InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Curse Of The Shikon No Tama ❯ Chapter 3 - Struggling To Recover ( Chapter 3 )

A/N: On a side note, this chapter is (once again) dedicated to Cherokey. It was because of her that I was able to finish this story so quickly. (Inuyasha: That was quick? *bash* Zel no Miko drops the iron mallet and turns back to her readers.) Thanx a bunch, Cherokey!!! ^^ For any of those who wish to help in motivation and stuff my AOL IM Screen Name is: Sangochan47. I will be willing to write on the spot for any of you who are interested, and want more of the story. It doesn't have to be just this story. I will do it for my others too! Also for those of you who want a preview of my original piece I'm working on it, please email me. It should be out soon.

*~*~*

Inuyasha's eyes snapped open and he peered through his surroundings. He couldn't see a thing. He had no idea what his surroundings where. Everything was covered in a misty fog. The type of fog where you couldn't see a thing no matter how hard you tried. The fog smothered his sense of smell. Inuyasha's ears twitched and picked up a distant sound. The sound was soft, pleasant to his ears.

"I-u-as-a."

The sound was just below a whisper, repeating the same word over ad over. Inuyasha's canine ears flicked forward to catch the sound.

"Inu-ash-a."

The sound was steadily growing louder.

"Inuyasha."

Inuyasha jumped at the sound, a voice. It sounded so close. If he didn't know any better he would have sworn that it was right next to him, but when Inuyasha reached out to touch the owner of the voice his hands only grasped air.

"Inuyasha." The disembodied voice whispered in his ear, a soft breath brushing the fur of the ear, sending a shiver down his spine. It was after this shiver that Inuyasha's brain registered the source of the voice. ~That voice. It couldn't be. It just isn't possible.~

"Ka-Kagome?" Inuyasha winced inwardly at his own voice. It sounded raspy and hoarse. Like it hadn't been used in days. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Kagome, where are you?"

"I'm right here Inuyasha."

Inuyasha felt solid arms wrap around his waist in a warm embrace. His mind registering this fact, Inuyasha slipped his arms around Kagome holding her close.

"Kagome." A rare smile formed on his face. ~A dream. It was just a dream.~ He realized. She was alive. HIS Kagome was alive.

"Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha continued to smile as he pictured Kagome, her blue - gray eyes peering up at him in question, her beautiful face tilted up towards his, her features glowing with…life.

"Nothing Kagome. I..I just had a dream. A horrible dream."

He paused a moment as the fog started to fade away. Soon, he would be able to see her as he remembered her best, living.

"What was it about?" Kagome pressed a palm against his chest.

"I dreamt…that…you died."

"…"

There was no response for a moment.

"I am dead, Inuyasha." Kagome replied coldly as the fog faded away into nothingness.

Nausea hit the hanyou like a ton of bricks when he saw what he held in his arms. The `Kagome' that was in his arms was just a being of rotting flesh and brittle bones, a corpse. The skull moved upwards and opened its mouth in an attempt to grin.

"I told you I'd bring you to hell." Kikyou's voice said, and with that the corpse crumbled and hit the `ground' with a sick splash. It was then that Inuyasha was fully aware of his surroundings. He was in a river of blood; the blood reaching up to his knees, and in the river was filled with many corpses. The smell of rotting death hit Inuyasha with full force, and he thought he would pass out from the stench alone.

The thick, red, blood moved the corpses against him. The rotting flesh touching his bare skin. Inuyasha just stood there frozen in complete shock. He had never been so disgusted. Another Kagome corpse approached Inuyasha. It reached up and gripped his face with bony hands, pieces of decaying flesh grinding against his own flesh. Inuyasha tried, desperately to pull away from the disgusting feeling of rotting flesh touching his skin. He felt like he was going to throw up. Then the corpse did the last thing Inuyasha would have expected. It reached up and pushed its rotting lips against his own in a horrifying kiss.

*~*~*

Inuyasha woke up with a start, and did something no red-blooded man would have ever done in his right mind. He screamed.

~~~~

Miroku had reached the edge of Inuyasha's Forest when he heard the scream. He blinked. There was no doubt that the voice belonged to Inuyasha, but to hear the hanyou scream and at such a feminine level…. The houshi darted through the trees in the direction of the Goshinboku, praying that nothing was seriously wrong with the hanyou.

~~~~

A shiver ran down Inuyasha's spine as the grotesque dream hit him at full force. The dream was just so horrid that he… ~Kagome.~ Inuyasha felt a tear trickle down his cheek. ~That dream…it's almost like what happened with Kikyou. Would Kagome…?~ Inuyasha shuddered at the thought of the girl that had been so full of life and happiness, so trusting becoming a vengeful demoness bent on dragging him to hell, like Kikyou had.

Inuyasha let the tears slide down his cheek. He had given up in wiping them away. Not after what had happened the first time.

>flashback<

He watched numbly as Miroku gingerly set an unconscious Sango on a futon in Kaede's hut. Somewhere, on the walk back to the village, Shippou had disappeared. His mind registered that fact, was probably even a little worried, but his heart refused to care. The old miko had left a few minutes ago to tell the villagers that the festival was to be canceled. Inuyasha wondered numbly if she would tell the people pf Kagome's death, but when Kaede returned a few moments later he knew she hadn't. ~So,~ he thought, ~she's putting off telling them, eh? Not that I care. It doesn't matter to them that it was Kagome who died, not Kikyou. They'll still blame me for her death.~

Kaede looked up at Inuyasha, who seemed to be deep in thought.

"Inuyasha, please sit down, get some rest. Tomorrow we can make the preparations for Kagome's funeral. I'd like you to be present."

Inuyasha seemed to barely register the fact that she was speaking so Kaede was extremely surprise to see him narrow his eyes at her and speak.

"Why? So we can have what happened fifty years ago? You remember, baba. I may have been sealed and asleep during the time, but I know what happened. The villagers whispering whenever they passed my forest, blaming me for her death. I don't need your fuckin' human funeral to help me mourn Kagome. I'll do it my way, the youkai way." Inuyasha got up and started to storm out of the hut.

"Wait, Inuyasha!"

"What, bouzu?!" Inuyasha growled, stopping.

Miroku got up from where he had been sitting by Sango's side, quiet throughout the whole exchange. He studied the hanyou thoughtfully.

"Since when have you let what humans think get to you? We all know that you had a rough child hood. From what I gathered I thought that you had developed some type of `shield' against this sort of thing."

Inuyasha growled, dangerously, a warning for Miroku to shut up.

"Maybe so houshi. Maybe I wouldn't care what these stupid humans think if I could forgive myself for letting her die!"

With that Inuyasha left, leaving the hut in a very stunned silence.

~~~~

Inuyasha rushed out of the hut darting towards his forest. He ignored the surprised look of the villagers. He just had to get away! HAD to get of here. Away from the village and Kaede's hut. They were full of too much pain, too many memories. He would see various spots were Kagome would osuwari him for pummeling Shippou, when she would go to the fields, when….Inuyasha swallowed. When he would spend most of the night awake watching her features glow softly in the light of a dying fire. Then he would talk in her sweet scent, memorize ever inch of her being. She never knew he did that. Every night he would stare at her, longingly, aching to touch her, taste the girl that was like a forbidden fruit.

He stopped at Goshinboku tree. ~This tree.~ he thought, Even though it was full of some of their most precious memories: the time he almost kissed her, when he almost touched her… It was the only place… ~it's the only place where I will ever find true peace.~

Inuyasha crouched down on his haunches and leaped up to a branch, HIS branch, and tried to calm his thoughts. It was then that he noticed that he was crying, tears slowly making their way down his face. ~Gods,~ he thought, ~It's a good thing I left when I did.~ Inuyasha reached up to wipe away the tears. He stopped when his nose picked up a certain metallic scent. He brought the clawed hand that he had used into view. ~Blood.~ Inuyasha could only stare, dumfounded for some reason, as he stared at the thin trickle of blood that stained his hand crimson. ~Like hers.~ He thought, a picture of how he had found Kagome, flashing through his mind.

This brought on a new onslaught of tears. He glared at his claws. ~It shouldn't have happened. These claws can easily tear through flesh. I should have been able to kill that bastard with these claws. She shouldn't have died.~

>end of flashback<

Ever since that time yesterday when he had been unable to wipe away single tears without bleeding he had given up. He just let them fall. He didn't care who saw him. Almost none of the villagers or youkai set a foot in his forest so he wasn't worried about that. Only Sango, Miroku, or Shippou set foot inside his forest. Kaede rarely left the village.

"Kagome." The name was no more than a breath of a whisper.

The tears started to flow faster. ~Do you blame me? Is your soul in the same torment that Kikyou's was? Gods, I'm so sorry. If only I hadn't said those things..you'd still be alive. You'd be here by my side. Gods, I miss you so much. Oh, gods, Kagome…~

"Inuyasha."

Inuyasha jumped slightly at Miroku's voice. He looked down to see the houshi standing at the base of his tree. The hanyou shook his head to get rid of the self pity that continued to dominate his mind before leaping of off his branch.

"What, Miroku?" He asked harshly, nearly wincing at his own voice, which sounded rough from misuse.

Miroku blinked, slightly surprised at Inuyasha's current state as he looked over the hanyou. His silver hair was greasy and matted. His clothes completely wrinkled, and his eyes still contained the desolate, dead look. Even his doglike ears drooped in misery. The skin on his face was stained with tears. He overall looked pathetic. Miroku felt his heart go out to Inuyasha. He looked no better than he had the other day when he told everyone the news. In all the time he had spent traveling with the hanyou he had never seen him look..so..heartbroken. ~Inuyasha must have had stronger feelings for Kagome-sama than I thought.~ He realized.

"Well?"

Miroku shook himself mentally, realizing that he had been staring at Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha, could you tell me exactly what happened in Kagome-sama's world?"

Inuyasha blinked. Whatever he had been expecting Miroku to say it wasn't that. Again, images of Kagome, lying prone on her bed, bleeding and gasping for breath flashed through his mind.

Miroku waited quietly for Inuyasha to respond.

"……."

A few minutes passed by and there was no response. The houshi regarded the hanyou curiously.

"Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha winced slightly. He couldn't tell them. Not yet. It was too soon. Sango's reaction. The accusations had dug a wound deeper than he cared to admit. He blamed himself for Kagome's death just as he had Kikyou's. ~Kagome.~ Inuyasha closed his eyes. Momentarily forgetting that Miroku was even there. ~If Sango, Miroku, and Shippou can't forgive me for what happened then…~ >Why should they?< Inuyasha mentally started. The voice there it was again. >If you can't forgive yourself for what happened then how can you expect them too?<

Miroku studied Inuyasha. He looked even more forlorn then he had a few moments ago, if such a thing was possible. His amber eyes were concentrated on a place on the ground, unseeing. His silver hair cascaded over his face. Making it impossible for Miroku to read his facial expression. ~It's almost as if he doesn't even realize I'm here.~

"Inuyasha." Miroku reached out and touched Inuyasha's shoulder "Do you want to talk about it?"

Inuyasha looked up slightly startled. He could feel fresh tears start, but he ignored them. He shook his head.

"M-Miroku, I just don't feel like talking about it right now. I - I…need…." Inuyasha's voice faltered. "Go away!"

Miroku took a step back, slightly surprised, as Inuyasha took up to the air and disappeared through the trees. He blinked a couple of times. Maybe it was his mind playing tricks on him, but he could have sworn he had seen a little bit of the feral attitude that had been Inuyasha before this whole mess happened. Shrugging, Miroku headed back towards the village. It was time to go check on Sango.

~~~~

While Miroku was trying to coax an explanation out of Inuyasha, an emotionally unstable Sango was waking up, alone, in Kaede's hut.

~Where am I?~ She wondered, sitting up and looking at her surroundings that her dull mind slowly registered as Kaede's hut. There was no one around. Sango sat up slowly, slightly dizzy. ~Where is everyone? Where…?~

It was than that the memories of what happened the other day came crashing back.

"Ka-Kagome-chan." She gasped, so many emotions bombarding her at once: fear, anger, depression and sadness were just some of the few. However, it was the feelings of anger and sadness that continued to attack her senses. ~Usuo! It's not fair! She can't be gone! Kagome-chan can't be dead!!~ Sango's hands curled up into trembling fists and hot tears streamed down her cheeks. ~It's..not..fair!!!!!~ Sango bit back a sob, and tried to recollect herself, failing miserably. What was she going to do now? In the Last Battle, Naraku had realized that Kohaku was no longer of any use to him and had removed the Shikon shard from the boy's back. ~With Kagome-chan gone what's left for me to do?……She should be here now! It's not fair! Inuyasha should have protected her! He should have!~ A single, muffled sob escaped Sango's throat before she managed to pull herself together. Her eyes narrowed darkly at the last thought. ~Inuyasha. This is all his fault!! If only he had…~ Quickly Sango changed into her taiji-ya clothes, slipping her katana into the cloth around her waist that served as a belt. Strapping Hiraikotsu to her back. ~Inuyasha, that bastard!~

"He WILL pay for his crimes." Sango said, darkly, as she slipped out of the hut unnoticed. Her mind bent on one purpose - to kill Inuyasha.

~~~~

Miroku shook his head as he headed back towards the village. This was a lot more complicated then he had originally thought. ~Who would have thought that Inuyasha's feelings for Kagome-sama were so strong? He still looks the same. I never thought the day would come when I would see him…so….dispirited. It's going to be a lot harder for Inuyasha talk about what happened. I doubt even Kikyou's death had such an impact on him.~

Miroku sighed, nodding as a few of the villagers waved at him. The villagers had no idea what had happened. He stopped a moment, closing his eyes and leaning against the wall of a hut as he tried to recollect his thoughts. For the time being helping Inuyasha seemed to be a lost cause. Miroku decided to concentrate on helping his other two comrades. ~Who to go to first? Sango or Shippou?~ Sango, Miroku concluded, was most likely still asleep. ~Demo, no one has seen Shippou for the past couple of days…Hopefully, nothing has happened to him.~

Miroku let out another sigh. For now he should probably concentrate on helping Sango. With the frame of mind she was in, Sango would most likely try to attack Inuyasha if she woke up alone. ~Yes,~ Miroku nodded to himself, making a decision, ~Right now I should help Sango. I'll ask Kaede-sama to keep an eye out for Shippou.~ With that Miroku headed back towards Kaede's hut. Not once did the delinquent houshi even consider that Sango might have already woken up and left the village in search of her prey.

~~~~

Sango ran through the rice fields, the wind tugging at the tight ponytail that held her hair up. Her dark eyes were darker then usual as she neared the edge of Inuyasha's Forest. Some of the villagers stopped in there work, slightly surprised to see the woman running towards the forest with a sense of urgency rolling off of Sango in waves, but they shrugged and went back to work.

The food that had been picked for festival had already been stored for emergency use during the winter. The villagers were disappointed to be sure. All had been looking forward to the rest that the festival would offer, but most had just shrugged away the disappointment. Most likely a youkai threat had been discovered. They were not uncommon to this village. The threat would be dealt with, and hopefully the festival would be held at a later date.

~~~~

"Sango? Are you awake?" Miroku called out softly as he pulled back the flap that served as a door for Kaede's hut.

There was no answer.

A strange sense of foreboding entered Miroku's mind, but he pushed it aside and stepped into the hut.

"Sango?"

Miroku paled visibly. The hut was completely empty. The futon that Sango had been laying on was empty, the blankets a crumpled mess. Not even Kirara was there. As his eyes roamed over the insides a rare panic filled the houshi as he noticed Hiraikotsu was missing and that Sango's kimono was thrown in a pile near a corner.

"Oh, shit!"

Miroku rushed out of the hut, his left hand gripping his staff. The knuckles turning white from the tight grip as he rushed towards the forest praying that he wouldn't be too late.

~Inuyasha!~

~~~~

Kirara sprinted through the village in her cat form. Her search for Shippou had been unsuccessful. The youkai headed back to the hut of the old miko, but stopped when she saw Miroku.

The houshi paused when he heard the small mew, and discovered a small Kirara jumping to his shoulder. He picked up the youkai and set her down.

"Kirara."

The cat youkai lifted her head up at the urgency that Miroku's tone held.

"We need to find Sango, NOW."

Kirara looked up at Miroku not fully understanding why they needed to find her mistress so quickly. Then she sensed it. A nameless evil was mingling with the scent of her mistress! Growling, Kirara changed into her youkai form. There was something about this youki…

Miroku quickly mounted Kirara, figuring that she had gotten his message, and they bound off towards Inuyasha's forest.

~~~~

"Kagome."

Now that Miroku had left, Inuyasha's thoughts went back to where they had been dwelling upon for the past three days, Kagome.

~Kagome.~

Again Inuyasha curled his hands into tight fists as a single tear fell down his face. ~How did this happen?~

A low, mournful sound escaped Inuyasha's lips. He knew why Kagome had died. It was because of him. It was all his fault.

>flashback<

"What else are you good for!?"

>end flashback<

Inuyasha's claws dug into the bark of the tree that he was in. It was not the Goshinboku tree. If he had returned to that tree it would have been too easy for the others to find him. If he hadn't had said that, if he hadn't been so uncaring then she still might be here with him. Sure she might have still been attacked, but she was the miko, the guardian, of the Shikon no Tama. Until a wish was made to completely purify the jewel into nonexistence danger was inevitable.

Inuyasha sighed and leaned against the tree. Yes, danger was always an issue as far as the blasted jewel was concerned. He knew that. Kagome had known that. ~But somehow…somehow I always thought that she would be safe in her time. I never thought that anything like this would ever happen to her, ever.

Another sigh. Perhaps it was time that he told the others what had happened in her time, how she had died. Inuyasha had been avoiding telling the others how it had happened. That was one reason why he had run away from Miroku earlier. Because by telling them what had happened Inuyasha would be admitting it. That she, his Kagome, was dead.

~~~~

"Hiraikotsu!"

Inuyasha looked up at the familiar voice that sounded through his forest. On instinct he jumped up at a whizzing noise, barely dodging Sango's huge boomerang in time.

"Damn you!"

Inuyasha landed next to the split trunk of the tree he had been brooding on a few minutes ago, searching for the owner of the familiar voice.

"S-Sango?"

Sango stood, not far away from him, dressed in her taiji-ya uniform. She looked just like she had when she had first meet the hanyou. Rage was rolling off of her body in waves. Only this time the rage was much different. There was a sort of desperation to it that Inuyasha couldn't help but notice.

"Sango!!!!"

Inuyasha's ears barely picked up the faint sound that was Miroku's voice.

Sango caught Hiraikotsu, as at came rushing back at her, with ease. Perhaps she should use something else. After all the hanyou could easily avoid the boomerang and it would get her nowhere. She set the massive weapon down with one hand, as the other brushed the hilt of her katana.

Ahh, yes, her sword. It would make a much more suitable. Sango grabbed the strap for her boomerang and strapped it to her back. She gripped the katana. The sword would relieve her frustrations much easier. Sango unsheathed the weapon and prepared to rush forward, longing to see the blood of the hanyou that she used to call friend drenching the earth.

Inuyasha watched Sango unsheathe her sword, and stood there preparing himself. A hand curled into a fist.

~Hurry Miroku. If you want to find out what happened to Kagome, hurry.~

~~~~

Miroku dashed through the forest atop of Kirara. Both Inuyasha and Sango had gone deeper into the forest then he had originally thought. Would he make it in time? If Inuyasha was still in his current state of mind by the time Sango reached him would the hanyou fight back? Or would Inuyasha kill her?

Miroku curled his fists around Kirara's fur. He hoped not. If he lost Sango.....

The houshi shook his head. Inuyasha would never do such a thing. Sango had been a good friend to Kagome, and if she could get over her depression, she was a good friend to Inuyasha. The hanyou would never consciously kill any of his friends. He had never even done that when his youkai blood had taken over.

Sango, however, Sango was a totally different story. Her emotions were getting the best of her. Something that she had never let happen in the past. Miroku knew that the taiji-ya was grateful for the friendship that she had with Kagome. The girl from the future had been a person that Sango could deeply confide in. Something that she had lost after the destruction of her village. In a way Miroku had been jealous of Kagome. But now was not the time for it. Both Sango and Inuyasha were emotionally distraught, and one of them was bound to do something that they would later regret if he didn't interfere.

Pushing the dark thoughts from his mind Miroku urged Kirara forward praying he would be there in time.

~~~~

Letting out a cry Sango rushed towards Inuyasha, sword ready. Inuyasha just stood there, unsure of what to do. Sango was his friend, right? He couldn't just very well kill her.

"Die, bastard!" Sango screamed as she closed the distance between herself and Inuyasha.

~Kagome, what do I do?~ He asked the dead girl silently, as if hoping for an answer. Inuyasha stepped back, the uncertainty rising, as Sango's katana bit into his flesh.

"Sango!!! Inuyasha!"

Inuyasha noticed that the houshi was now close enough for human hearing. Even as she continued to attack Inuyasha, swiping her katana at him, Sango cocked her head slightly so she could hear the voice better. She narrowed her eyes. ~He's getting close. If I don't hurry up and finish it, then he will ruin everything.~

Inuyasha had made it easy in the beginning for her. At first he had just stood there as the blade created cuts over his body. A few minutes ago the hanyou had started to become a little evasive, forcing Sango to become more aggressive. Now, after hearing Miroku's voice for the second time Inuyasha was doing everything he could to hold hear off. So far he hadn't dealt her a blow yet, but he could he feel the anger rising in his blood. The youkai in him was starting to get angry at Sango. How dare she attack him? For a single moment Inuyasha forgot about Kagome's death so that he could concentrate on the battle at hand.

~~~~

Miroku's body language silently urged Kirara forward. Not that the cat youkai needed any type of urging. She could smell the feelings that were coming from her master in waves. It was when the smell of blood wafted towards her did she start to panic. It was not the blood of a human. No, it carried a demonic scent. The scent of a youkai.

Miroku could feel the growl that Kirara was starting to emit vibrate against his skin. This wasn't good. If the youkai could sense something that he couldn't….

The houshi bit his lip. A surge of emotion was starting to fill his being. Gods, he hadn't felt this much emotion every since his father had been sucked up by his own kazanna. He gripped Kirara's fur tighter until the youkai let out a small growl of discomfort. Miroku released his grip slightly, but not by much. The urgency that he had started feeling as he and Kirara had entered Inuyasha's Forest hadn't gone away. In fact, it started to grow. The group of ex - Shikon shard hunters had already lost a valuable member of their group. If they lost another…

Again, Miroku forced himself to concentrate on his surroundings and to push the dark feeling out of his mind.

"DIEEEE!!!!!"

Miroku snapped to attention when he heard Sango's cry of anguish. The taiji-ya was still fighting Inuyasha obviously, but how much had she hurt the hanyou? Was Inuyasha close to death? Was Sango, herself, injured? Miroku once again clenched Kirara's fur almost painfully. The cat youkai's mind acknowledged the pain, but that was it. Her mistress was in trouble. Sango was in pain. Whether it was emotional, physical, or both Kirara did not know. All she knew was that she had to get to her mistress and fast. Kirara's leg muscles tightened and the youkai leapt over a high branch landing in the clearing where Sango was trying to extract her revenge.

~~~~

Sango bent her wrist back and plunged her blade into Inuyasha's shoulder

Inuyasha, in turn, only winced in slight pain. He was bleeding from several cuts all over his body, but, fortunately, none of them where too serious. The hanyou was at a lost. What was he going to do? He had to protect himself from Sango's attacks, but… She was his friend; she was Kagome's friend. He couldn't just very well kill her.

Through the red haze of pain that the blade brought to his senses, Inuyasha could see Miroku and Kirara standing behind Sango. The taiji-ya, herself, had not yet noticed them. She only gripped the katana tighter and ripped it up through Inuyasha's shoulder, ripping through the bone.

~Damn.~ Inuyasha thought. ~I never knew that blade was so strong.~ The hanyou could barely keep the whimper from escaping his mouth as the pain started to increase throughout his body. His eyes quickly shot upwards in shock. It was nightfall. ~Oh, shit! Not now! Gods, no, not now!~ He hadn't felt such a feeling of desperation since Kagome had died. It was the turning of the cycle, the new moon.

~~~~

Miroku's eyes drew together in concern. This was really serious. He had been so stupid to leave Sango alone like that. The young woman was obviously a lot more unstable then he had assumed. Inuyasha sported minor cuts all over his body, but according to the look on the hanyou's face, the new wound he had gained was serious even for a hanyou.

Then Miroku heard the growl that had been growing within Kirara. The growl startled Miroku so much that he fell off of the youkai. Miroku studied Kirara before turning back to the 'fight'. The cat was tense. The muscles in her legs were so tense, like a bow string, that they looked like they were about to snap any second. The growl and anger that was emitting from Kirara's body was something that the youkai had only saved for Naraku.

Miroku turned his attention to the fight. The thing which had made Kirara so tense and angry. His breath caught in his throat. Inuyasha, who had been avoiding Sango moments before was kneeling down on the ground, gripping the shoulder wound. The hanyou nearly whimpered in pain.

But that wasn't had startled Miroku so much. The hand that gripped the shoulder no longer had claws. His silver hair that had been stained with blood only moments before was now a dark ebony.

Inuyasha was human.

~~~~

Sango watched impatiently as Inuyasha collapsed to the ground in pain. She heard the growl of Kirara behind, but her brain almost refused to register it. All she wanted to concentrate on was killing Inuyasha.

~~~~

Miroku watched Inuyasha stumble away from Sango in fear. It was then that he realized the illusion that the cuts made due to the fact that Inuyasha was a hanyou. Because of his youkai blood the cuts had appeared to be minor. They had almost looked like little nicks, but now that that blood was gone Inuyasha was in danger.

~Damn it! Don't just stand there you idiot, do something!~

Miroku knew that he needed to do something. In a matter of fact, his brain was constantly yelling at him to move and help Inuyasha.

~~~~

Inuyasha fell to the ground the sensation of pain and dizziness nearly overwhelming him. He had to do something! He had to get Sango to stop, somehow!

Inuyasha's hand went to his sword unconsciously. His hand was itching to use the demon blade, but it was impossible. The blade would never work against a human. Besides could he really hurt one of his friends like that?

Squinting, as his vision began to blur from loss of blood, Inuyasha dodged another one of Sango's attacks. His breathing was becoming more labored. As much as he wanted to deny it, he didn't know how much longer he could hold out. He whipped out Tessaiga's sheath, to use it as a prop. Blood was dripping steadily out of his wounds. Practically the one from his shoulder. The ground tipped dangerously before the hanyou collapsed on the ground. The strength that his body had was practically gone from blood loss.

~Kuso.~ He thought. ~This is why I hate a human body. They're so damn weak! Humans need protection....like Kagome did.~ The feeling that had been dwelling in Inuyasha since the beginning of the 'fight', the anxiety, was slowly starting to fade. The depression that his mind had somehow managed to block out came back at full force.

~Kagome....~

Inuyasha's vision darkened dangerously as the hanyou thought about the girl from the future yet again. Then he collapsed. His strength completely gone. He brain barely registered the warm body that stood in front of him protectively as he passed out.

~~~~

Miroku snapped out of his trance as Kirara jumped passed him, the fur on her twin tails tickling his nose. The houshi blinked once and stood up, gripping his staff tightly, and silently approached the enraged Sango.

~~~~

Sango watched, the corners of her lips tugging into a grim smile as Inuyasha collapsed on the cold ground.

~If I leave him there he'll die easily. No blood on these hands.~

Sango started to turn away to leave Inuyasha to bleed to death when a large, warm body jumped passed her and stood in front of Inuyasha, protectively. Sango whirled around, her eyes going wide in disbelief.

"KIRARA!!!!!!!!" Sango shrieked. She stood there frozen to the spot her body trembling with rage and disbelief. How dare she!? ~HOW DARE SHE!!~

Sango gripped her sword tighter as Kirara's growl reached new volumes in its intensity. She ignored the growls completely as she took a menacing step towards the cat youkai.

~~~~

Miroku sighed inwardly as he stepped forward the touch the pressure point on her neck again. The houshi took two steps towards Sango before stopping in shock.

He gripped his staff tightly and reached in his robes for a scrap of ofuda. There was a deadly aura surrounding Sango. One that wasn't her own.

~Oh, by the gods! Sango!~ Miroku widened his eyes in fear as anxiety and worry for the taiji-ya colored his mental emotions.

"Sango!"

The young woman cocked her head slightly to look over at Miroku.

"Houshi-sama?"

Miroku shivered at both the level of coldness that her voice held, and the intense evil energy that was radiating from her body. Obviously Kirara had and still felt it too. The youkai was still as taunt as a bowstring, growling dangerously.

"Sango?" Miroku slowly moved towards Sango his right arm tense and ready to grab some of the ofuda that were inside his robes. ~This aura.~ he thought. ~I've never seen an aura so evil since….Naraku.~

"Sango, please, put down your weapons. Back away from Inuyasha."

The aura flared violently.

"NO!" Sango shrieked. Miroku winced slightly at the volume of the shriek.

"This bastard!…He…I won't let him live! Not after what he did!" Sango's body started to tremble violently as her voice started to become hoarse from screaming.

"What did he do, Sango?" Miroku's voice was calm. He knew exactly what Sango was talking about. Inwardly, the houshi was shocked. He had never seen Sango so emotionally distraught before. However, Miroku kept his wits about him and concentrated on saving Inuyasha and getting that aura, or whatever it was, away from Sango.

Tears started to stream down her face.

"You know what he did, Miroku!" Miroku blinked, this was the first time she had ever said his name. "He couldn't save her! He just let her die! It's not fair! He should pay! For not being there! Kagome-chan shouldn't have died!" Hiraikotsu fell from Sango's grasp with a clatter. Sango's body was wracked with sobs as she talked. As the taiji-ya warrior let out her emotions the evil aura surrounding her slowly died down. Kneeling down slowly, for any sudden movements were sure to set her off again, Miroku set down his staff. The soft jingle of the rings on the staff went unheard by the sobbing Sango. Standing up, the houshi removed a few pieces of ofuda from his robes and slowly approached her.

"Sango." Miroku's voice had a gentle quality to it. Gripping the pieces of paper in his right hand, Miroku laid his other on Sango's shoulder. A fatal mistake. The young woman still held her katana in her hand. A special katana forged to slice through even the toughest youkai skin.

Sango glared at Miroku as the aura flared to life again, her eyes glowing a dark purple. Miroku's breath caught in his throat.

"Bastard." She growled. "You're no better then him."

She sliced at Miroku's left arm, cutting into the bone before the houshi could back away.

The pain was intense. Miroku's face was pale as he stared at her ~She shouldn't be able to move that fast.~ He thought. In all his travels he had never seen a mortal move with such speed. Only a youkai had that ability. He backed away as Sango turned her full attention on him.

"Sango."

"Shut up! Urasu kano phete!!!!!" Sango roared, her voice slightly hoarse.

Miroku frowned for a moment at the strange words. He quickly jumped out of the way though, when the aura flared up, and a burst of energy shot towards him.

Sango followed him, turning her back completely to where Inuyasha lay, her eyes still glowing a dark purple. She flexed a fist as she willed another stream of energy at Miroku.

~Shit. I don't know…~

Whatever else Miroku was thinking was cut off as Kirara attacked Sango from behind, settling her full weight on the girl. Sango let out a shriek of surprise, causing Kirara to flatten her ears against her head in pain. The aura surrounding Sango, once again, flared to life. A growl erupted from Kirara as she dug her claws into the dirt, determined to prevent Sango from moving.

Miroku didn't waste any time. He rushed forward, ignoring the searing pain in his arm, and knelt besides Sango. He placed a piece of the sealing paper on Sango's chest. The paper prevented the girl from moving at all. Kirara got off of her mistress's body once she realized that the girl could no longer move. Sango just lay there, furious, her body trembling as she struggled to move. Her screams echoed throughout the forest causing various animals to scatter.

"Damn you, houshi!!!! LET..ME..GO!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Miroku winced slightly at the intensity of the scream, but narrowed his eyes and tightened his grip around a particular piece of ofuda. The paper pulsed in his hand as the evil aura continued to grow stronger.

"You. I don't know who the hell you are, but you will release Sango….NOW."

The screaming stopped. Sango's body stopped struggling against the seal that held her down.

"So, you figured it out, eh Miroku?" A voice sneered.

Miroku blinked in surprise. That voice that was coming from Sango's mouth…it wasn't hers. It was like nothing he had ever heard before, but….there was something familiar about it.

"Who are you?"

"Oh, you don't recognize this aura, houshi-sama?" The voice seemed to be laughing at him. Miroku narrowed his eyes in anger as he told himself to calm down.

" Leave her."

"Oh, are you threatening me, houshi?"

"NOW!"

Miroku didn't give the voice a chance to reply. He leapt forward, the pulsing ofuda crackling with holy energy as he placed the paper on Sango's forehead. A scream, one mixed with the voices of Sango and the evil that had produced such an aura, erupted from the taiji-ya's mouth.

Both Miroku and Kirara were knocked off their feet as a golden glow surrounded Sango's body, black energy slowly oozed out of it.

"Touchy, touchy." The voice seemed to surround them. "Very well, houshi. I will leave you and your whore alone…for now. I was going to leave soon anyways. Enjoy your victory and relish in its peace Miroku, who knows how long it will last." An evil laugh, one that vibrated through Miroku and Kirara's bones, was heard and silence filled the air. That was the only indication that the evil had left, for now.

The golden glow around Sango slowly faded away.

"Sango!"

Miroku rushed towards the unconscious woman. He gathered her up in his arms, concern etched on his features. He brushed a strand of her out of her eyes as they fluttered open.

"Houshi-sama?"

Her dark eyes were filled with confusion. Almost as if she had no idea what had happened earlier. Miroku saw no recollection of the attack on Inuyasha in her eyes.

"What…"

"Shhh." Miroku murmured as he stroked her cheek gently. "It's okay. Everything is just fine." Later he would ask himself why he had told her that, but for the moment he knew he just wanted her to relax. What had happened just a few minutes ago had scared him. He never wanted to see an evil harm her in such a way ever again.

Sango leaned into his touch, sighing slightly, and closed her eyes. Miroku was the last thing that she saw before the darkness overtook her.

~~~~

Inuyasha woke up with a start. Strong smells of medicinal herbs and pain, lots of pain, attacking his senses. Groaning, slightly he forced himself into a sitting position, biting his lip the whole way. He looked around. Rays of sun filtered through the cracks in the wall of Kaede's hut. ~Wait. Sun!?~ Inuyasha let out a sigh of relief. He had survived the night. Inuyasha shook his head. He couldn't remember a time when he had been so scared for his own life, even during the new moon.

"Inuyasha? How are feeling?"

Inuyasha turned his head to look at Miroku. The houshi was sitting next to an unconscious Sango. The hanyou felt a bit of concern flood his felling as he looked at the young girl. Her skin had a sickly waxen shade to it. He narrowed his eyes in concern. What had happened?

Miroku noticed Inuyasha look at Sango in concern. For a brief moment jealously flared inside, but he quickly stomped it out. ~Now I know how Inuyasha felt about the kindness that Kagome-sama showed Kouga.~

"I'm better. Wh-what happened?" Inuyasha nodded towards Sango.

Miroku shrugged.

"I'm not exactly sure. After you passed out…."

Inuyasha snorted. "ME? Hmph, such a thing would never happen to me!"

Miroku sighed, before standing up and bopping Inuyasha over the head with his staff.

"As I was saying, after you passed out I noticed a very evil aura surrounding Sango."

This stopped any more protests Inuyasha was about to form about the fainting comment.

"Aura?"

Miroku nodded.

"Yes, I believe that when Sango attacked you it might not have been her that wanted it. There was defiantly something that was controlling Sango." Miroku closed his eyes at the memory.

Inuyasha fell silent as his memories went back to the day that Kagome died. ~It couldn't have been…?~

"Miroku, did you recognize this person at all?"

The houshi shook his head.

"No, I heard a voice, but the evil itself was disembodied."

"Disembodied?"

"Yes, it appeared to be made of pure energy. Anyways Inuyasha how are you?"

Inuyasha bit his lip before he replied.

"Fine."

A thick silence hung in the air after that.

~… A possesion, eh? Who could have done it? A spirit?~ Inuyasha wondered, after he briefly noticed that he had not waken up to any horrifying nightmares.

~I wonder. Could this evil be somehow connected to Kagome-sama's death? I should ask about that Inuyasha later.~

Both men sat in silence, as Sango shifted in her sleep. Hers a troubled one. None of them noticed that both Kirara and Shippou were missing.

A/N: Oh my gawd!!! I have never gotten into to writing a story like this before. It's so sad!!! There are times when I write it and I just get so sad!!! (Especially when I write the parts concerning Inu-chan and his feelings.) Okaay, there are going to be a lot of dreams for your information. I'm a person for Inu/Kag fluff. So this is my way of satisfying that craving. (At least until the story nears the end.) Now I know that the dreams are dark (with almost NO fluff) but remember this story is angsty. I know that by the way the dreams are played out that it sort of sounds like a rerun of the betrayal deal b/w Kikyou and Inuyasha. Well, it's supposed to. Inuyasha's subconscious won't let him forget that he wasn't there to stop Kagome's death, and to him that is a sense of betrayal, since he had always protected her before. I just thought I should explain that………..Okay, maybe this dream was a little too morbid, even for me. Inu-chan kissing a corpse. *shudders* *pauses* Oh, wait he's already done that! I swear when Sango woke up I was so tempted to write ` fear, anger, aggression. The dark side of the force are they.' (for those of you that like Star Wars.) John Williams did the Harry potter music, yataa!!! *Goes back to anime freak mode* Okay this chapter wasn't really angsty. What do you think about Sango's whole ordeal? That was my very first attempt at any type of fluff, practically M/S fluff. What did you think? Should I have made the chapter into 2? R/R!!! What do you think happened to Shippou and Kirara, huh? Huh?

BTW - Just curious, who do you think killed Kagome-chan? Was it:

Some random psycho from her world.

Naraku.

Some random terrorists.

One Naraku's detachments ( a new one) bent on getting the Shikon No Tama and surpassing Naraku. *shudders at the thought*

Skylar. (If you don't know who Skylar is read A New World.)

One of the Shichinin-tai.

Tsubaki.

Or finally:

Kikyou!!!!!!! (Hate that bitch!!!!)