AN; I am so sorry for the delay on this chapter. I've written seven different variations and I hate this one the least. I hope that it carries on well. I've already started on the next chapter and it's coming so much more naturally.

Please be gentle with this one.

Thank you to my readers and reviewers! I love hearing from you and I think that I may have the very best.

La Pisces; Thank you very much! A lot of things are answered in this chapter. Setting up for the action is so hard! Haha.

I also feel really bad about making Ayame so mean. She just seemed fiery enough of a character that she could have a mean streak in her. ;)

Child of Dreamz; Thanks. :)

I'm pro-Sango and Miroku. I just have to get him in the story. Haha. Which is kind of hard. But, I'm really glad that you enjoy the interaction between InuYasha and Kagome.

Nice Stories; I appreciate your feedback so much. It makes me feel so much better as a writer. Life isn't black and white and I'm glad that you see that in this. That makes me so happy!

Anime Lady PIMP; I'd have probably been just like that if I was in that situation. ;)

SexyxAngelx09; Nah, we are well on the road to a San/Mir. InuYasha and Kagome have a bit to go, but I'm trying to get that rolling. Haha.

ninjamidori; I was doing really good with updates for a while there! D:

You guys are getting a second chapter at some point today for such a long wait!

*crosses fingers* Hopefully this will be up to par! Enjoy my friends.

Chapter 10

Reflection

The explanation of prosperity contained a loose meaning, burying the bows of many ships into the depths of the sea, only to be buoyant enough to carry on. To earn your way, to continue to preserve what able hands have so woefully created, isn't that enough to consider yourself lucky in the times of strife?

Sango supposed that Ayame had been corrupted by the lifestyle of a queenly Shibuya wife. The same perserverance she had sought seemed far fetched. She'd know the woman had been callous before, but never to the extent as she was upon her visit. It was bad enough that the poison that laced her words were true, let alone the assumption that she had taken Miroku from her.

What had happened between them wasn't the violent betrayal that Ayame believed. It was something that Sango could only grasp and hold. She doubted another woman could have ever felt as she did during those times.

Alas, a scowl traced the edges of the woman's mouth as she held Shippo's hand. The little boy was stuffed, rubbing his full tummy as though he was soothing an infant. Buyo still stuck out from his collar, leaving his visibilty stifled.

He'd wondered why they had left her friend's luxurious home so soon. It was like a dream to sleep upon those silky sheets, and rest in that plush, pillow filled mattress. It had been something like he'd seen on the television.

Sango had told him that Ayame was sick and she didn't want to get the boy anymore ill than he was. He'd gotten a case of the sniffles, and she blamed it on the Shibuya woman. It had been two days since they'd left her and that sticky note still burned holes in the woman's pocket.

Her free hand felt the edges of the paper as though it would harm her. She wanted nothing more than to run to that address and see if he remembered her. Of course, she knew that he did, but the fleeting feeling of curiousity was more than enough to drive her wild.

She'd thought enough to call the hospital to see if InuYasha had been there, and was eased at hearing that he was fine. He'd visited Old Totosai and Kaede-baba the day before, and apparently was green as grass when he left.

Apparently, whatever had happened there, hadn't been pleasant - from what her coworkers had said, anyway.

Sango closed her eyes for a moment and escaped the bustling streets. She smelled the wafting plumes of yakitori stands and ramen carts as she passed by them. Shippo made aching sounds whenever he saw the food, being sickened by the sheer sight.

He'd been happier than he ever had been, being able to see such an illustrous city. Sango had taken him to the theme park, took him on rides, and took him to an arcade. It was like a child's dream.

Shippo just wished that she would act like she was having a good time. He and Buyo loved on her as she relented to his tugs. Reaching down, she picked up the small boy in her arms.

"What are we going to do now, Sango?" The curly haired boy asked, clinging to her warmth like a glove on a hand.

The woman kissed his forehead and smiled crookedly, trying her best to avoid the throngs of teenage girls standing outside of the Shinjuku shops. "I-I want to go see an old friend, but I don't know if that's going to work out so well." Her lips fell into a frown, finding her head roaming dangerous territory.

Shippo scrunched his nose at the snow flake that fell upon it. "InuYasha always talked about when he lived here. Can we go see where he lived?" The little boy was curious, aware that that statement was broader than it was direct.

He knew that InuYasha had lost his home, but the sentiment of seeing where his newly found father had been from excited him. And, the boy had felt it the right opportunity to ask, seeing as how Sango had kept them roaming aimlessly for the past hour.

Reluctantly, the woman rolled the idea over her head, stopping just short of a crosswalk. She sat the boy down and knelt to his level, brushing her hair from her doe eyes. "Listen," She said softly, trying to keep her nerves from rattling. "If I take you, you have to promise me something, okay?

Shippo clutched to Buyo, holding him to his mouth as he nodded. His eyes inspected the hestitation on the woman's flushed face, leaving him utterly curious. "What do I need to promise?" His mouth pouted slightly as Sango sighed.

Her shaky hands pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket and eyed it for a moment. Her heart was gusting side to side and every which way it wanted to go. "Promise that if you see me get upset, that you won't."

The little boy's brows furrowed as the snow began to pick up. The pedestrians on the street zipped by with their heavy coats and umbrellas expanded. "Why would you get upset?"

Sango sniveled, trying to push back the feelings that she'd suppressed. "Because, we're going to go see someone who's very important to me, okay? I just want you to know that I'm okay." She said quietly, readjusting the buttons on the boy's new coat.

Shippo nodded, "I promise. I just don't want you to cry anymore." He said, finding her eyes laying on him like a blanket. They were etched with tears that she wouldn't let fall and she sucked them back.

"Alright, baby. He lives where InuYasha used to live." Sango wiped her nose as she raised off the ground, brushing off the damp knee of her jeans.

The cold hit her hard when she stood up, nipping at the edges of her ears and cheeks. Her neck felt like the icy knife of winter had cut into her flesh.

Shippo had probably felt the same when the wind swept by. Idly, the woman buried herself in her coat as they headed to the train station. There was a vibrant thrush of memories that warmed her, darting from one moment to the next in a violent fervor.

Tsukiji's train had already left by the time they had arrived, leaving the trio - Buyo included - to meander around the shops. Sango bought Shippo a small blue umbrella to keep the snow out of his fine hair.

He was antsy to get out of the decorated novelty shop near the station. Buyo was flying around on the edge of his hand, making his excitement more than apparent. Not only did he have this umbrella, something that he had never owned, but was going to see the sights he'd dreamed of seeing.

Sango was just about as nervous, tapping her hands upon the counter. The woman at the register seemed irritated, but kept her mouth sewn shut. She was waiting for her to get done wrapping a small box and it seemed like a lifetime had passed by.

Each crinkle of the golden paper cried out as if it was slowly dying. A hammering blew through her ears, marking the coiling silver string that bound the gift together. When the thin woman finally sat it down on her lavish counter, she forced a smile.

Sango had never been so happy to see money leave her hands. As she took the box and stuffed into her silky coat pocket, she grabbed Shippo's hand, leading him out into the busy street.

Immediately, his umbrella opened, guarding him and his beloved bunny from the rain of snow. The cold cusped his cheeks as they rushed around a corner to the train platform. Sango danced on her feet, back and forth, up and down, as the train doors opened, expelling the innards of its former capacity.

The woman grabbed Shippo, pulling him close as she fought her way on the train. It had been something she'd never missed and didn't think she ever would. The boy was dumbfounded by the amount of people that could fit in one compartment.

He looked around in awe as Sango gripped to a pole beside her. Everything that dwelled inside of her exploded. She wanted to vomit from her nervousness as the doors closed and the recorded voice chirped destiations and warnings.

The satisfaction of knowing that her will was stronger than her mind was all too surreal. There wasn't a fraction of her body that seemed like it could withstand the destructive force that crushed her.

In a few brief moments, most of which that blurred by like the city in her window, she could be lost in the mura.

She hoped that he remembered her the way she was. That lively woman was gone, whisked away by the remorse and life she was forcing herself to lead. Every broken part of her skin could be put back together, but all of the pieces weren't there.

Kohaku's death had driven her mad. It left her in the state that she had been ever since. No matter how long ago, it was still the freshest wound. Ayame had just douced her with the stingy salt of her words.

It felt as if she was lacerated, drowning in an ocean. Miroku had been everything up until that point, and it was her fault that it had ended. The guilt, the writhing regret surged in her as she forced herself to be strong.

Shippo nuzzled lovingly in the woman's leg. Her fingers ruffled his bangs, toying with the ends when the train began to slow. The rush of adrenaline kicked it, blinding her with pseudo courage.

She looked down at the boy and his worn rabbit and waved his arm back and forth as they waited for the dismissal. They exited to the smell of the sea, and its familiar balmy breath.

As they stood on the platform, Sango's dark eyes scanned the slanted, gray landscape looking for the only man she had ever loved.

Love? How fleeting of a thing. The ones to long for are always swallowed by the threads of fate and knitted into an intagible web of circumstance.

A person cannot be unbroken, or unpacked of their extra weight. They merely exist with a lessened sense of self in order to blur their reality with that of another.

It's blind to the bad, and often to the good. Love smears the lines on the paper, graying what was once so defined.

Kagome had felt that way for years. Her one love left her unattended beneath the smoky skies of Kyoto. He'd left in his plaid shirt, scruffy face, and with a woman she didn't recall the name of.

Her face scrubbed against her pillow trying to erase any trace of him. He was a summer love, the one that she couldn't really have. Afterwards, she had been so trusting.

It was her fault that she had let Bankotsu close. It was her. Every tawdry thing that had happened to her was of her own doing, she scowled. Blaming herself was the only was to justify any of this.

It may have been the furthest thing from the truth, yet she was content in believing it.

It disappointed her that she was such a coward that she'd forced InuYasha to lie to her grandparents. They'd taken drastic measures to make sure she was left unnoticed. Everything felt as though it was crumbling.

The sea was eroding her.

The panic attacks were violently shattering what semblance of reality she had left as she tossed and turned in her bed. The ceiling fan was obnoxious, ticking like a clock in its rickety tune. Each solitary sound clunked, clacked, banged in a tune that she abhored.

She would have turned the damn thing off, but it was never cold enough. It was already cold in the house, but it was never quite enough to quell the burning of her pale skin.

Kagome felt like a sailor, plunging to death in the frigid arctic waters. She let out a sigh, flipping on her back to see the familiar flicker of the television, playing some Korean drama.

Being alone was murderous. Her hands wound in her hair, pulling away from her face. The small scratches and cuts had begun to heal, leaving her blank, just like she felt.

She itched to have someone beside her. Every sound was like a haunting memory chasing her down. She wasn't safe in her own bed, the one that InuYasha had taken for the length of his stay.

Her breathing was ragged as she disrobed. It was too hot, now. The long sleeve shirt she'd worn was tossed on the floor, leaving her heaving chest exposed. She creased away the cold sweat that beaded on her flesh, like removing a casing that was binding her.

Closing her eyes, she thought of her family. If they had known, she would be wrapped within their warm arms. Comfort seemed so far away as she lay alone.

Kaede-baba's brambled hands couldn't soothe her if even she was home to do so. Hearing her voice, that old hoarse voice, had done more damage than it was worth. She'd listened to the call that the man had made, guiding him through each move.

InuYasha had been forced to leave her alone when he took the old couple a few snapshots and clothes. The hospital had kindly offered refuge for the pair, noting how ill Totosai had become.

In that room, it smelled stagant, full of cleaner and medication.

Kaede-baba was hunkered down in the chair beside her husband, briskly rubbing her hand over his withered skin. His eyes were no longer bright, being swallowed with age and worry. He resembled an old tree limb, twisted and flaking beneath the weather.

InuYasha hadn't faired too well seeing his saviors so weak. Kaede looked as though her home was the least of her worries. She'd rasped to him, telling him the sweet lie that 'things are just things, they can be replaced.'

The man could tell that she was distraught over the loss of her business and her home. He hadn't known how long they had resided there, but all that mattered was that they would have somewhere to go in the end.

Old Totosai never spoke. He just drifted in and out of the restless sleep that they had prescribed him through the needles in his veins. Every time InuYasha wanted to tell him that Kagome was alive, and that she was at home with him, he refrained from fear.

Kaede's empty holes bore into him, her hands dishelving her wiry gray hair from its tight bun. "Please, take care of my home the best you can." She said, her eyes returning to her ailing love.

InuYasha nodded, swallowing hard. He'd never wanted to lie to them. Their hope had hung so heavily on finding Kagome that it was devastating to withold the brunt of that knowledge.

He wanted to tell them that he -well, Bankotsu, thanks to his wallet - had bought her new clothes, some good nurishing food, and things to repair the house. Yet, he suppressed it the best he could.

It took all of his strength to speak to the woman as her rough hands cupped his cheeks, looking up at him with nothingness in her eyes. "Please, InuYasha, I just want to have warmth in my home again. I need to feel that before I go. Papa does, too."

Her body shook as she withstood the proverbial wind that wanted to flounder her. The man pressed his forehead to hers, trying his best to keep his eyes from actually meeting hers. In all of his years, this kind of guilt had never clung to him.

It was maddening to hold that kind of power.

"I know, Kaede-baba." He whispered, looking at the machines flicker on and off. "I need to meet Sango and Shippo at some point. They're still in Tokyo and I have business I should take care of. I promise I'll do what I can, and I'll only be gone a few days."

The woman pressed her mouth in a gummy line, trying to straighten the wrinkles. She sniveled, retracting her hands to press against her chest. "I want that boy home!" Kaede said, missing the soft banter of his voice as he talked to Buyo. "I have no one to tell secrets to, because I don't trust either of you."

InuYasha would have laughed had he not been eaten alive by that guilt thing he'd thought about. He did find it amusing that she was so bold. A smirk creased his lips, leaving her satisfied in easing the situation.

The woman's hands patted InuYasha's back as he stood up, "As soon as you take care of that business, I want you home so I can show you how to cook that boy a proper meal. You can't rely on Sango forever, boy." She cooed, loving him as if he was her own.

"I'm sorry that someone broke in. I'm just glad I was home to take care of it. I just wish it could have been different." InuYasha shrugged as he grabbed his coat.

Kaede swatted the air, "Lives are more important than things. The only things I want are people, and I can't always have them, can I?" She said with a melancholy wave washing over her.

He lowered his head in response to the beeping monitors and sighed. What could he have said to that? Her husband was dying and the piece that sewed everything together was at their house, reliving the nightmare of the past year.

His nails scratched at his eyebrow as he gave the woman a reassuring hug and left. The walk to the elevator had been numbing, resounding with a silence he basked in as he floated down to the bottom floor.

Tokyo was imminent, but he had some more work to do first. The pile of shit kept getting bigger, he glowered. The woman at the front desk watched him go, chatting on the phone idly.

He didn't care for her much. She was nary as sweet as Sango and couldn't wait for her to be back in this hell hole. At least then, he knew that Old Totosai would be taken care of, even if she wasn't the one doing it.

The damp wind seemed to knock him back into reality as he mouted his rusty bike. The night was dark, drab in comparison to how lovely the day had been. He mused over the visit, trying to comprehend the severity of his actions.

The will he had was reflective of hatred for himself. He was a strong man, but even the strongest of men have weaknesses. It was true for the woman in that house and the prisoners of the hospital.

Kagome, however, was diluted by the sense of pride that Bankotsu had shattered into so many pieces. Finding all of them would take a lifetime, but he was happy to help her if she could be happy.

He wanted nothing more than his son to be happy, as well. Sango was a nuturing soul and deep down, he knew that he was safe and fed. If anything had been wrong she would have notified someone and they would have told him at the infirmary, surely.

With a sigh, he found that time had escaped him, leading him down the familiar crook to his home. The lights were still light and the scent of blood was still fresh upon the snowy earth.

As he parked his bike next to the old porch, he stumbled in, kicking off his wet shoes. His jacket shucked itself to the floor as he made his way to his room. The smell of cookies hit his nose and he knew Kagome was still awake.

Even in the wreckage, that was the one thing that she had for from the store. A girl needed something of familiarity and comfort. No one could feel bad with sugar brooding in their system.

The man blew a hot breath in his bangs as he slipped off his sweaty shirt and tossed it over his shoulder. The hallway was just about finished, he noticed. It was more like admiration of his hard work over the past couple of days.

The concept of sleep was bittersweet. A yawn curled out of his mouth as he gripped the handle to his room. The low hum of the television gripped him, ripping him out of the harshness of the day.

He hadn't wanted to sleep so badly since the first night he was in Akita. All of the memories that flooded him slowly shook free until he actually got the door open.

InuYasha may have very well been a teenage boy. He froze to the tip of his toes, trying his best to keep his startled expression to himself.

Kagome laid vacant, half naked and sprawled on the crumpled sheets and blankets. Her breathing was heavy and her skin lacquered with a fine sheet of sweat.

The boy's heart was wild, jostling in a violent dance to escape.

The girl on the bed tore her eyes from the ceiling and let her gaze rest upon him. Her heart was just as voracious as his, skin just as dark. It was like her body moved on its own, pushing her to her feet.

The overwhelming feeling of being alone had pummeled her into such a state, she could barely register the depth of what she had done. Her arms latched around him, feeling the clamminess of his bare skin against hers.

InuYasha flinched beneath her, clenching his jaw as he still looked away. He felt her smooth hair crease across his chest, soothing it with its cool waves. "Um, Kagome, what are you doing?" He asked, holding his breath as tightly as he could.

The girl nuzzled into his skin, taking in his scent. She was trembling violently, trying to maintain any sense of strength. "Don't leave me here alone. Please. I can't stand to be alone. I wanted to be, but I can't. I still need someone and I'm sorry." She whispered, her voice was just as wobbly as her legs.

InuYasha closed his eyes, tongue dampening his dry lips. He pulled the shirt off his shoulder and handed it to her, never taking his hestitant gaze from the wall. "Put this on, then I'll sit with you for a while. I just talked to your grandparents." The man rasped, trying to make himself devoid of the stirrings in his body. "We need to talk about some things."

He was just a man, after all. A lonely one at that. No matter how his body screamed, he refused to take advantage of the damaged girl and relaxed when the woman detached and pulled away.

The softness of her body was gone, leaving him empty and chilled by the blows of the fan. It was all he could do to keep himself in check as she turned away to quickly pull the shirt over her head.

It came as and after thought how embarrassed she was, but it didn't matter. He was back and she wasn't befriending the ghosts in her head.

Her self respect was something she couldn't hold anymore. It was something she would have to earn again. This vacany sign that hung in her eyes had to be turned off.

InuYasha ran a hand through his mussed hair, slicking out the heat of his hand. When he felt secure, he looked down at her and absently pulled her bubbled hair from the collar of the shirt.

The girl lowered her head, arms latching around herself as she was swallowed by his shirt. "I'm sorry, InuYasha. I-I just..." She stammered, eyes darting across the floor as if it could creak and speak up for her.

Closing her eyes, she finally stopped the world from moving in the acute rotation around her thoughts. "Are-are they alright?"

InuYasha bit his lip and gestured for her to climb back in the bed with her crumbs. He brushed them off and sat down with his back to the girl, as she climbed upon the other side.

A pillow was crushed against her chest as she watched his even, slow breathing. His back was hunched and his arms laid across his knees. She could hear the worry and exhaustion in his voice, leaving her confused by the comfort he brought.

"Kaede-baba is alright. She's just worry about Old Totosai. He's not doin' too well." The man said, shooting her a half glance over his shoulder. "I told her that I had some business to take care of, and I need to know, before I do anything if you are coming with me or staying here."

The boy turned around completely, facing her with a seriousness in his eyes. It made her blush reappear as she stiffened beneath his gaze. His words were hazardous to the fragility she was struggling with.

Licking her lips, Kagome let herself fall slack on the bed. Her eyes lingered on the man for a moment, inspecting his five o'clock shadow and newly forming crows feet. She didn't know what to tell him, let alone what to think.

A moment of heavy quiet passed, leaving her struggling to make a sound. When it finally erupted from her lips, she was proud, relieved that something had finally translated from her brain to her pittling mouth.

"Is Papa dying?"

Those words reflected the reality that she had been hiding from behind the two way mirror that lead to the Neverland she had sought. Coming home only meant more problems to contend with and she wasn't ready. Leaving wasn't the answer either, but what could she do?

InuYasha plopped down his back, a good foot away from her. Both stared at the ceiling fan, circulating like the earth. He'd fairly known what to tell her. Then again, did he really need to solidify what she already knew?

Dread pricked at him with its acute claws, making his skin feel like it was raw. Kagome looked as though she felt the same, curling herself into a ball with her pillow pressed against her stomach.

No matter what she had gone through, she was still so loving beneath the exterior she presented.

A gruff sigh escaped his lips and he shook his head slightly, trying to formulate the proper wording, but it had failed him. "I think that you should come with me to the hospital tomorrow. I know that you don't want to yet, but I think that they need to see you."

The girl was empty. She couldn't feel the tears that dribbled from her eyes, or the sound of her heart pounding into her stomach. It was like she was completely devoid of feeling anything more than she already had.

InuYasha knew that the distraught woman would collapse beneath the pressure, but for tonight...

Just for tonight, InuYasha swallowed his pride and went limp against his back. His head was cradled by a plume of his hair, wrapping around the pillow like a silver halo. A hand reached for Kagome's, his eyes searching her pallid face.

The girl's shaky hand entered his and relaxed at the tension in his muscles. The gentle squeeze and reassured her as she brought her knees to touch his stomach. No matter how badly she wanted to look at him, and thank him, she stayed silent chasing away the monsters that were drawn across the map of her life.

Neither knew what tomorrow would bring. Yet, as InuYasha closed his eyes, blacking out the trials of the day, he knew that he would do right by her.

Sometimes, it's the only thing you can do.

AN; Well, that was the beast.

Let me know what you guys thought, good or bad.

The next chapter is the introduction to Miroku, as you guys most likely know.

He's my favorite character to write for.

Thanks for reading! :D