No longer surrounded by the golden skies of ancient Ikana or the sadness that had accompanied it, Link, Kagome and Inuyasha found themselves standing within a dreary and thick fog. Dark silhouettes of buildings surrounded them and the familiar ticking of a Clock Tower behind them was enough to bring them relief. They were back within Clock Town, the present time! During their absence, they knew instantly that something terrible had happened. They heard the townspeople far off crying and shouting, but because of the fog, they couldn't be sure which direction.

Kagome wiped away the tears that had stained her cheeks. Her thoughts were mainly filled with the loss of two friends, Cathleen and Flat, and yet she was filled with great concern for her friends who had remained in the present time, Sango, Miroku and Shippo. But there was something else that had poured such emotions from the priestess, something much sadder that it had her fall to her knees with renewed tears.

Hearing the priestess beside him sniffling, Link noticed her knelt form and lowered himself to the ground and reached for her hand. He found it easily enough in the fog. "Kagome…we must search for Sango and the others." When Kagome didn't reply back, her sobbing more profound that it caused Inuyasha to turn his head, Link rubbed her shoulder. "Kagome…there was nothing we could have done for her…as she told us…fate was in control."

As the fog lessened around them suddenly, Inuyasha and Link looked around the area. It had become a lot easier to see now and he could scarcely make out the fine details in the buildings and stone walls surrounding the town.

Yet as Link looked around, he couldn't help but stare at Inuyasha in question. Wait a minute… "Inuyasha? Why have you not returned to your half demon state?"

Inuyasha blinked. "Huh?" When even Kagome had looked up in confusion to look at her friend, Inuyasha took the time to examine his human hands, feet and jet black hair. He was definitely still human, but why? Even his sword was missing and he turned to Link irritably. "What the hell is going on? Shouldn't I be back in my other form?"

Link was just as puzzled. "It would seem not…You still wear the medallion that holds your demon side under control, but it should have vanished as we transcended time, but why you do not have your sword is a mystery to me as well, Inuyasha," Was Link's reply. Where was the sword the Great Fairy had given him?

Inuyasha cursed. "What the hell is going on?" He heard the screams of the town's people still from far off, and though he was confused about his personal state, he couldn't help but turn away from Link and Kagome. "Let's go! We need to find the others!"

Kagome sniffled and with Link's help, stood up, but the tears refused to subside. She'd never cried so much in her life and the tears wouldn't stop falling.

Link frowned at her. "Kagome?"

Turning away from Link and Inuyasha, the priestess stared at the Clock Tower. There was something inside there, crying out desolately and she couldn't help but push the door to the tower open.

"Kagome, what are you doing?" Inuyasha asked anxiously. "We don't have time for this!"

Before heading inside, she looked over her shoulder at the guys. "I don't know why…but I can sense something inside here, asking for help."

Link's eyes widened. It couldn't be…could it? No it was impossible. When he saw that Kagome had no intention of following Inuyasha and had stepped inside the dark Clock Tower, Link turned to Inuyasha. "I shall follow her and keep her safe. Hurry and find the others and we'll be quick to return."

Hesitant at first, Inuyasha agreed, but before he could run in the direction of East Clock Town, Link stopped him and he turned in question. "What is it?"

Rummaging through his satchel, Link removed a large bottle of red potion before tossing it to Inuyasha. "The wound to your chest is pretty severe."

Catching the bottle, Inuyasha nodded his thanks to Link before opening the lid where he consumed the contents of the liquid in three large gulps. Miraculously he could feel his injury heal just as before. Throwing the bottle back to Link, he turned away and darted towards the direction of the cries, and hopefully in the path Sango and the others were waiting.

Pushing the wooden doors to the Clock Tower open, Link descended the few stone steps before stepping across the damp space. The familiar rotating pillar before him brought back memories of his past. From down below the railings of the incline, he heard Kagome's soft footsteps, and he followed her down the slope where he stood beside her. Link saw Kagome admiring an old wooden waterwheel as it turned in the stream before her; it was the source that kept the sewers of the town in check and the small lakes clean.

Realizing Link had followed her, Kagome turned her serious gaze to Link. "There's something down here, something calling out to me…"

The young warrior couldn't help but narrow his eyes. Perhaps it was just as he thought. Though Kagome was a priestess, gifted with spiritual powers she also was capable of sensing certain emotions and powers from a great distance away. Right now, she was sensing something very near and very present; Link had a feeling he knew what it was the priestess was sensing.

It wasn't long until Kagome turned away from the water wheel towards a closed stone door behind her, its surface covered with mold and weeds spilling from its cracks. As she stood before it, she placed her hand upon the door and to Link's astonishment, it opened.

An overwhelming urge to cry once more hit Kagome. There it was again and it was definitely coming from behind the door. Looking ahead, she and Link saw a path where branches were twisted and flowers were dried and shriveled.

"Kagome, how did you do that?" Link asked incredulously, but she only shrugged.

How could she know? Sometimes she was capable of walking through barriers, and sometimes she was able to deflect other spiritual attacks with her bow. How? Well it was a mystery but she supposed it was because she was the reincarnation of a certain priestess.

This route that Kagome had somehow opened, led to Hyrule. It had been four years since then, since the day the Great Fairy had spoken to him about what had happened to his homeland, how it had flooded. There was no way back, but now the way was opened again. He could return…but Link knew his sense of belonging would only crumble; after all, he did lose his friends and all those he had come to love.

"Link?"

Snapping away from his thoughts, Link offered Kagome a small smile to reassure her all was fine. "I was just remembering some unpleasant thoughts…" He replied before stepping into the narrow and grassy room to the exit ahead. "Let's find the source of discomfort that called out to you and quickly regroup with the others."

Nodding, Kagome and Link quickly ran down the path, avoiding the sharp and whittled branches that stretched and twisted. It wasn't long until the two eventually found themselves standing near a cliff's edge, where several overhanging grassy platforms were mysterious held in place above a dark abyss before them. Impassible as it seemed to cross the chasm; their true intention into the noiseless place was the result of a small sapling, situated near the edge of the cliff.

Its appearance was withered and frail.

From a short distance where Link and Kagome had stopped to examine the small sprout, a surge of lament enveloped itself around the priestess, filling her with depressing thoughts and an odd feeling of hopelessness. Silent and trying to comprehend why she was feeling this way, Kagome stepped forward and knelt before the gloomy sapling.

From the sight of its graying bark, Kagome guessed it had remained in the depths of this dark chasm for a very long time, all alone and without proper nourishment to help sprout new buds. Its roots were permanently frozen to its spot, and there was no trace of any sunlight to give it warmth. Leaves had fallen at its base, dry and cracked, all except one vibrant leaf atop its head. Yet as Kagome closely examined the small sprout, she couldn't help but stare into the hollowed out crevices in the bark.

She was reminded of a Deku child.

Reaching out, she allowed her fingers to sweep across the bark, and she only frowned further. For whatever reason that it was, her spiritual powers had picked up on a small amount of energy, twisting and swirling inside this forlorn tree; it was as if this tiny, distorted seedling was holding onto what life still remained. Never in her life had she ever experienced something so … sad…

"Do you feel that?" She softly voiced, her eyes gazing into the hollows of its eyes. Just seeing this and feeling the grief exerting itself from within it deeply bothered Kagome. "So much pain…Why is that?" Strange how it resembled a Deku Scrub; it was after all the only tree inside this chasm that she and Link had come across.

Though he didn't experience the same grief as she did, Link couldn't help but lower his head from beside her crouched form. "He's been like this for years…I imagine he became like this only after I arrived in Termina four years ago."

"He?" Baffled and a little skeptical at first, she examined the downcast expression marring her companion's face and then to that of the tree in front of her. "Was this…" Kagome hesitated, unsure if she truly wanted to believe it. "a Deku Scrub?"

Link nodded. The very remains of the Deku child was brought on as an act of cruel animosity done so by Majora's Mask. The child's soul had been forcibly extracted from its small body and placed into the mask Link carried within his satchel. "He is the son of the Deku Butler back in Southern Swamp…He was only a child."

Kagome gasped. "How terrible…How did this happen? There must be something we can do…" Why was this little Deku child so far from home and why had he been rooted to this spot for years? What had happened?

Kneeling beside the priestess, Link also looked into the lifeless eyes of the withered tree, and he reflected on memories of his first encounter with the Skull Kid. After plummeting into what he had suspected would be his inevitable death, Link managed to cross over into another world interconnected through the Lost Woods of Hyrule. It was during that time that Skull Kid, who was in possession of the demonic mask, had conjured up a malevolent force and the effects had merged an unacquainted soul with that of his own.

Link suspected from that day, the moment he had been cursed into the form of a Deku Scrub, it was the very moment the Deku Scrub had lost its life within these chasms.

Though Link did not know the Deku personally, there was still that connection. While he had been in that cursed form, he had learned to adapt to his environment and had become somewhat familiar with the child's friends and family.

Upturning the lid of his satchel, Link removed from his bag a simple and familiar mask containing the very soul of the Deku trapped inside. For so long, he was never able to pass onto the next life, and Link felt entitled to give back what he had given him.

A second chance.

Strange…it was already too late to save Mikau and Darmarni, as their bodies were already bones and buried beneath sand and mountain soil. Yet because Kagome sensed life still lingering within the cursed form of the Deku Butler's son, perhaps he could still be saved.

Not hesitating in the slightest, and despite Kagome's baffled stare, Link lifted the mask towards the frail surface of the sprout, his heart echoing in his ears. For an instant, he wondered if it was his own heart beat or that of the tree before him and Kagome.

OOO

After the fog had completely dissipated in the town, Inuyasha eventually found himself in the East square where the Stock Pot Inn and the Milk Bar rested. It was there that he found Sango, Miroku and Shippo standing just outside the Inn, their backs turned away from him and their attention shifted towards the sky.

"Hey!" Inuyasha called out, and when they turned suddenly, he was greeted by their elated smiles and relieved expressions.

Shippo immediately bounded over to his 'once thought missing companion' with the others quickly following after. His mouth was agape as he examined his friend. "Inuyasha! You're alright?!" Shippo exclaimed unbelievingly. "And you're human!"

"In broad daylight as well," Miroku commented after, certainly pleased his companion was well and safe.

As Sango, Miroku and Shippo gathered around him, Inuyasha took that moment to silently look around the square. The entire area was almost vacant of any townsfolk, except for a couple standing around with their gazes transfixed to the skies.

Inuyasha returned his gaze back to his friends in front of him. "I'll explain later…Right now there's a bunch of shit going on and I don't have time to explain it all!" He replied and his friends silently nodded. "Now where the hell is that bastard with the masks and where is that sorcerer who attacked us?!"

Unexpectedly, Sango threw her arms around him, and it was so strange that Inuyasha couldn't help but blink a few times. What the hell? Sango never hugged him. Normally he was used to Kagome always grabbing onto him and what not, but not the slayer. Thankfully the monk wasn't touching him right now, especially after all the strange incidents he and Miroku had experienced during their stay in town which had resulted in strange rumors about their sexuality; Inuyasha was still a little weirded out by that and thoughts of getting too close to the monk.

"Thank goodness you're alright! We were worried about you!" She exclaimed.

He couldn't help but smirk at his friends. "I hope you guys weren't sitting on your asses crying over us when there is that giant hole in the sky!" He sarcastically remarked, and it had Sango smile despite it. "Now get off and tell me what happened."

As Sango stepped away from Inuyasha, Miroku shook his head smiling. "That's our Inuyasha. Foul mouth and straight to the point as always."

It was then that Sango suddenly noticed a deep stain of scarlet upon the torso of his haori and she gasped. "You're hurt!"

Inuyasha crossed his arms and shrugged. "It's nothing. It's already healed anyways."

"Inuyasha…though I am pleased to know you are alright, I must ask where Lady Kagome and Link are. Are they here in town as well?" Miroku did not understand how he and the others had survived the attack from Armaros a couple hours ago, but to see Inuyasha fine yet in his human form remained a mystery to the monk.

Inuyasha nodded. "Yeah, they're okay. Kagome sensed something strange back at the Clock Tower and Link is with her. They should be back pretty soon. Now explain to me what happened while we were gone! Where is that masked salesman and where is that bastard Armaros at?"

Miroku and Sango shared a look.

Shippo only frowned from his place on Miroku's shoulder with Kirara situated on Sango's. "We haven't seen either of them. That peddler disappeared earlier during the fight before you, Kagome and Link disappeared. And that other guy vanished only after you guys were gone."

Miroku nodded. "We woke up two hours ago in the Stock Pot Inn."

Inuyasha blinked. "Wait…it's only been two hours since then?"

Sango nodded but looked at her friend somewhat worriedly. "Yes, that's right. Is something wrong?"

He shook his head. No he didn't have time to explain to them all that had happened. 'Damn, how long were we in the past? Three days?' He wondered. Link had said it was that peddler that sent them back in time to stop him from stealing the mask. Unfortunately they failed, but at least they had acquired the pendant. This time Armaros wouldn't break it.

"Inuyasha?" Shippo said suddenly. "Are you okay?"

"Huh?" When he saw his friends looking at him rather confusedly, he only waved it off. "No it's nothing. I'll tell you guys everything later. How much time does Termina have left?"

But before the others could answer him, another voice interrupted Inuyasha. "Not enough if that's what you're asking."

Surprised, the group turned, their eyes searching for the source of that familiar voice. When Shippo pointed towards the roof of the Stock Pot Inn, they saw the very Sorcerer, Armaros, hovering above the old copper bell. Still, he was dressed in a deep mauve tunic, a dark cloak overlapping it with golden accessories adorning his wrists with a golden band around his forehead accentuated with a red ruby. And lying innocent around his neck was the Sacred Jewel!

To Inuyasha, he looked every bit like the same man he had seen back in the ancient past of Ikana; he hadn't aged a bit! And he was wearing that same cocky expression since their last battle! "You!" Inuyasha seethed. He immediately reached for his sword, but realized it was not there. 'Damn! I forgot I don't have it!'

Armaros merely looked upon them with an unreadable expression. His arms were crossed over his chest and his emerald eyes scrutinized them from head to toe. "Well I see you are still alive…How unfortunate."

"You got a lot of nerve breaking that pendant you asshole! You can't get rid of us easily!" Inuyasha growled; it only caused Armaros to arch a delicate brow. What the hell, why was this guy still alive? Since a thousand years had passed since that day, shouldn't this guy be dead already? And wasn't he imprisoned for life back in ancient Ikana? Why was he here now? It didn't add up.

"Clearly," Armaros replied with irritable annoyance. "But it seems you are all in collaboration with that fool Emmett! I should have suspected he'd pull a stunt like that!" The sorcerer replied disdainfully. As far as he could tell, there were no signs of his rival anywhere, and he suspected he had up and fled earlier after saving these people.

Sango couldn't help but look at Miroku in confusion while clenching her boomerang tightly. "Who is Emmett?"

Without even looking at his friends, Inuyasha only growled. "He's that peddler we met earlier today. The one that had been following us for some time," He explained.

"How do you know the Happy Mask Salesman's name?" Shippo asked out of curiosity, though he kept his eyes sternly upon Armaros, quietly hovering above the Stock Pot Inn. As far as he knew, the guy had never introduced himself properly.

"I'll explain later, Shippo," Was Inuyasha's reply before stalking towards the Stock Pot Inn, but he kept his distance. "Your days of terrorizing this land are over! We have collected all four of the pendants and as soon as we summon the Goddesses, it'll all be over!" Inuyasha replied.

While he made no move to attack them, Armaros sensed a strange power dwindling off the young man. It was faint but he recognized that magic. 'So it would seem Emmett took them back in time…but why? To save this land from its cursed fate?' He wanted to chuckle at the thought. To think, a fool like Emmett had once brought great catastrophe over the land and now he hoped to fix it by using these people? What was going through that fool's mind? Yet these foreigners from some other world dared to accuse him of terrorizing this world? The fault lied with Emmett, not himself!

The silence was beginning to agitate Inuyasha. Why wasn't he saying anything but just hovering there watching them. "What, are you scared now that we've got all the pendants to put a stop to you?"

Armaros's eyes narrowed at this. "Like I said during our pitiful battle earlier, pointing fingers will simply get you nowhere. I have nothing do to with the curse of this world," He replied, and it brought on unbelievable stares. "You should already know who's responsible or are you too dense to realize this?"

For a moment Inuyasha realized he was right. It wasn't truly Armaros's fault for this land's suffrage. As Link and the Great Fairy mentioned before, it all linked to the Happy Mask Salesman and that of the wickedness in the hearts of the ancient people. "Well explain to us why you stole the Sacred Jewel! And why the hell were you using that scum Sakon to kidnap Kagome and attempt to kill my friends?!" He shouted.

The sorcerer was quiet for a minute. "My reasons are my own. I simply cannot break a promise…"

A promise? Inuyasha didn't understand this guy at all. "It still didn't give you an excuse to kill off all the Great Fairies in this world!" The thought of losing Serena still grieved him and he knew Link still felt the pain from that loss.

Annoyed, Armaros uncrossed his arms. The wind around him picked up and a crackling of dark energy spewed from his form threateningly. "Enough with your questions! My patience with you pests has run thin. Though I detest your alliance with my rival, I'm sure you must all know of his whereabouts. Tell me, where Emmett is hiding. If you do so, then I shall show some mercy."

"How the hell would we know where he is?!" Inuyasha growled back. "And even if we did, we wouldn't tell you! You are just as much to blame as he is for this stupid curse!"

Sango, Miroku and Shippo gasped, their attention shifted onto their friend beside them. Though they were not surprised that Armaros was the one to stir up much trouble within this land and of that upon their friends, but to hear Inuyasha say the true blame rested on the Happy Mask Salesman, it shocked them.

But how? Why? There were so many questions that were left unanswered, but as soon as they were able to get the chance, they would question Inuyasha.

Pushing away his long, raven braid over his shoulder, Armaros cracked his neck. It seemed these people were reluctant to answer his question. "I see…Since you have allied yourselves with my rival, then I shall find him myself! If I must destroy all in my path, then so be it! I will have my revenge!"