Suffocating darkness filled the void in which he stood, and a dreadful fear crept up into his subconscious, warning him of plagued thoughts regarding certain friends just on the other side. Cold hands encased his form, chilling him as he reached out for the warmth of those he had come to know and understand, however, with failed attempts, unbearable poundings echoed in his head, eliciting pain and dizziness which caused him to fall into the perpetual blackness.

Startled, he rose up, the sheets tossed to the side carelessly. Upon his awakening, he realized he was no longer in the palace in battle with his comrade, but rather was sitting in a soft mattress of a small room, quite similar to that in the Stock Pot Inn.

Bandages were wrapped neatly around his torso and upper left shoulder, and he was only dressed in his beige pants. Beside him in the bed was nicely folded tunic, complements of Anju he was sure. His weapons, his shield and sword, along with his bow and quiver of arrows were placed against the furthest wall near the dresser, and an open window beside him let in a gentle breeze. Judging by the sun's position, it was probably late evening, at least 7pm.

As he sat there, caught up in his thoughts, he couldn't help but wonder what could have transpired after he had collapsed from his injury. Obviously, since he was in bed, he was sure his friends were alright. If that was the case, then perhaps the battle went well?

Gathering the green tunic, he dressed himself before exiting the room. Although his hair was somewhat untidy, he decided to leave it alone, abandoning his cap in the room for now.

Upon his exit, he walked down the hall of the Inn, passing several vacant rooms, but as he reached the staircase, he heard the familiar voices of, Miroku and Kafei below.

Silently sweeping the wooden floors near the main desk, Anju, who was always garbed in her lovely ivy dress and maroon vest with white sleeves, smiled at him mid-sweep. "You're finally up," she began. "You gave your friends quite a scare."

"Where are they?" Link asked curiously. He was sure he heard Miroku and Sango nearby.

Anju smiled. "Miroku and Kafei are in the kitchen, and everyone else is outside," she explained.

"I see. Thank you for the tunic," He muttered awkwardly, but Anju only waved it off.

"Next time, don't come in here injured," she teased.

Link nodded.

OOO

Taking down the laundry strung on the lines just outside of the Stock Pot Inn, Kagome couldn't help but smile cheerfully to herself. Finally, after so much hard work scrubbing her uniform, the blood stains had finally come out. "Much better, huh Sango?"

The slayer nodded. Sango was dressed in her normal attire, a regular pink kimono. Her weapons were inside the house in the upstairs bedroom that she and Kagome shared for the night. "I'm amazed the stains came out."

"Me too." After folding the laundry and placing them in a basket, complements of Anju, the priestess searched around the area. "Where do you think Inuyasha and the others ran off to?"

Sango wasn't sure. "Who knows? Dinner will be ready soon though," she explained.

Too bad they were only able to stay for this one day. Apparently, when they returned to Clock Town early that afternoon, carrying Link who was terribly wounded, Kagome remembered Inuyasha telling them that the soldiers wouldn't let him pass into the town for some reason.

Everyone else was able to enter town quite easily, only because they had help from Kirara and Shippo of course. Kirara had carried her, Sango and Link and Shippo carried both Pamela and Miroku. Inuyasha had decided to run instead, and when he was refused entrance into Clock Town, he stubbornly jumped over the walls despite the protest of the guards stationed outside.

Upon their entrance of course, the town was eerily quiet. Posters were put up on every wall and shop with Sakon's face plastered to it. It seemed as if the whole town was on max security, in order to ensure the safety of the townsfolk.

Unfortunately, Anju and Kafei were quite busy preparing rooms due to their long list of reservations in the morning; apparently tourists were visiting. For today, Anju allowed the gang to stay the night, but allowing a room for Pamela to stay for some time was not optional, in fact, Anju found it quite odd that they wanted the little girl to stay by herself at the Inn without the accompaniment of a parent.

However, after explaining their reasoning for wanting Pamela to stay, Anju suggested that they pay a visit to Romani's Ranch, seeing as how it was on their way toward the Swamp Lands. There, she said a good friend of hers would no doubt be delighted for some company and that having Pamela around wouldn't be a problem, in fact, the owner had a younger sister about the same age as Pamela. Also, there were extra rooms on the ranch, so it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to stop by.

"I think that about does it," Sango picked up one the basket of clothing.

Kagome nodded. Now that the laundry was taken care of, she and Sango could finish up with cleaning a little before dinner. "I wonder if Link is up?" She pondered. Ever since they got back, he hadn't woken up.

Serena, who had been sitting silently on the line listening to their conversation, couldn't help but look up at the closed window to Link's room. Was he really okay? When he had suddenly collapsed, coughing up blood, she thought he was a goner for sure; that had been the first time she'd seen Link in such a critical state, and it scared her.

"Are you coming, Serena?" Kagome asked with the door leading into the Stock Pot Inn open.

With one last look, she fluttered after the two girls. Maybe Link was awake. Surely he wouldn't sleep all day.

The warmth from the hearth greeted the three when they stepped in, and an ever smiling innkeeper welcomed them back. A pleasant aroma filled the room, and Kagome practically felt her stomach growl.

"It smells good," Kagome exclaimed joyously while wiping the perspiration from her brow.

Anju nodded and took the basket from Sango's arms. "I'll take these up to the rooms. Why don't you three relax? Dinner is almost done." With that, she was about to walk up the stairs, but Kagome called out.

"Is Link up?" she asked.

Turning around, Anju offered a kind smile. "He is. He went to the roof a short time ago."

"The roof?" All three replied baffled.

OOO

With his arms propped up upon the small fence in front of him, Link rested his head in his arms and looked out upon East Clock Town. A distant look crossed his countenance, as he observed the silence of the settlement. Things had certainly changed since their last visit, of that, he was certain.

As he stood there, absently thinking, thoughts from a couple days ago surfaced. Link remembered the strange night he had come upon Shippo in the forest with the ghost girl, but before that, he'd been sleeping, and a strange voice spoke to him in that dream. Who was the voice? The voice was oddly familiar, yet even so, it often spoke to him in his dreams, questioning him about dreams and what made a hero.

Flash Back.

"Oh how the mighty have fallen…wouldn't you agree?"

Questionably, Link searched around. "Who's there?" When a reply failed to call back, he reached for his blade strapped to his side. His hand rested over the handle. "Show yourself."

"My, aren't we prudent…Just what is it that makes a hero?"

Link narrowed his eyes. What made a hero? Just what was this? "What do you want? Are you responsible for those visions?"

"Me?" For a moment, there was silence, until the voice spoke once again. "What is it that makes a dream? Is the person themself responsible…or is it someone else?"

"Who are you?"

A laugh resonated around him. Suddenly, a giant eye ball appeared seemingly unattached to the darkness. Its green irises watched him. "Who I am, isn't important, it's me who should be asking the questions, is it not?"

Since when did his dreams question him? He removed his hand from his blade, though his awareness did not die down. "When one intrudes upon another's sleep, then it is that person's right to ask questions. Now explain. What do you want of me?"

"Were you always this critical? What happened to the little boy that wanted to see it all?"

"What?"

"Hmm? Have you forgotten? It wasn't that long ago that you had big dreams. Care to remember?"

End Flash back.

What had happened to the boy who had wanted to see the world? Link's desire to see the new places did not end, in fact he aspired to learn more, but old memories of his homeland haunted him; he missed his friends. Promises were made but broken, only because he lost his confidence years back during his search for his invaluable friend. For a Hylian like himself, and having braved the Lost Woods many times with his guardian fairy, without her guidance, he had wandered through the foliage, even going so far as to delve into the deepest parts of the woods only to fall into another world, similar yet so different from Hyrule.

"If your dreams bother you so much, then why not stop dreaming?"

Stop dreaming? If his past memories bothered him so much, he could simply stop it? How was that possible? Wasn't it best to keep those you loved engraved in your heart? Friends could never be forgotten, but to remember something so terrible…no matter how painful wasn't it best to keep them close? Having no memories…it would be sad…wouldn't it?

"But then again…if you stopped…you would in no time forget those you loved…pity…yet you seem better now that you made some new friends, isn't that right?"

To not have known a true friendship would no doubt leave one feeling empty and lonely. Sure Link's desire was to see the world, but he also wanted to meet new people. From the very beginning he was alone, without the love from a parent, belittled and bullied by the selfish and cowardly, but he did see a world he could have never imagined. He made friends…kept true to promises, but after his efforts seemed in vain and sent back in time to relive a childhood he had thrown away, he felt…lost and without a sense of purpose. What was a former 'Hero of Time' to do with his life now that he was a child again? Relive his innocent youth? It wasn't as simple as it seemed. Through all the hardships he faced, he was much older in mind than in body and felt detached from himself.

Of course he found that sense of purpose when he arrived in Termina. The land was cursed into a never ending cycle of catastrophe and without a hero to lend a helping hand. Link believed he was destined to aid the people; even though he found it impossible to return to his previous childhood, he knew that his life had a meaning; it was to help others. But even though he helped them, no one knew of his struggle; no one knew him as the 'Hero of Time,' or the 'Savior of Termina.' It seemed to him that his presence, no matter where it might be, was like a fleeting moment. One day he was there risking his life for the sake of others and the next he was gone, and his achievements wasted and forgotten. Why wasted…because in the end…Hyrule suffered and Link was unable to fully secure peace to a land destined to end.

"You deny what's most important to you…if only to forget…in order for your heart to heal…shame…The only one you're hurting is yourself."

Perhaps that was true. The only person he was hurting was himself. Forgetting wasn't an answer. Putting himself down and lingering on regretful thoughts was unacceptable; but Link didn't know what else to do. What was his purpose in life if he couldn't even protect both Hyrule and Termina from an inevitable doom? What was his purpose if he couldn't even save his friends?

A sighed escaped him and his shoulders slumped. What was his purpose? What was he doing helping these people? Was it really alright for him to tag along on this quest?

"I hope you find what you've been searching for, my friend."

Pushing himself off the fence, Link searched inside himself. What was he searching for? What did he really want? Well he still wanted to see new places and meet new people, but after the events with Termina years back, when he learned of Hyrule's fate, he wanted nothing more than to seclude himself into exile. Why? Link didn't know. He didn't know who he was. After coming across the foreigners who were somehow chosen by the Goddesses to save the land, Link felt something inside him stir. What was it? Perhaps he did miss the accompaniment of friends, but he still questioned himself. What had the Happy Mask Sales Man meant by, 'I hope you find what you've been searching for, my friend?' Well Link didn't have an answer to that, at least not yet. On his travels with his newest companions, maybe he would find the reason.

Hidden behind the giant bell just outside of the roofed entrance, Kagome couldn't help but notice the many mixed emotions appear upon Link's face. For some time, she'd been standing there, unsure whether or not to reveal herself, but seeing him stare off, thinking deeply on something that seemed serious made her curious. What was he thinking? Why did he look sad?

There was much about Link that she and her companions didn't know, and only recently he had opened up somewhat to them, though it seemed as if he kept a lot to himself. Sometimes she wondered what he was thinking.

"Did you bandage my wounds, Kagome?" Link asked, turning fully around to look at the priestess half hidden by the bronze bell.

Kagome jumped and blushed. So he knew she was there? Did he have eyes on the back of his head or what? "I-I did," she replied quite awkwardly all of a sudden that it baffled her. Why was she stuttering? That was so unlike her.

Link blinked, but ignored her stammer. "I see…thank you. I can't remember what happened after I collapsed."

Removing herself away from the bell, Kagome took her place beside him and stared out upon the town, just as he had done before. "That's to be expected…you had us worried…especially Inuyasha." Her brown eyes met his and for that moment, they stared at one another.

OOO

Pamela stared at the small doll Shippo held in his hand. "Is she yours?" She asked curiously.

"Not mine. It belongs to Charlene. I'm keeping it safe until I find her again," he replied.

Both he and the little girl found themselves in North Clock Town, still quite spacious. There were still deep crevices in the ground due to the tremor days back, but it seemed like some of the rubble and scattered limbs had been tidied up since their departure.

On the far side of the grassy area were a group of children, wearing familiar blue bandanas, and among them was the leader, Jim. From the long distance, they recognized Shippo and with bright smiles gracing their youthful faces, they ran toward him and Pamela.

"Shippo!" Jim shouted authoritatively, earning a surprised look from the fox child. As soon as he and his friends circled them, Jim scrutinized him. "Where have you been? You missed our meeting a couple days ago. How far have you gotten in completing the book?"

Unsure of who these kids were, Pamela felt awkward and out of place. She'd never been around other kids before, and stuck close to the little boy beside her.

Searching his shirt for the red book, Shippo handed it to Jim, who hurriedly opened and flipped through the pages. "I've been helping people in Termina. It's not much, but—"

"Whoa!" Jim exclaimed suddenly, shocking his friends. "You've managed to collect so much data, and you even went to that haunted wasteland?" His eyes widened in disbelief. Not only had he been there, but Jim was surprised to learn that he'd been to the mountains and to Great Bay.

"Huh? Hey, let me see!"

"Yeah, I want to see too!"

Jim's friends gathered around him, their eyes reading through the collective data written in the pages. Not only that, but from what they read, Shippo had thoroughly given quite a summary of the many battles he endured and how he had managed to help others; it was quite extraordinary.

Shippo blushed. "It's not much…"

Skimming through some of the text, Jim came upon the last page and stumbled over something quite interesting. He blinked. "Help Link and Kagome get together…" He voiced aloud as he mused. From Shippo's startled expression, Jim did a double take, back from the book to the boy. "Wait…Link? Do you mean big brother? The same Link who wears a green tunic and has a fairy?" Could it be that Link had a love interest?

Shippo suddenly reached out to reclaim the book, his face quite red in embarrassment. "Hey, that's personal! It's not finished yet!" Unfortunately, Jim pulled it out of reach and smirked while his friends quietly observed in mild curiosity.

Cheekily smiling, the youth in charged held it above his head. "Who is Kagome?"

Blushing, the child awkwardly pushed his foot in the dirt. "Uh…well…she's my mom…"

Having heard this, everyone fell silent. Jim said nothing but his friends on the other hand merely glanced at one another before openly pointing at Shippo with disgusted expressions.

"Ew, gross!" They exclaimed in unison.

Before they could taunt Shippo in utter amusement, Jim held his hand up and easily silenced them. "Quiet. There is nothing wrong about wanting a father…" He replied with indifference. "Wait…does Link like her?" he asked curiously. "Is he okay with this?" So it seemed Shippo was planning to get his mom and Link together then, but were their feelings mutual? Although he was a child, he did understand what it meant to like someone.

Again Shippo pressed his foot in the ground, nodding. "I think so. He's always looking at her and blushing," he replied remembering the times he and Kagome were alone together. In fact, during their stay at the Smithy's on the mountains, he saw Kagome place a blanket around Link's shoulder while watching through the window. Then there were the times at Great Bay. Remembering when Link had saved Kagome from the Wall Master, he perked up. "Wait, he was holding her hand this morning!" Even though there was no real reason for him to, he still held her hand even after the monster was defeated, and of course he'd seen Kagome's reaction; she was blushing.

The boys stared.

"Isn't your mom older than him?" One asked. They knew Link was just a few to five years older than themselves, but still, a mom was usually older, right?

The child beside him whispered into his ear. "Maybe Link has a thing for older women?"

Upon hearing this, Shippo balled up his fists. "My mom isn't that old, she's a year older than him," he replied as if it was obvious. Of course, the only response he got was curious stares. "What?"

Circling around the auburn haired youth, Jim scrutinized him from head to toe, still clutching the red book close to him. "Your mother must have been very young to have you, if her and Link aren't that far from each other in age…"

The other boys nodded. "Yeah!"

Just as all the boys were baffled, so was a certain brunette standing quietly next to Shippo. What was his story? Was his mom really that young to have conceived him?

It finally dawned on the boy and he rubbed his neck, in a manner Link seemed accustomed to in awkward situations. "Kagome is my adoptive mother," He hoped this would shine some light on the situation, but it only seemed to earn him more questionable stares and more silence. "My real mom died when I was younger…and as for my dad…well he passed away soon after," he explained, remembering the faces of his deceased family for a moment. "Kagome was the one who found me and took me in."

Pamela frowned. So Shippo went through all of that? He also lost his mother…but not just that, he lost his father too. 'He must be suffering more than me…'

Understanding, Shippo placed a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder. "No need to say anymore. I fully support your plan to get those two together, because from what you've told us, it seems likely that there is something going on between them. If you ever need any help, we'll lend a hand," He offered with a toothy grin. Even if it was odd for the Bombers to assist in the matters of love, Shippo was a Bomber. No matter what situation it is, the group would take full responsibility to help others; that was their whole purpose in creating the Secret Society of Justice.

Elated by this, Shippo's tail swayed. He hadn't thought they'd believe him, but they did. Even though Jim did offer to help out, Shippo knew he and his friends wouldn't be in town long enough for that to work.

Jim, however, wasn't finished talking. In fact, he couldn't help but curiously stare at Shippo. It wasn't his face he was concerned with, but it was what he was holding. "By the way Shippo, there's something that's bothering me…"

"What?" Shippo's tail twitched and he canted his head.

Scratching his nose, he pointed at his hand, which held a small figurine. "Why are you holding a doll?"

Shippo glanced down and immediately blushed. "Oh…umm…"

"Are you still playing with dolls?" One of them questioned.

"No!" Shippo replied.

Their eyes fell on the girl beside him, who was awkwardly blushing and looking elsewhere. "Then…is it your girlfriend's?" They snickered.

From this comment, his mouth nearly hit the ground. "What? No!" He blushed at the thought.

Pamela was also startled by this. "I'm not!"

Jim laughed. "Sure…"

"No, it belongs to Charlene," He explained in exasperation. Why were they suddenly jumping to conclusions about him having a girlfriend? Shippo hoped this would dawn on them, but instead, it only brought smirks to their faces.

"Your girlfriend?" They once again questioned, eyeing the girl beside him. "Hi Charlene," They teased in friendly bantering with one another. Some of them even elbowed Shippo while smiling quite knowingly, most of which quite bothered both Shippo and Pamela.

He huffed. "No! This is Pamela!" He clarified.

Immediately they silenced their annoying laughter and gasped. "Shippo!"

While the boys were rendered speechless by this, Jim silently mused to himself. He wandered briefly who Charlene was, and the name did sound familiar.

"He has two girlfriends?" The boy to the left of Jim asked.

"You player!" Another exclaimed.

Shippo scratched his cheek. "What?"

Normally, from Jim's experience around adults, there was a saying that if anyone was in the accompaniment of the opposite sex and you were friends, then no matter if you're a boy or a girl, you were basically seen as either 'boyfriend' or 'girlfriend.' Jim laughed at Shippo's flustered expression. "Shippo you dog you!" He teased.

"I'm not a dog! I'm a fox!" He replied. Seriously, why were people always mixing him up with a different animal? First it was the raccoon dog and not a dog?

Everyone shared a glance before they busted out laughing in hysteria. Some even teasingly winked at the boy and girl. "He admits it!"

"You sly fox!" They laughed.

Closing the book, Jim, who was still smiling, handed it back. "Well anyways here. It's a great start." From this, his friends nodded. "You've managed to make a lot of people happy, and I can see you are committed faithfully to the Bombers."

"Thank you!" Shippo's earlier agitation faded and relieved that they had ended the jokes, his tail swayed in delight. He hadn't thought it was much, but hearing his Clock Town friends congratulating him, he felt much better.

Jim nodded. "Have you been to our hideout yet?"

Shippo blinked. "Hideout? I haven't."

Of course that was understandable, since it seemed Shippo had been out traveling the land of Termina helping others, so Jim decided to overlook it. "Well our hideout is located over there," he explained, pointing to a narrow opening guarded by one of the members of the Bombers. "See that guy there?" He was referring to the boy wearing the yellow bandana. "He guards the path to the observatory. So if you ever want to check it out, be sure to give him the code; it's written in the book. You can visit it any time."

Shippo eagerly nodded. "Ok!"

With that said, the Bombers saluted Shippo before running off in a random direction, leaving both Pamela and Shippo to stare at their retreat. However, a few boys stopped and cupped their hands around their mouths before shouting, "Bye Shippo's other girlfriend!"

Pamela blushed and turned toward Shippo who sweat dropped at the scene. "The Bombers?" She questioned. "You're in a gang?"

Shippo nodded. "Yeah. It's a Secret Society that helps others; it's like a mission," he explained.

Pamela understood. So that's what it was all about.

Noticing the discomfort laced on the little girl's face, Shippo couldn't help but scratch his cheek awkwardly. It seemed as if she wasn't used to being around others. "Sorry about that…" He apologized. He hadn't thought they'd confuse Pamela for his girlfriend.

She shook her head. "No, it's ok." The boys were just being silly, that was all. Actually, it didn't bother her one bit, because they didn't know her.

"Are you still upset? I'm sorry you had to leave home…"

Her blue eyes fell to her feet and she frowned deeply. Why did her father want her to leave? She had to be there for him because he was injured. There was a time she used to live in this town, but she hardly remembered it. Now that she was away from home and her father, she felt lonely and scared. Pamela had been taken out of her natural environment and placed into another. "Kind of…I hope my father is ok…"

The two left the area and appeared back in East Clock Town. Right about now, dinner was probably almost done, and any minute now, someone would probably fetch them.

Absentmindedly, the doll which Shippo had been carrying fell from his grasp, and Pamela, noticing this, stopped and bent down to pick it up, however, another hand had reached out for it but stopped on account of Pamela pulling it out of reach.

Shippo, who had also stopped, saw an older woman behind them, dressed in a long blue dress with brunette locks cascaded down her back in curls. Her face was quite rosy and her lashes long. "Who are you?" Shippo asked.

"My name is Elaine…that doll…where did you get it?" She sorrowfully asked, her eyes never leaving the small figurine in Pamela's arms.

Staring at the woman questionably, Shippo scratched his cheek. "I found it in the forest," he explained. "It's not mine. It's Charlene's."

Elaine's face took on one of pure shock and she suddenly grasped Shippo's shoulders firmly and stared him in the eye. "Charlene? You know Charlene? Where is she?" She desperately asked, that she hadn't noticed the little boy grow dizzy.

"Y-yeah, she's my friend," he replied, and when the older woman released her grip on him, he couldn't help but stare at the woman. "Huh?"

Regaining her composure, Elaine apologized. "Forgive me. Charlene is my daughter. She disappeared a few years ago in the woods near Great Bay. I've searched and searched, but I couldn't find her…but…you say you know her? Where is she?"

"Well…" So this was Charlene's mom? She was so young though. "Um, well…she was lost in the forest…and then she ran off before I could give her back her doll," he explained.

Pamela stared between the two, still clutching the doll.

"Please…may I see the doll?" She asked, and when Shippo nodded to Pamela, she handed it to the woman's outstretched hands. "Thank you…I made this for her…a long time ago…" Tears fell from her eyes and she wept, trying to hide her face from the children.

"Hey, are you o-" Shippo was so suddenly interrupted when a voice called out to him and Pamela.

"Shippo! Pamela!" Miroku called from the top of the stairs. Noticing the children weren't alone, he approached them. "Is something wrong?" he asked her. When she didn't respond, he turned toward Shippo and Pamela. "Why don't you two head back?"

Nodding, the two ran back to the Stock Pot Inn, looking back only once feeling strangely regretful.

As soon as the children were gone, Miroku comforted the young woman, bringing her to a chair to sit. "What troubles you?"

Removing her hands from her face, she stared at the monk, before staring at the doll in her hands. "The little boy…he found my daughter's doll in the forest," she explained.

"Your daughter's?" he questioned.

She nodded. "A few years ago…she got lost in the woods and never resurfaced. She had this with her at the time…the little boy said he found my daughter, Charlene there wandering around lost…" Perhaps her daughter really was ok. If the little boy saw her, then she had to be, right?

A memory surfaced suddenly and Miroku sorrowfully stared at the crying mother. "Did you daughter happen to be wearing a blue dress with white ribbons?"

Elaine looked up suddenly and nodded fervently. "Yes."

Now he understood. The little child he and Link had come upon in the forest was the same little girl, the one whose spirit was not at rest. "Miss, I must inform you that your daughter…"

OOO

With their stares firmly fixed upon one another, they didn't realize how late it had gotten. The few citizens outside had already taken shelter for the night and a few of the guards stationed around took turns with their shifts.

"What happened after I blacked out?"

Looking away from him, she leaned against the fence and stared at her feet. "Well, when you lost consciousness…"

Flash Back.

"Link!" The priestess cried when she witnessed Link hit the floor quite painfully. When she found that he wasn't moving, she ran to his side and turned him onto his back in order to access his wounds. The injury was deep and would probably need stitches, and because the Red Potion had refused to use its magic on him, she was left with her last option. Gathering the power inside her, she placed her hands onto his chest and focused all of her power into healing him.

Having paused in mid-battle, Inuyasha cursed at the sight of the fallen boy, and turned his angry glare to the headless King stomping around swinging his sword wildly. "You bastard!" Fueled by so many mixed emotions, he charged straight on for the body, ignoring the head which soared by. "Take this!" His sword easily pierced through the heavily sturdy shield it used to protect itself, easily splitting it in half.

Sango's boomerang soared through the air, but her attack missed the cackling head. In an effort to dodge the oncoming attack, she jumped out of its path and unsheathed her sword at her hip and swiped at the skull. Unfortunately, the sword wasn't enough to stop its advancement upon her, and before she could jump out of harm's way, she barely avoided a full on attack, managing only to fall to the side. Unfortunately, her shoulder was hit as the skull passed by.

Grasping her shoulder, she quickly turned to counter the next attack, but none came, in fact, Sango was perplexed yet alarmed when she realized the head flew toward her companions sitting off to the side . "Watch out!"

Serena bobbed in the air frantically around the priestess, whose attention was focused entirely on the fallen boy before her. "Watch out! It's coming this way!" She screeched.

Kagome gasped. "Ah!" Thankfully, she and Shippo, along with Serena managed to duck just in time to avoid a head on collision with the soaring skull. The magic that had been wrapped around her fingers dispersed and she was torn between wanting to protect her friends and also wanting to stop Link's bleeding. What would she do?

Noticing this, Shippo stood protectively in front of her. "Don't worry! I got this!"

"Shippo…"

He turned his eyes over his shoulder. "Hurry and help Link!"

Nodding, she focused once again to summon her spiritual powers into her fingertips.

When the skull turned once more, it launched itself for the three for a second time, and this time, the little boy was prepared to stop its advancement. Seeing this, it cackled before opening its mouth to bite at the fox child.

"Fox fire!" Blue flames shot from his body and encased the head, blinding the foe instantly. In seconds, it spun around wildly out of control to break free of Shippo's magic. However, he wasn't done yet. With another trick up his sleeve, he threw his spinning top at it while it was temporarily blinded and in moments, the head hit the ground. "I did it!" He cheered.

Serena was impressed. "Nice going!"

The skeletal body on a rampage was thrown once again across the room by Inuyasha's blade and rage, however, with each attack; it still managed to pick itself up.

Fed up, Inuyasha gripped the handle of his blade and was about to charge once more, but stopped when he felt a pulse resonate from the sword he held in front of him "This…power…" The ground below him shook and broke apart and a strange crackling of lightning surrounded his form. Inuyasha smirked.

After wildly spinning to escape the hazy flames, Igos Du Ikana was about to launch another attack, but something caught his attention, as well as the others. An alarming sight greeted him; it was so familiar and yet so frightening that memories from his past flooded back to him.

A familiar bright bluish light emanated from the blade just as it had back on Great Bay, and as the sword felt light in hand and his strength heightened, Inuyasha raised it above his head and unleashed an enormous wave of energy, enwrapped by lightning. The energy flew directly for the skeletal body straight on, and in a matter of seconds, it was down, along with a giant hole in the wall.

Igos Du Ikana gasped from the terrible magic wrapped around the ancient blade in the half demon's grasp. "That power! How do you possess it?!"

Amber eyes turned and glowered at the floating head of the King, and now that the body was dealt with, all that remained was the head. Inuyasha didn't waste any time in charging forward. "This ends now!"

Frightened, the head escaped the swing of his sword and he flew around the room, evading Inuyasha's attacks. "Keep that blade away from me!" He hollered.

"Get back here, coward!"

Sango, along with everyone else merely sweat dropped at the scene. What in the world? Why was the infamous King of Ikana fleeing from a fight? The scene was not at all what they had been expecting.

How could it be? That sword should have been sealed away in the darkness of Stone Tower; why wasn't it? "That sword! Why do you have it?!" He bellowed, dodging yet another swing from the cursed blade. Igos flew past Kagome and the others frantically. Unfortunately, his efforts were in vain when he was suddenly hit from behind by a sailing boomerang and thrown against the furthest wall of the palace.

"Great job Sango!" Inuyasha smirked. Judging from her pained expression and the way she held her shoulder achingly, he knew it wasn't too serious; after all, she managed to throw her heavy weapon a long distance. Now it was time to put an end to this pathetic battle.

Unmoving, the skull simply laid there, as the half demon readied for the final blow, but before he could deliver the strike, a strange purplish mist escaped through the eyes of the King's head, and out through the massive hole in the wall before vanishing into thin air; it was so unexpected, that Inuyasha couldn't help but find this strangely familiar.

"That vapor…" It was similar back on the mountains when Link had defeated a snow wolf. This was by far no coincidence.

After finally finishing bandaging Link's wounds, Kagome watched as Inuyasha stood there before the fallen head. Was it over? The battle hadn't lasted as long as she thought it would. Still, if that was the case, then at least she didn't have to worry too much. Kagome wasn't able to heal the entire wound to both his chest and shoulder, but it was an improvement. For now, he needed rest, plenty of it.

"Is everyone alright?" Sango asked standing beside Kagome.

Kagome nodded.

"Is Link ok?" Serena and Shippo asked in unison, hovering over the sleeping warrior.

"Yes," Kagome replied.

Inuyasha's ears picked up on this information and he bent down in front of the head. Before he could reach out and touch it, two voices rang out from behind Sango, Kagome and Shippo.

"Stop! Wait!" A deep voice bellowed.

"Don't hurt our King!"

The three jumped at the loud voices, and turned to see the two very skulls from earlier floating behind them.

Inuyasha stood up and turned to face the two runaways before stubbornly crossing his arms. So they decided to run back to save their kind, did they? Were they really that terrified of him to flee from battle? Inuyasha figured as much. That mist was no mere coincidence; someone had controlled the King. "The least you could have done was give us a warning!" Inuyasha criticized the heads.

Apologetic, the broad boned headless swordsman lowered his head. "We tried to warn you, but you wouldn't listen…"

"It's already over, so step aside from our majesty!"

Inuyasha glared. "Excuse me?" He seethed before cracking his knuckles threateningly. "Do you want to end up like him as well?"

The two gulped.

Curiously, Kagome observed the scene from afar while Sango and Shippo went to investigate. "I wonder what's going on." Her brown eyes fell onto the young boy, whose head rested on her lap.

"Recently his majesty has been acting strangely…" Replied the skull with the elongated face and higher voice.

Recovering from the attack, the head of King Igos Du Ikana arose from the ground behind the half demon, and curiously looked upon the strange foreigners inside his wrecked palace. "What is the meaning of this?" He questioned in an air of unpleasantness. "Men, explain yourselves! Why have you allowed intruders to enter my palace?"

The two retainers of the King immediately perked up at the commanding voice. Now that their majesty was alright and seemingly back to normal, they couldn't be more delighted.

"Don't you remember?"

Igos Du Ikana narrowed his eyes. "Remember what? What nonsense are you speaking?"

Inuyasha gripped his blade tightly. He supposed it was understandable that he didn't remember. "So you're the King of this dingy place, eh? Where is the pendant?"

Sango, who found herself next the half demon, couldn't help but frown at his irritating behavior. Really? Couldn't he for once stop acting so stuck up?

Having heard this, the King was no pleased; in fact, his head came quite close to the half demon's face before scrutinizing him from head to toe. However, the sword did pique his interest. "Now I remember…you came busting in looking for my treasure…and what's more, you have an ancient relic in your possession that certainly doesn't belong to one such as yourself…" He commented passively. Who was this young man, and how did he have such powers to wield the cursed blade?

Baffled, Inuyasha stared at his sword. Ancient relic? What was this skull talking about? A while ago, he did seem to make a big deal out of it. "I'm guessing you've seen this before?"

The King nodded. Seen it? Much more than that. Igos witnessed the devastating powers it possessed many thousands of years ago, during the war that plagued his Kingdom. "Why do you have it?"

Inuyasha shrugged. Why? "It was given to me; that's why! Not like I asked for it or nothing," he explained with annoyance. "Now, tell me where the pendant is."

Annoyed by Inuyasha's rudeness, the loader swordsman growled, openly displaying his displeasure for the half demon. "Watch it! Do you know who you're speaking to?"

Inuyasha fisted his hand. "Mind your own business! I wasn't talking to you!" Amber eyes glared at the King. "Because of you, my companion is hurt!" He indicated toward Link who had yet to awake. "We came all this way because of that blasted pendant! Heck, we had to fight those stupid corpses! Tell us where it is, and we'll leave!" It was as simple as that. Why make it any more difficult.

Realizing the words spoken by the man were true, the King felt a heavy silence fall on them. It seemed that no matter what he could say to deter him from the very treasure that was guarded by the Royal Family, Inuyasha was determined to take it. For whatever purpose it was, he wanted to know first. "Do you know how valuable this pendant you speak of is?"

Before Inuyasha could bubble over in animosity and impatience, Sango interrupted. "This treasure of yours holds great power, so much that it could save the land of Termina from its evident doom."

"Save Termina from its evident doom? Explain yourself woman!" The King commanded. What was this woman talking about? What doom? Was the land, beyond his Kingdom truly facing catastrophe? Although it wasn't really any of his business, but of course it concerned the treasure of the Royal Family.

Realizing those that inhabited the lost Kingdom had no knowledge of the outside world, the slayer went on to explain. "You see, we were summoned to this land to save it from ultimate destruction. In order to do this, we were told to gather the four pendants from the four regions of the land…"

Igos thought this through. They were summoned? Now he remembered. This group was summoned by the supposed, Goddesses; the ones who were apparently responsible for birthing this planet they resided on. How despicable. There was no such thing. " You say you are commanded by the Goddesses? How loathsome. Such fickle creatures deserve to burn…and all for such an insignificant matter…" King Igos Du Ikana sincerely pitied the group for believing in such legends. Even if at one point he thought they existed, he couldn't bring himself to believe it, even after the fall of his Kingdom.

' Insignificant?' Kagome thought. What? Didn't he care? People would die if something wasn't done. How could the King not care?

"What?" Inuyasha questioned. His eyes widened in disbelief. "Doesn't it bother you?"

Not even bothering to care, the King gave them his answer. "What happens outside my Kingdom is none of my concern. If it's foretold the world is to end, then do you intend to change fate?"

"Of course!" Inuyasha exclaimed loudly, startling the two retainers beside his majesty. "Why the he—"

Igos Du Ikana interrupted. "Ikana fell long ago. Perhaps then, if I'd known of such an inevitable doom, I might have tried to appease the gods, but now that is impossible. I simply do not care any longer. Hate and death has already consumed my people, and I can't be afflicted by the problems faced by the living. Do I make myself clear?"

Sango sweat dropped. It seemed reasoning with them wouldn't benefit them. Not only that, but why was the King avoiding the subject of the pendant? "We'll ask again, where is the pendant? We know that the only place in Ikana which would hold such a powerful artifact would be here."

Seeing as how they refused to drop the subject regarding the pendant, the King retired to his throne. Really, why was he cursed to wander the afterlife? Was it fate that these people appeared before him? Was this what the gods had wanted? Not like it really mattered. "I'm afraid that what you've traveled so far to retrieve is not within reach."

Inuyasha glared. "What?"

Hesitantly, the higher voiced retainer interrupted. "A few days ago, it was stolen from us."

Hearing this, it felt as if everyone's heart dropped. Stolen? After all they went through, it wasn't here? Someone stole it? Who could have possibly?

"You see…a sinister looking man cloaked by darkness, with scarlet eyes took it."

His friend beside him nodded at the memory. "Shortly after, our King started behaving strangely…" He explained before shuddering. "If we weren't already dead, we would have died right when that person looked at us."

"My bones are still shaking just thinking about it!"

Inuyasha felt his eye twitch as this, and he found himself seething in rage. "And you just let him get away?!"

"What could we do?!" The louder one voiced.

His friend nodded. "Besides, he vanished before we could do anything!"

They traveled all this way for what? Nothing! "Damn it!" Inuyasha cursed. He hadn't expected to hear any of this. Who was the bastard that took it? The only thief he could think of was Sakon; the one that had kidnapped Kagome and was apparently was a well-known thief in Clock Town. Although he didn't know the thief personally, he knew that the next time Inuyasha met him; he'd kill him and get back the stolen Shikon Jewel.

Having over heard this, Serena and Shippo exchanged glances. If that was the case, then it seemed as if they'd have to continue on, before something should happen to the next pendant.

"Damn it. Out of all the things to go wrong!" Inuyasha was not happy. Looking at Sango, he turned his back to the restless spirits of the palace. "Come on. Let's head back to the house." With that said, he approached Kagome and the fallen boy.

Sango blinked. Well, he certainly was taking this situation easily. She would have thought he'd continue to rant, but it seemed as if she was wrong in assuming that. Looking back to the King and his two swordsmen, she lowered her head. "Excuse us for intruding. We'll take our leave."

As soon as Inuyasha stood before the seated priestess, he gathered Link in his arm and slung the boy over his shoulder before exiting the room along with companions.

As the strangers departed from the throne room, the two servants warily glanced at one another before staring at their King, who silently looked on with indifference. No…it wasn't indifference, it was…curiosity.

OOO

Upon their exit from the ancient ruin, the group left through the small opening in the wall Link had left years before and a surprising sight greeted them. The river, which had once been flooded by thick blood, was now crystalline clear, without any traces of lurking bodies or bones.

"The water…" Kagome commented with a small smile. It was strange though; she and Miroku had been unsuccessful in eliminating the orb in the cave above the house, but now that the battle was over; everything was as it should be.

"I'm guessing whatever it was that was controlling the King also affected the river," Inuyasha suddenly voiced, earning questionable glances from his teammates.

Sango blinked. "Controlling?"

Inuyasha nodded. "Yeah, remember back on the mountains when that strange beast attacked while the three of us, including Miroku were searching for Goron Village?"

Kagome gasped. "You mean that strange mist? The one that controlled that white wolf?"

Again Inuyasha nodded.

Sango found this quite interesting. It seemed as if someone was indeed behind all of this, and whoever it was, she was unsure. The attack up on the snow bound mountains and here in Ikana seemed quite suspicious. For now of course, all that mattered was that the river had returned to normal, meaning those dwelling in the swamp lands were no doubt feeling some relief.

Managing to return to the small house situated across the river, the gang entered into the room, elated to find Miroku and Pamela seated at the table sipping a steaming cup of tea.

Kirara, who was perched upon the monk's lap, jumped from the chair and into the arms of her female friend, Sango before mewing happily.

"Welcome back!" Miroku rose from his chair. "Judging by the consistency of the river, I take it all went..." The words dropped from his throat suddenly, and with concern lacing his countenance, his eyes turned to stare at the boy draped over Inuyasha's shoulder. "What happened?"

Inuyasha huffed. "What's it look like? He got himself beat up again, because he can't sit still. You can't tell him anything, I swear!"

Serena bobbed around the half demon. "Hey!"

Kagome elbowed him in the rib. "He's just exhausted himself from the fight, and he's got some bad wounds, but I managed to stop the blood for now," she replied. In her hand, she held the green cap the boy normally wore upon his head.

"We're ready to head out," commented the slayer. Her eyes fell on Miroku and then to the seated child, whose eyes bore into the table. "Is everything prepared for departure?"

Offering a kind smile, Miroku nodded. Turning around, he couldn't help but frown at Pamela. For the past couple of hours, she'd been sitting there with him quietly after her father had taken to bed to rest. "Pamela…" He called, but she didn't answer back.

Instead of taking his hand and following the group outside and to some unknown place, she leapt from the chair and down the stairs to her father's study, leaving a heavy silence in the room in which they stood.

Kagome and Sango shared a glance before frowning. It wasn't as if they wanted to separate a father and child, but it's what Nathaniel wanted. The thought of it was quite sad, but it couldn't really be helped; after all, it would be in Pamela's best interest to go with them, some place safe and without fear crippling her for the rest of her life out in the wasteland.

"Great…" Inuyasha sighed before staring at the unconscious boy slung over his shoulder. Carrying him was beginning to bug him, and impatiently he withdrew the boy from his aching shoulder and into the arms of both Kagome and Sango. "Here, you take him." While they helped him to sit against the wall on the floor, Inuyasha cracked his neck and popped his stiff shoulders.

OOO

Standing beside the bed in which her father laid, Pamela couldn't help cry. "Father…please let me stay," she pleaded.

Hearing his daughter sob pained him, just as the day he had lost his wife long ago. Rolling over, he sat up in the bed and patted the child's head comfortingly. "This isn't forever, my dear," he replied with a small smile.

Looking up, with tear brimmed eyes which blurred her vision, she quickly wiped them away. "But why can't you come with me?" A thought came to her. "There's fresh water now…and we haven't been bothered by any Gibdos for a while either…"

Nathaniel nodded. "Yes, I know Pamela. However, for the time being, I want you to go with them. Can you do that?" When he found her still sobbing, he sighed before looking at his wounded arm covered with fresh bandages. The pain still bothered him, and he felt the injury throb every once in a while, paining him when he made the smallest of movements. "You'll…be safer with them," If any danger were to befall his only daughter, then he'd never forgive himself.

Pamela couldn't believe it. Why now? Why did this have to happen? "I'll come back!"

He shook his head disapprovingly. "No…I don't want you to come back…" He replied with slight animosity, though he barely showed it. Upon the child's baffled and hurt expression, he sighed. "When it's safe, I'll come get you, and we'll make our new lives in town. How does that sound?"

"Do you promise?"

Nathaniel bit back from answering right away, but rather than seeing his daughter suffer any long from their inevitable separation, he nodded and held her in his arms soothingly. "We'll meet again someday, Pamela…I promise..."

OOO

Over hearing the conversation from down stairs, Kagome couldn't help sniff before wiping her eyes. The poor child. She felt so bad for both of them.

Smelling fresh tears, Inuyasha leered at the distraught priestess beside him. "Don't tell me you're crying?" Seeing the tears fall freely down her rosy cheeks, he was right. Kagome was definitely crying. If it was one thing he couldn't stand most, it was someone shedding tears.

"So what?" She inquired. "Can't you see how much it hurts them?"

Inuyasha nodded. "Yeah, but I don't get why you're crying. It's got nothing to do with you…" he stated as a matter of fact.

Sometimes, Inuyasha could be so heartless. Really! Kagome huffed and turned away from the railing and beside Link, who had yet to stir.

Even though it clearly affected the young girl, even Sango, as well as Shippo were afflicted by the sadness in the air, and each understood the pain of separation. But, it wasn't like it was goodbye for good, right?

Miroku frowned before lowering his head. It was best for the child to get as far away from here as possible. It wasn't safe. Whether or not she had shelter from the dangers lurking in the night or not, Miroku knew for certain that her life would be in extreme peril.

Shippo heard the crying and tugged on Miroku's robe, earning the monk's attention. "Does she really have to leave her dad?"

"I'm afraid so…it's for the best."

End Flash Back

OOO

Apparently their travels to Ikana proved quite inconvenient and yet without much success in Link's opinion. Although they were unable to retrieve the pendant, which was stolen, probably by Sakon, since it seemed he was somehow capable of transporting because of a mystical item he possessed, the group did manage to safely return the river to its natural state and retrieve the little girl.

"I see," Was Link's only reply before stepping away from Kagome.

"How are your injuries?" Kagome asked.

Link nodded. "Fine."

Baffled, Kagome placed a delicate hand to Link's forehead before frowning. "I thought so…you have a fever."

"I'm ok…" He replied, stepping away from her as he did.

Planting her hands firmly on her hips, Kagome's frown deepened. One thing was for sure. Link had a habit of making her worry, and this wasn't the first time. "No you're not. I think you should lie down and rest some more."

"It's nothing," Link explained. Honestly, he'd dealt with worse situations than this. This was nothing compared to having an arrow stuck in his back for half a day, nor was it anything compared to having been without water for three days. This was just another day in Link's life, and he didn't let it bother him.

"Don't be stubborn,"

The youth couldn't help but regard the priestess somewhat. While at times she tended to be quite sweet and caring, there were moments she could be stern and persistent. Other times it was difficult to deny her anything. Kagome wasn't the type to let something as minimal as a fever pass her bye; she was the kind of person who cared for the weak and pitied the less fortunate. Though she wasn't the type of girl to talk behind others back nor was she the flirtatious kind. While her sense of fashion might say otherwise, Kagome was in fact a modest and homely girl, with a motherly personality and yet at times, a temper that could frighten most of her friends, but she was someone of importance in his life.

Link knew that with each day spent with the group, he had become quite fond of her, along with the little fox child, Shippo. Although there were times he felt lonesome, she tended to lighten the mood, filling him with the feeling of warmth.

Kagome kept her stare firmly on Link, and she pouted. "Well?"

Link blinked. Well what? Had he not heard her? "Pardon?"

The school girl sighed and shook her head in dismay. He hadn't heard a single word she said, and she could only guess it was his fever. "I said, I think we should head inside."

A small smile graced his lips and he turned his back to her, and started for the door to his right. For now, he supposed he would return to his room, not feeling entirely interested in dinner; in fact, he didn't have much of an appetite.

As soon as the door closed behind him, Kagome lowered her arms to her sides. There was something different about Link. Sure he was as quiet as ever, but after all the times they spent as a whole, Link was expressing more than just one emotion. Before, he had acted passively and without a care when they first encountered one another, but now he was slightly talkative and a little friendlier toward her and her friends. Already he and Shippo were buds and Kagome had a feeling she and Link were more than just acquaintances by now, but that still left out Sango, Miroku, Kirara and Inuyasha. Sure Link might have spoken to them, but maybe he wasn't ready to open his heart fully to them. Maybe it was difficult for him to open up to new people.

Kagome closed her eyes and crossed her arms, pondering this. Could Link be shy? The priestess already knew a little of his past, as did the rest of her friends, but still. Not once on their journey had she seen his eyes sparkle or his mouth upturn into a cheery grin. Link never once even laughed around them. Maybe it was true; maybe Link was a shy boy after all; it would make sense.

Satisfied, Kagome followed after Link to join everyone for dinner. Her stomach growled at the thought of delicious food, and she remembered only having breakfast yesterday and dinner with Pamela and her father, but she went an entire day without any breakfast and she was truly famished.