Twilight and breaking dawn have always held their own poignant beauties in the eyes of men. Dusk is the gentle maiden; she spreads out her crimson robe to welcome weary souls into their homes; her cool hands wipe the sweat from their brows and her gentle sighs put soothing balm over their tired bodies. Dawn is the noble warrior; he puts on his golden cape, rides his fiery chariot and marches, fearless and unstoppable, into the sky, urging all to action and wakefulness.

But that day as the last star faded from the sky, even Dawn stopped to look at him. That day he was nobler than Dawn, purified by the fire of his own torment. He prowled the forest that bore his name and still not destroyed a single tree, hurt not even a fly, contained his blazing agony only to the withering glance of his eyes. Mother Earth tried to caress his feet, the autumn chill tried to calm the heat of his breath, the eastern sky was stealing away the fire from his eyes to light up the morning mist – but none dared touch his heart that was raw and blistered with pain.

On that hushed daybreak not even a gentle breeze blew through the hazy paddy fields. Beyond them shivered the cobalt line of the river, then cowered the other bank, white, merging into the mourning dark forest, now on fire from the light of the eastern horizon. None dared make a sound.

That did not stop the thousand questions that echoed inside the Babel of his head.

"I want to be together with you, Inuyasha…there is no way I can forget about you."

How come you just did?

"The main thing is, I love Inuyasha!"

Lies?

"I was glad to be by your side."

Never!

"I'll always be with you."

Well I'm here. Where are you, Kagome?

Like a bolt out of the blue he remembered his reply to her, given almost a decade ago.

"In that case, I will protect you with my life."

He stopped dead in his tracks. The first, cruel rays of the rising sun framed him in gold as the world prepared for another day. He blinked away the tears that rose, unbidden, to his golden eyes. He found himself by the lotus pond – a teardrop on the face of the forest. There was a square stone on its bank upon which he and Kagome had spent so many beautiful nights together, their hearts beating as one while the stars shone like diamonds in the sky and the moon circled them.

That day, in the rising mist, he saw a young girl feeding the ducks. The girl looked up, and grinned at him.

"It seems like the red thread has pulled you to this place."

"Red thread, huh?"

"You haven't heard about it?"

"I have", he replied, the salty taste of renewed sorrow rising in his mouth, "some nonsense I heard from my mother."

"You don't believe in it?" the girl cocked her head on one side.

"No. I don't believe in love or destiny. And it's been some time since I stopped believing in miracles as well."

The Tenseiga had failed. He had tried the well, too, but could not coax any magic out of it. As a last resort he had tried prayers, but she remained as cold as before. And then they talked about starting funeral preparations. It had made him nauseous.

"What do you believe in, hanyou?"

"She's gone now, and yet I remain", he snarled, biting each word, "so I can tell you. I believe in nothing and no one anymore."

The girl merely laughed. Why was he talking to her anyway? But at least this was better than hearing them talk about the funeral.

"You cannot control life or death. We come and go at Kami-sama's will. That is the destiny we all share. Everyday we are meeting people, in course we part from them, and then we meet new people. Life goes on. The wheels of Time grind all our joys and sorrows on their path, marking ages and millennia. When has the world stopped for our suffering?"

Fire gave way to tears, as he uttered the dreadful realization that was burning his soul for three days. Inuyasha knelt on the ground, suddenly overcome with weariness. "She thought her being here didn't make a difference…I could not tell her…she never knew…"

"Ah…regrets! Regrets are but natural with the passing away of a loved one. No matter what we do, can we ever say we have done enough, loved enough, said enough? What heart has remained unhurt after loving, after looking for love? If you do not feel regret, I will say that you have never loved at all!"

Inuyasha looked up at the girl. Who was she? How old was she? "She has a son. He is crying for his mother. The villagers need her – she's their priestess and their doctor. The world needs her – who else will pick a hanyou from the dirt and give him a home and a family? The world needs her more than it needs me. Why couldn't it have been me instead of her?"

"You will also go when your turn will come. Till then, you must wait. Now go home and cherish whatever she has done for you. Raise your son. Protect the village. Respect her memories."

"Kagome was my home, my guiding star. Without her, it's just a house."

The girl looked at him thoughtfully. "You know, it will be a shame to let such love go waste. I am a kuromiko, I can summon people's souls at my will. If you so desire, I will summon your wife's spirit so you can see her alive one last time."

"Won't that hurt her?"

"The soul passes beyond the realm of hurt and pain. I promise it won't hurt her. But in exchange you must give me your lovely fire rat robe."

Inuyasha laughed, in spite of his pain. "I can give much more to have a glimpse her." Alive, vibrant – like she used to be, not cold and silent like right now.

"Hmm. Let me see if I can tempt you for a second time. I can sustain her spirit long enough to let her hear your words. But after that she will pass on to the spirit realm for all eternity."

"Can you do that? Really?" He would be able to tell her how he felt! If he had just one chance, just a chance to let her know…

"Yes, really. But in exchange you need to give me the sword at your waist."

"Take it. It was meant for her protection and she is no more. It is of no use to me now"

The girl laughed and clapped her hands. "Very good. Now for the final temptation. What if I conjure her up in flesh and blood so you can bestow one last kiss upon her? What if you can savour the feel of her lips against yours, the warmth of her face, the safety of her arms around you?"

Surely the girl was joking. In flesh? He wanted to doubt her but what of the painful thumping of his heart that belied his true desire?

"If you can do that, I will pay any price for it. But I am afraid I have already pledged everything to you."

"Oh you have much more to give. Like I said, I am a dark priestess. I eat people's youth and beauty to appear young and beautiful myself. If you wish me to summon your wife in flesh, one last time, you have to give me your youth and beauty in exchange. You shall live the many centuries that you are destined to live, but you shall be old and decrepit, unable to defend anyone including yourself. You shall be afflicted by many illnesses and look so hideous that your own son will turn away from you in horror and disgust. No villager will give you shelter or food. For centuries you shall lurk in the outskirts of forests, surviving on vermin, shunned by all. All this in exchange for a kiss, and then you lose her for all eternity. Are you willing?"

Inuyasha rose from his place, his mind finally clear, the voices gone. "You drive an easy bargain, dark priestess." He replied calmly. "I would have given you more, had you asked for it. Can we do this now?"