Chapter 16
(Unknown 2)*
The woman looked up at the man. Cold eyes met softer, guiltier ones. "You found something?" Her voice broke at the idea of hope.
The man produced a withered scroll from the sleeve of his kimono and placed it in front of her. Accidently their hands brushed. The woman's hands were as cold as death. He pressed his hand to hers for a moment conveying to her some of his warmth. This was a harsh winter but she had no reason to suffer. He noted the guilt in her eyes. So freezing herself was some form of penance. It would not fix the sins of the past, their sins. They had all failed.
"She wouldn't want this." The man said. He looked to the other man. "Brother, what will you do when she is found?"
"I'm going to protect her, that's what!" His brother growled.
"That isn't what I meant. Time has passed. So much will have changed for her as well. She will not be the one we knew."
"It doesn't matter." The woman said. "It doesn't matter if she has become a monster she belongs with us. We all love her because that's what she does. She doesn't have to try she shines like a star."
The men watched as tears formed in her eyes. She was right. No matter what had changed they still remembered the love and hope she had inspired in them. The man who had brought the scroll nodded and left the shrine. The other man knelt beside her as they unrolled the scroll. The spell would take time and effort but it would be worth it, if they could save her.
*refers to chapter 13.5 (shows up as 13 12 because it won't let me add punctuation)
A/N: Yay, fillers! (Yeah, not). Sorry the Chunin exams are just really long and take a lot of explaining especially throwing Kagome into the mix. Also, I do (surprisingly) have a life outside of fanfiction. For example, I am a senior in high school and have a ton of work to do.