InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Paradox ❯ Be Careful What You Wish For...(Part 4) ( Chapter 9 )

Author Notes: Gomen nesai! My sincere apologies for the long span between chapters. My computer crashed and I just got it back from being fixed a couple of days ago.

Now, on to some bad news. I will not be able to post future updates on MediaMiner due to my ISP blocking the site. I live in a predominantly Muslim country, so any website which contain `objectionable' material - i.e. adult content, are blocked through the ISP. I've really lucked out getting this chapter up, but future updates are extremely unlikely. Therefore, as much as I love posting on MediaMiner and especially the fantastic reviewers who frequent the site, this story will only be updated on FanFiction.net (my penname there is Dragyn-Fyre) from now on. If I resolve the ISP issue, then I will of course be back with a vengeance and post all completed chapters immediately.

RedHerring and wufeicustom - my sincere thanks for your kind reviews and I greatly appreciate your feedback. You've kept me going these last few weeks, especially when I was about ready to just give it up when the ISP started blocking MediaMiner again. Arigato gozaimasu!

Paradox

Chapter 9: Be Careful What You Wish For…(Part 4)

Last Time:

A small smile hovering around the corners of his mouth, Sesshoumaru dryly quipped, "The truth would be permissible. Delivered in your inimitable, loquacious style perhaps."

What he got instead was a derisive snort which made it perfectly clear Inuyasha wasn't interested in continuing this conversation. As far as the inu hanyou was concerned, he would grudgingly listen to whatever lies Naraku intended to tell them. Then when they had no further use for him, he would rid them of the bastard's presence once and for all.

++++

She had an eerie sense of foreboding that something was terribly wrong.

Not in the sense that a long deceased hanyou had mysteriously risen from the dead, although she still had issues regarding that which needed resolved. Rather, it was that there was a hell of a lot more happening here than met the eye and if there was one thing Sango absolutely despised, it was not knowing what in the hell was going on.

When she had entered the room, the hairs on the back of her neck had risen in abrupt recognition; her heartbeat quickening as she spied the dark haired hanyou across the room. The second her eyes lit on his handsome form, raw hatred she thought long since laid aside raised quickly to the fore setting her blood boiling with murderous intent. Images of her brother's broken body seared her mind and painfully twisted through her fueled by an unshakable, deep-seeded regret that irregardless of what she had done she had failed to prevent his death. Overflowing with hurt and remorse, her heart screamed against the injustice that HE continued to live while her brother didn't and it took every ounce of her will power to not kill the half demon outright.

As much as she wished for Naraku to be gone from this world, there was far more at stake than reclaiming the revenge she so justifiably craved. Therefore, all she could do was glare, her eyes burning with hatred, at the one who had taken away nearly everything that had ever meant anything to her. Besides, losing control now would be a sure sign of weakness and she wasn't about to give Naraku that advantage over her.

Drawing a shaky breath in an effort to calm her raging fury, Sango struggled to clear the red haze with threatened to overtake her. Slowly reclaiming a reasonable command over her rioting emotions, she couldn't quite manage to keep her body from trembling slightly in reaction; something which did not go unnoticed by the dark hanyou who favored her with a small, knowing smile.

Jerking her gaze away from his, she focused instead on the swirling pattern on the thick rug beneath her feet. Mentally cursing her foolish behavior, she really couldn't blame anyone but herself. Even with the prior knowledge that Naraku was supposedly alive, she had irrationally held onto the slim chance that Sesshoumaru might have been mistaken about the scent on Kagome's letter. But with the undeniable proof sitting not ten feet away from her, Sango was forced to acknowledge that her hope had been seriously misguided. Her hands curling into tight fists at her side, she raised her eyes a little so she could scrutinize this future version of their long time adversary.

He hadn't changed much from their last encounter and apart from the modern clothing; he looked pretty much the same as he had in the Sengoku Jidai. Long, inky black hair, brilliant ruby eyes and flawless alabaster skin had undoubtedly made him quite popular with the superficial women today who would be unable to see past the pretty packaging to glimpse the twisted heart underneath. And of course Naraku would delight in their attention as it made manipulating his chosen prey so much easier. Scoffing beneath her breath at how shallow minded people could be, she stopped short when she realized that she couldn't criticize them too much though, for once, a long time ago, she had also been fooled by those innocent looking features and ended up paying dearly for her error in judgment. That agonizing experience had left her infinitely wiser and she had learned the valuable lesson that evil rarely showed its true face.

Consequently, she couldn't help wondering why Naraku had decided to make this unexpected reappearance.

For starters, the hanyou wasn't a man of action and would rather use his kugutsu or worse, those unfortunate souls forced to do his bidding, to fight his battles for him. Secondly, he preferred to hide in the shadows and devise elaborate traps from behind his protective barriers instead of putting himself in danger. So, what had brought him out in the open as if he didn't have a care in the world? As these thoughts rambled through her head, Sango was struck by an extraordinary insight. Was it possible that Naraku was just as much a pawn as they were and whoever was behind recent events had yet to show himself?

As if in agreement with her startling revelation, her taijiya instinct began reacting powerfully to an unusual life-force which seemed to be flowing throughout the room and was oddly centered around Kagome and Naraku. It was different from the youki that usually surrounded their opponents in that it didn't have any discernable odor and felt much closer to the physical response elicited by the presence of a mononoke. Examining each of her subjects carefully, that unsettling feeling intensified whenever she discerned a faint darkening of eye color. Having first detected this phenomenon in Kagome's eyes a couple of days ago, she found it extremely disconcerting that Naraku displayed similar symptoms.

Bothered by this unforeseen parallel between her friend and the dark hanyou, she kept her voice low, intending it to only be heard by the monk standing next to her. "Ne, Miroku? Have you noticed anything unusual about this?"

Having been lost in his own quiet contemplation of this dramatic turn of events, Miroku started at her soft question, his muscles tensing as he briefly deliberated over whether or not he should answer her. For a few seconds, he considered trying to brush the matter aside, but quickly decided against that particular course of action. His lovely wife had long ago learned the tell tale signs he inadvertently displayed when he lied, plus he really didn't feel like nursing a concussion right now.

The simple truth was that he didn't really know what to tell her since he hadn't figured it out for himself. So, he had kept his silence as long as he dared, hoping to gather more information before he tried to determine whether or not his suspicions were correct. Unfortunately, their rapidly deteriorating control over present circumstances wouldn't let him enjoy that simple luxury any longer. Moreover, the searching look on Sango's face clearly indicated that she also believed that something strange was going on.

Irregardless of what he might have first believed, whatever was creating such an intense youki was far more threatening than he had presumed. As a monk, he dealt with all forms of spiritual manifestations and thus had long ago accepted that ghosts abounded in this world. Therefore, it was easy to dismiss their existence whenever they did nothing more than observe the living.

But never had he felt one with such enormous strength.

Unlike other spectral anomalies that created distinct cold spots in concentrated areas, the air in the entire room felt thick and heavy; fouled with dark, ominous vibrations that skipped distastefully over his senses. Even without her training as a taijiya, Sango would surely feel uncomfortable in such a vile atmosphere. Souta's slight trembling was proof enough that average humans were also subject to its influence.

Keeping his gaze directed towards Kagome and Naraku, he whispered, "Ah. I see that you have sensed it as well." Tilting his head slightly, his brows knitted together in concentration, he murmured, "There is an unwelcome presence lingering here."

Immensely relieved to hear that she wasn't alone in her concern, Sango nodded; sweeping a cursory glance around the room before she spoke again. "Umm, but where is it coming from? It's not youkai as far as I can tell. It almost feels like a mononoke."

Already having reached that conclusion, Miroku said, "Ah. I've felt it for a few days now, though it seems to have grown stronger since yesterday. Whatever it is, it's staying extremely close to Kagome-sama."

A bit taken aback that Miroku had also noticed the strange aura surrounding Kagome and hadn't said anything to her about it, Sango opened her mouth to lecture him about keeping secrets. She just as quickly snapped it shut when she realized her anger would be hypocritical. After all, she was guilty of a similar offense and could have shared her information just as easily. They certainly should have picked a more appropriate time than waiting until they were completely disoriented by Naraku's reappearance.

Swallowing the sharp retort which had been building in her throat, she instead softly concurred, "Umm, and Naraku as well. It's like it's watching them."

His troubled gaze moving back and forth between the dark hanyou and the miko, Miroku only half heard Sango's remarks his concentration instead fixed on figuring out the explanation behind this spirit's existence. He had been faced with this type of power only once before; the spiritual manifestation surrounding the corpses of the miko Midoriko and the horde of demons who had been intent on devouring her. But at that time, the power had been dormant, a mere phantom which brushed against the edge of his consciousness; clearly losing its strength through the sheer passage of time.

The aura permeating the room was completely different.

Pulsating with energy and awareness, a whole spirit reaching out towards a new life, it was a being on the brink of reincarnation, more than ready to take on embodiment as a living being. Having reached such a state, it should not have been able to remain incorporeal; yet, oddly, it maintained this intangible form. As far as he knew, such a feat was impossible under normal circumstances; therefore, how had it managed to escape from its natural course when it should have been reborn? Denied rebirth, why was its power steadily increasing instead of waning?

And what could it possibly want with Kagome?

Worried about the myriad possible implications those thoughts invoked, the monk didn't realize he had spoken his questions aloud until Sango's voice cut into his musings. Catching the vehemence in her tone, he turned his head to gaze at her curious. What he saw cause his violet eyes to widen in shock. Filled with grim determination, her normally sweet features had been transformed into the fierce countenance of an avenging samurai.

Fire flashing in her chocolate eyes, Sango's right hand slowly tightened into a fist at her side. Jaw rigid, her lips compressed in a thin line, she hissed through clenched teeth, "Well, whatever the hell it wants, it's going to have to go through us first."

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His eyes fixed warily on the dark haired hanyou seated comfortably in the armchair on the other side of the room, Souta did his best to tamp down his growing trepidation. Although he was confident that Sesshoumaru-sama had the situation well in hand, he couldn't help feeling anxious that perhaps bringing Naraku here hadn't been the wisest decision. He might not have great spiritual powers like his sister or Miroku, nor did he have Sango's experience as a taijiya to lend weight to his concern; but what he did have was an instinctive, gut feeling that Kagome and Naraku together equaled something very bad.

Frankly, he didn't know what bothered him the most about the evil half demon. From the stories Kagome had brought home, he had imagined Naraku to be less human looking and definitely hideous, his outward appearance reflecting the darkness in his soul. Needless to say, he could only stare dumbfounded at the graceful, almost angelic beauty the dark haired man possessed. What's more, it was downright creepy that he could even see his sister dating someone like him if she hadn't already set her heart on Inuyasha.

Suppressing a shudder at the disturbing images that thought conjured up; Souta nearly pinched himself for thinking such a weird idea. Of course, until he met the half demon, he never would have thought that Naraku would actually look kind of cool. He did pinch himself over that one when he realized he had used such an appellation to describe the very embodiment of evil. And irregardless of what he might assume from the half demon's handsome features, there was no escaping from that simple fact.

Yet, it wasn't that reason alone which prompted Souta to have doubts about Naraku's sincerity to want to help them. Since he continued to observe the half demon's face so closely, it hadn't taken him long to note the strange gleam that would flicker behind those crimson eyes as they bled to a deep maroon before returning to their original hue. Each time that color change occurred, he felt a cold prickle of awareness trip down his spine that set his nerves on edge. If he were to try to describe it, he would say that it felt like something repulsive brushing against him. Each time that unseen force touched him the hairs on the back of his neck rose in reaction to the uninvited caress.

Casting a sidelong glance at Sango and Miroku to gauge if they had felt anything out of the ordinary, he was surprised to see they were conspicuously huddled together. They looked as if they were engaged in some sort of quiet debate though their voices were too hushed for him to make out what they were saying. He did notice however that both of them had their gazes fixed on where Kagome stood a few feet away from Naraku and drew the obvious conclusion that they were discussing them. Edging closer, he managed to catch the last bit of their conversation and, in particular, Miroku's questions about the inexplicable presence hovering around his sister and the half demon.

The monk's questions raised an accompanying unease in Souta's mind, one which immediately had his gaze shifting back towards his sister. Kagome's face was in profile to him, but he could still see the bright blue-gray color of her eye easily. Hardly daring to blink, let alone breathe, he watched her carefully, dreading that his worst fears were about to be realized.

Sure enough, after a few seconds, Kagome's eyes darkened as Naraku's had done. When it happened, he thought he saw a faint shadow pass over her features, altering them ever so slightly before receding. The shift had lasted for barely half a second, less than the blink of an eye. He might have put it down as a trick of the light if it didn't happen again a few moments later. The change was more distinct this time, probably because he had been expecting it; thus, he was able to discern what might otherwise have been too subtle to catch.

For the briefest instant, Kagome's face had become that of another woman. A woman with dark brown eyes.

++++

"Kukukuku, you have matured nicely, little miko."

Naraku swept his gaze over the young woman before him, his eyes slowly tracing the ripe curves of her breasts before raking down over the gentle swell of her hips and her long, lean legs. He smirked as he watched her fidget under the weight of his stare. When he retraced his earlier descent and returned to her lovely face, he was delighted to see that her cheeks glowed a lovely pink. Lingering for a few moments on her soft, full lips puckered into a tempting frown, his tone turned appreciate as his eyes glowing with some unknown, but altogether disarming, emotion.

"Such a delectable creature you have become."

Immediately becoming defensive at the dark hanyou's suggestive tone, Inuyasha's eyes narrowed angrily as he stepped between Kagome and the leering half demon, a warning growl rumbling from his throat. His voice full of venom, his snarled, "Keep your lecherous opinions to yourself, you bastard."

Peeking over Inuyasha's shoulder, Kagome added her own disapproving glare to back up his words. Her disgust clearly written all over her face as to what she thought of the Naraku's unwelcome compliment. However, it wasn't his words or the perverted smirk which aroused such a vehement reaction from her. Rather, it was her body's inexplicable response to the somewhat husky timbre of his voice and the way her skin tingled as she felt his eyes move over her. Even more disturbing, she had been unable to suppress the involuntary shiver which snaked through her or the coil of heat which began to unfurl in the pit of her stomach. Feeling her face warm uncomfortably, she was horrified when an unnerving thought occurred to her.

Oh gods, did that actually turn her on?

There was no way in hell she was going to dignify that with an answer.

Moving closer to the inu hanyou in front of her, she reached up to gently squeeze his shoulder in order to gain his attention. She could feel how tense he was; his muscles twitching impatiently beneath her fingers. Injecting her voice with calmness she certainly wasn't feeling, she said quietly. "It's okay, Inuyasha. Just let it go for now."

The stiffness in his posture began to ease as she lightly massaged the back of his neck with her thumb. The innocent, unconscious caress did far more to soothe him that her words. One of his hands slipped back to loop around her waist and he drew her firmly and possessively against his side. His irritated gaze never once breaking contact with the dark hanyou; he noted with some satisfaction the displeasure which briefly flickered across Naraku's face before he schooled his features into an emotionless mask.

Apparently they had preempted one of the bastard's schemes before he even had a chance to get it started. A smirk gracing his lips, Inuyasha recklessly taunted, "Don't over-estimate your chances of success, Naraku. Things aren't the same as they were five hundred years ago."

It was Naraku's turn to smirk after the inu hanyou made that boast. His eyes glittering shrewdly, he countered. "You may have claimed her, Inuyasha, but she is not yet completely yours."

His mocking grin swiftly degenerating into a snarl, Inuyasha furiously growled. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

Unwittingly dragging Kagome along with him, he lunged forward intent on wiping the newly formed sneer from Naraku's face. He came up short of his goal though when a darkly scowling Sesshoumaru suddenly appeared before him and pulled the startled girl from his grasp. Surprised by his brother's interference, Inuyasha could only stare speechless at the sight of the taiyoukai tenderly holding a wide eyed Kagome in his arms. As that image slowly penetrated his anger hazed mind, fierce possessiveness washed over him and he instinctively reached out to wretch Kagome away from the inu youkai's embrace.

"Enough."

Sesshoumaru's curt voice halted him again; the demon Lord's own irritation coming across in his icy tone. Steering Kagome around his dazed younger brother, he propelled her towards the vacant couch and with a gentle push, seated her on one end before claiming a place next to her. Silently gesturing to the rest of the room's occupants that they should follow suit, he leaned back against the sofa and casually draped an arm behind Kagome's head in a blatantly protective manner.

No one dared to question Sesshoumaru's actions and without further delay, claimed their seats. Naraku was flanked by Shippo and Kouga, the former sharing the smaller couch with Souta while the later was in the second armchair. Sango sat on the remaining end of the couch with Miroku perched on the armrest beside her. Only Inuyasha remained standing, his expression defiantly stubborn as he stationed himself behind Souta who was closest to Kagome.

Naraku watched the little drama unfold with increasing amusement. His mind systematically registered every minute action and reaction, filing any important details away for later scrutiny. Much like him, none of the miko's companions had changed significantly in the past five hundred years, except of course for the kitsune who had matured to adulthood and the intriguing addition of the young human boy sitting next to the fox demon. He hadn't taken much notice of him until now, his mind had been preoccupied by other concerns, and he found himself regretting his inattention.

Tall and lanky, at that awkward stage which placed him on the cusp of manhood, there wasn't anything remarkable about his appearance nor was there any latent power flowing through his aura. In fact, he was as ordinary as any other human. Yet, whenever those chocolate colored eyes came to rest on him, he had the bizarre impression that the brat was trying to look into his soul.

He didn't have long to ponder these odd feelings though as Sesshoumaru's voice rose powerfully; commanding the attention of everyone in the room.

"Why exactly are you here, Naraku?"

++++

Memories can sometimes feel like dreams.

You stand on the periphery of those frozen moments of time, a spectator rather than a participant, and watch with a unique air of detachment the precise instant where you royally fucked everything up. Oh sure, you can look back on the situation and foresee that glorious moment of stupidity, but the damage is already done and you are stuck dealing with the consequences. Ironic, isn't it how hindsight is twenty twenty, but you are blind as a bat when it matters the most. Letting a sardonic grin widen his smile, he recalled the exact moment where his own future had been irrevocably altered by his inability to speak a single, monosyllabic word.

"No."

Why had his normally clearheaded logic wavered back then?

It wasn't as if he didn't know what would happen to him. Only a complete fool couldn't have guessed what the outcome would be if he allowed them to proceed; yet, he couldn't deny that he had been more than willing to pay that price.

In all fairness, who wouldn't have been intrigued by their propositions? Power was a strong temptation to even the most honorable of men. And though he couldn't claim that particular title for himself, it really shouldn't have been so damned easy for them to persuade him to agree.

Perhaps it had been her indifference which triggered his desire to tempt fate?

She had just been so damned untouchable. Seemingly beyond the reach of mortal men, she never would have accepted his advances under normal circumstances. Hell, she rarely paid him any more consideration than the stupid, whining peasants who constantly hounded her footsteps. He might have afforded her the same level of disregard, but with her raven colored hair, soulful, brown eyes and graceful beauty, she was a woman who could not easily be ignored.

He wanted to possess her.

Her beauty had been what initially attracted him. He had always had a predilection for seducing beautiful women and at first, she had been nothing more than another conquest he wished to add to his collection. The fact that she was a miko had only served to whet his appetite further and made the thrill of succeeding that much more enticing. He wanted to tear away that shroud of purity she wore with such superiority. He wanted to savor the knowledge that he had stolen her innocence and introduced her to the carnal desires that plagued all humans. And from that moment forward, he hadn't been able to get her out of his mind.

She had haunted his dreams.

Everyday he saw her and everyday he was no closer to making her his. She left him frustrated and so fucking aroused that he had to resort to relieving himself with his own hands. He could have simply raped some hapless village girl to abate his desire, but he didn't want to taint the pleasure of sinking himself deep into the miko's warmth by taking another. She soon became an obsession which his twisted soul had craved like a starving man does food. No one else would satisfy him. But not once did she acknowledge him. Not once did she notice his regard for her; his utter devotion which he had never offered to any other woman. She had remained blissfully detached from everyone and everything around her.

And he had hated her for it.

His fury over her unconscious rejection had grown with each passing day. His consuming desire left unabated had slowly transformed into something darker and infinitely more dangerous. He no longer wanted to possess her body.

He wanted to possess her soul.

That's what had called the first of the youkai to him; a smirking oni who had planted the first seeds of an idea in his head.

Make her notice you.

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"I've come to offer my assistance."

He said it with such lazy confidence that Kagome had to wonder if he was for real. He acted as if he was talking about nothing more important than the weather outside. Needless to say, this air of detachment was at complete odds to what she had expected. Surely the first words out of his mouth should have something to do with the Shikon no Tama.

Or perhaps he should have started by explaining how in the hell he was here in the first place. For all intents and purposes, he was dead. Her arrow had purified him into oblivion five centuries ago. Therefore, how was it possible that he was sitting here before her, looking none the worse for wear and calmly offering to help them?

If this was some twisted nightmare, she was more than ready to wake up now.

Sesshoumaru's voice rumbled beside her causing Kagome to start a little at the malevolence barely concealed within the icy tone. "What assistance do you expect to provide, hanyou? Unless I have forgotten something, you are not one for actively involving yourself in any physical endeavors."

A brief narrowing of Naraku's eyes was the only indication that Sesshoumaru's jibe had struck a nerve before he affected that unbelievably sweet smile that set Kagome's nerves tingling in awareness. He really did look handsome when he smiled like that; her stomach fluttering a little as curious warmth radiated through her.

Crap, what was happening to her? Why did butterflies suddenly awaken in her stomach whenever he pretended to be so charming? And why did that particular expression of his seem so familiar? Brushing those strange feelings aside, she tried to focus on his answer.

"Apparently, you misunderstood my intentions in contacting Kagome." He let his gaze move slowly around the room, making certain he had everyone's attention before he continued. "After all, I have her to thank for being here."

Sango leaned forward as he finished, her body rigid with anger as she tersely questioned. "What do you mean you have Kagome to thank? I seriously doubt she would have asked for you to be revived."

The charismatic smile faltered a little at the taijiya's accurate speculation, but nevertheless, returned in full force as Naraku countered with question of his own. "Do you even know what she wished for?"

His mouth twisted in a bland smile, Miroku's smooth voice came to her defense. "There was no need to question Kagome-sama about her wish." Though his expression did not change, his tone became stern as he cautioned. "Be careful you don't overestimate your worth by casting aspersions on her character."

Ignoring the obvious warning, Naraku chuckled, "Kukukuku, you are a trusting lot. Surely you know by now that everything that has occurred is a direct result of her wish."

Kouga came to her aid next, his voice laced with contempt. "What's more important now is fixing whatever went wrong. It doesn't matter what she wished for."

"Is that so?" Stroking his chin thoughtfully, Naraku softly mused, "Well, if it was up to me, I would want to know what that wish was."

"So, why don't I just tell you?"

The question was hardly above a whisper, but it served to gain everyone immediate attention. All eyes fell on Kagome, who was sitting stiffly in her seat; her hands clenched tightly together in her lap. She had guessed that eventually they would want to know what she wished and figured she would have told them at some point even if they hadn't asked. It wasn't like they needed to keep it a secret. And while she certainly appreciated her friends trying to protect her, it really wasn't that big of a deal if she told Naraku as well. Was it?

Her eyes downcast, she studied her interlaced fingers feeling the weight of so many eyes bearing down heavily on her. Softly at first, her voice grew stronger with each word. "I wished that the Shikon no Tama would be safe from evil and that it would never again fall into the wrong hands."

Now that the words were out, Kagome felt as if a great burden had been lifted from her. The others must have felt the same for she could almost feel their collective sigh of relief. Her heart significantly lighter than it had been the last couple of days, she was about to do the same when a low chuckle made her pause. As the sound grew in volume, she raised incredulous eyes to see that Naraku was laughing. At her.

He paused long enough in his mirth to mockingly inquire. "But, what did your heart wish for?"

Seeing Kagome's stunned reaction, Naraku grinned, a wicked spark coming into his maroon eyes, he tauntingly explained. "The Shikon no Tama was created from the heart of the miko Midoriko, thus it recognized whatever wish you held in your heart." His tone silky smooth, he inquired, "So, tell me, miko. What secret desire did you hold deep in your heart?"

Kagome hastily swept her gaze around the room, the expectant faces of her friends making her heart constrict painfully in her chest. Had the Shikon no Tama really seen what was in her heart at that time, regardless of what she might have thought? Was her own selfishness responsible for causing the lives of her friends to be ruined and the future altered? It couldn't be the truth. Surely, this was another of Naraku's traps. She tried to play it off as just that, but deep inside, she couldn't suppress the niggling self-doubt that the hanyou wasn't lying. She couldn't shake the sinking suspicion that the truth would be far more damaging.

Miroku was the first to break the silence that had descended over those assembled as they waited for Kagome to respond. His voice strained, he pleaded, "Kagome-sama, please, what was your wish?"

She could feel the oppressive weight of their stares again. It was a little uncomfortable having so many eyes on her and she couldn't immediately find her voice under their intense regard. She didn't want to disappoint them. She didn't want for them to feel like after all they had been through together she had let them down in the end. Casting a fearful look at Inuyasha, she saw him nod encouragingly, his beautiful amber eyes sparkling with his love, silently telling her that no matter her answer, nothing would change between them.

Taking a deep breath, her voice barely above a whisper, she said, "I didn't want it to end like this."

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Coming Soon: Chapter 10: Storm on the Horizon