gonna end!" He sighed. "What did he ever do to deserve this? He's been so kind and good to everyone…even you and me even though we work with Koga! I feel wrong that we've even gotten mixed up in this!"

"Yeah, well, you know the boss, never listens to anything." He sighed. "What I'm really worried about is his friends. I mean, you know how close he is to them, especially to that cat!" he shuddered. "If that cat comes within an inch of us, knowing that we're part of Koga's tribe, oh man! You think we can maybe skip out on this wedding? Make up some sort of excuse to…..geez, it's the cat!" Ginta cried out as he and Hakkaku both ducked as Kirara soured over them toward Sesshomaru's castle. "Quick, huddle down so she can't see us!"

"The Slayer is right on his back, what if SHE sees us?"

"Looks like she's looking straight ahead…wonder what's underneath that blanket there?"

"Smells like herbs…guess she's preparing to purify his body."

"Hey, isn't that Sesshomaru flying right behind her?"

"Don't just stand there, stupid, duck! don't let him see you!"

"Oh man, oh man…what's Sesshomaru doing there?"

"Probably trying to catch up to Sango and grab Inuyasha's body for himself like that bastard would do so he could burn it!"

Koga came over just then. "What's going on here? What's happening?"

"Boss, we just saw the Slayer riding on the cat, and Sesshomaru was right behind her! I think they were heading for his castle!"

"BOTH of them…" Ginta stopped and sniffed the air. "Hey, you smell spices?"

"Yeah, I think the Slayer has the herbs to purify the body, but I dunno what Sesshomaru's doing."

"Isnt it obvious? Sesshy got Inuyasha, who's dieing as we speak so he can't fight him off, and is gonna stuff him and mount him on the wall! The Slayer is trying to stop him!"

Kikyo entered then with a big basket of flowers. "What's happening here?"

"Ha, a most welcome sight, my friend. The Slayer was just seen riding on her cat to the Western Lands to retrieve Inuyasha from his brother's castle so he can die with them.. Ha, too little too late to show you care, Slayer. Too little FAR too late! Sesshy is trying to stop her so he can mount Inuyasha on his wall!"

"Is he really?:"

"You bet. Hey, Kikyo…seeing as how poor dog-boy's life is gonna end in just a little while, what say we go to the castle ourselves to pay our respects to his dead body!" A lot of the wolves with him, with the exception of Ginta and Kakkaku, laughed out loud. "Come on, Kikyo, let's both go!" He turned to the wolves. "Half of you stay behind and start greeting the guests as they come. Show them to their guest rooms. The rest of you, with me!" He stuck his hand out to Kikyo. "May I?"

Meanwhile Shippo had made his way back to Sesshomaru's castle and ran up the stairs. "MIROKU! MIROKU!" Miroku shot up in the chair.

"Shippo?"

"She's here, she's here, Kagome's coming! She's coming, Miroku, Kagome's coming!"

"She's coming?"

"They found her, they brought her back, she's on her way here!"

"Thank God!"

Rukia's head snapped up. "Inuyasha, did you hear that? Kagome's coming! Hold on, she's on her way here."

"Kagome…on her way,…here…"

"Yes, yes…I can sense her, she's very close."

On the outside of the castle Kirara had landed just outside the castle, along with Sesshomaru. Kagome scrambled off of the cat, grabbed her backpack and dashed into the castle as fast as she could. Shippo raced downstairs and pointed the way to the room. As if her feet had wings she raced up the stairs, meeting Miroku in the doorway.

"Kagome! Thank God you're here!" he hugged her quickly.

"H…how is he, Miroku? Where is he?"

"Right there, behind that curtain. But be prepared, Kagome…it's not a pretty sight!" Kagome nodded and raced behind the curtain where her Inuyasha was. She gasped out loud. "INUYASHA! Oh my God!" She then turned and her eyes grew wide at what she saw.

"Who….who are you?"

KOGA: I tell ya, Kikyo, tomorrow is gonna be great!

KIKYO: Yes, when we both have what we want!

GINTA: Boss? You sure you wanna go see him NOW?

KOGA: Oh, what is it, ya Baby?

GINTA: I just…have this feeling…

KOGA: You can't make it through the damn DAY without having a feeling! I tell ya, nothing, and I mean absolutely NOTHING can stop us now, not even ol' Sesshomaru!

GINTA: Next chapter: The Miracle of Love. I tell ya, Boss, I don't think this is a good idea…