A Blind Heart

Author’s Note:

First off Happy New Year! I hope everyone’s holidays were great! Two thank you for all the wonderful reviews and your patience with this latest chapter. Work was a killer in December and I was not able to update! Now without further ado…chapter 26…read and review!

P.S. Thanks to my beta Phoenix Wolf! She really helped me when I was stuck!

Chapter 26 – A two-sided coin

Love reminds you that nothing else matters. -Amy Bushell –

Ayame POV

From tea party to my den, now that was interesting. I shrugged after all who could figure out the whims of the Kami’s? I looked around the den, frowning. Something was wrong, way wrong. It was midday and at this time of day the den is usually bustling with activity. There should be den mothers preparing the midday meal. I knew that the den was normally full of males arriving with kills from the morning hunt, younglings with herbs, mushrooms and other edible plants they harvested. We had elders caring for pups while their parents completed chores that contributed to the dens daily needs.

Yet the cave was so quiet that I could hear the beating of my heart. I sniffed the air searching for some clues. That was odd; there was no trace of the pack. Even if they had been gone for several days there should have been a small amount of scent in the air. So no pack scent, no miasma, or holy energy, I was running out of options to explain the unexplainable. Before I could help it I whimpered. Ookami are pack demons, and to be left alone without even my wolves was disorienting and frightening. The last time I was left on my own, was during my warrior trials.

Basically, you take a wolf youkai, drop them in the middle of nowhere with nothing but the fur on their back and their claws. The object was to survive and reunite with the pack. Oh, did I mention there was a three-day time limit? Have to be sporting after all. I survived the trauma, and made it back within 32 hours, a new pack record by the way. Still, nothing about the empty cave screamed trial. I decided to try and find my pack or at least Koga since he would help me. Taking stock of my supplies, I was shocked to see that my sword, a sign of the ruling members of the pack was gone. So were my daggers! Damn down to claws and fur again!

I ran towards the watering hole that our tribe favored. Maybe they all decided to take a play day. Yeah right! And Naraku’s not evil, just misunderstood! As expected, no pack at the watering hole. I sat down to have a drink, and also out my next move. I couldn’t continue to run all over trying to find a hint of their whereabouts; after all I would end up exhausted and an easy target. Nor could I just lay there waiting for fate to decide for me what would happen next.

I decided to travel no more than 300 hundred miles in one day at an easy pace. This would keep me moving forward, but would also conserve energy. As I stood and surveyed the area for one last time, my hair on the back of my neck stood. Something wicked comes this way. I got into a defensive stance. I’d kick ass first and ask questions later. Imagine my surprise when Koga and Kagome strolled out of the bushes next to the pond. I knew for damn certain that they were not there before, nor were they in the immediate vicinity. I would have scented them or felt Kouga’s youkino. Something was way off with this. I narrowed my eyes as I tried to adjust for whatever scenario was coming up.

“Ayame, what brings you here? Why weren’t you with the rest of your tribe when Kagura captured them? Don’t tell me you were a coward and ran away?” Koga sneered. Okay two things, one who the fuck does he think he is? And two, what gives him the right to talk to me like that? We are equals in our respective tribes. And I didn’t hear about him faring too well when his tribe ran into Kagura. I’m so not his peon! Mentally giving him the finger I told him I was away trading for my grandfather and when I came back the den was deserted. I looked for signs that either him or Kagome was disturbed by the news of my packs capture but could see nothing but smugness in their expressions.

“Well if you both will excuse me I have a tribe to rescue.” And I made to run off. “Bitch I did not give you leave!” Wow! Somebody was channeling Lord Sesshomaru, but fortunately I was not his bitch to be brought to heel. With a small bow I ran off knowing that Koga was trying to intercept me. It turns out the crazy son of a bitch was the least of my worries, as I ran I felt an arrow imbed itself in my right shoulder. Motherfucker! That positively hurt, an arrow always stings like no tomorrow. Add purification to that and well; let’s say no amount of willow bark is taking that pain from you!

I reached back and snapped off the shaft of the arrow. No use giving your enemy anything additional to grab onto. I turned to look at Koga. This was the ookami prince that I was in love with from before I knew the true meaning of the word. I had stood faithful and hopeful, even when he declared his intention to mate with the human miko Kagome. Like a fool in love, I had turned down other offers because my heart would not let me do otherwise. And, like many a female from the beginning of time to now, I was going to pay for that love. They say love bleeds, and boy they aren’t lying!

“So Koga, you want to tell me since when does running off to save your tribe merit an arrow in the back. Is your Miko too cowardly to face me female to female, that she has to attack from behind? Did our tribes go to war since I went away to trade? Have I missed that much?” Okay maybe I should have kept my mouth shut about his miko, but damn that arrow fucking hurt! One second slower and she might have nailed me somewhere vital! In a move so fast even I couldn’t track it, I felt his hand connect with my cheek. Too shocked to respond to the pain, split cheek, and the blood, I stayed on the ground where his smack had thrown me.

Venom spewed from my eyes, and hate bloomed deep within my heart as I told him, “You’re not half the male you think you are. Save your words because you’ve gone too far. Once I loved you with all my heart now you get nothing but my hate.” (Yes it’s true, as deeply as you love someone, is as deeply as you can hate them. After all they’re both just different sides of the same coin). I expected a lot of things from my announcement, but not for both of them to throw their heads back and laugh. So glad I was fucking entertaining. I shook my head to get rid of the remaining dizziness and stood. “I take it this will be a fight to the death?” Boy was I proud of myself! I sounded positively blasé about it.

“See Kagome, I told you our bitch was quick and could be educated.” Koga’s monotone voice said. Trainable was I? Oh I was about to show them just how well I could be trained. If this was fight to the death, then I would make sure I went with down with dignity and honor. I knew Koga was an excellent fighter, after all who do you think trained me? Add Kagome into the mix and well you had a deadly combination. The pond had gone silent as if the very air held itself still in anticipation. Well I wasn’t going to stand there and let him get first strike. I began to attack using all parts of my body, as he had taught me.

My first clue that this wasn’t Koga was the wounds that seemed to close magically with a small purple light accompanying each healing. Second, I had sparred with him plenty of times over the years. This was not his fighting style, or his speed. Naraku must have had something to do with this! His claws came so close to my face, so I threw my body backwards and when I would have hit the ground, I twisted and flipped in the air so I ended on my feet a couple of feet away. Clever yes, but more to the point it was desperate! Shit, so this is what humans meant when they said up shits creek with no paddle.

Don’t get me wrong I am a very proficient warrior; after all I hold a rank in pack. But taking on one possessed ookami and miko was a very tall order! I fought with bravery and valor, but time and fate was not kind on this day. I stood there swaying on my feet, desperately breathing hard. Funny that at times like this, all I could think of was the sweet smell of grass and the cool scent of the water.

Moments, little snippets in time ran through my mind. The first time I laid eyes on Koga. The night of the Lunar Rainbow when he rescued me and we became betrothed, a fact that he has vehemently denied ever since! My first wolf heat when I realized that some of what I felt for the ookami prince was pure unadulterated lust, he called to the female in me. It was Koga that my beast wanted to be dominated by. It was him who fanned the flames of our desire until it threatened to scorch us both.

The despair and humiliation I felt when he announced he would be taking the human miko as his mate. The fierce hate I felt towards a human who had never done me any harm. My determination to show the baka that I was worth the time and effort of courtship, and that I could please him, unlike his miko with her whorish clothing. To be fair, Kagome was an innocent and not from a time or place like ours. Still a rivalry is a rivalry! And last the anger and hatred towards him for getting ensnared in Naraku’s web and allowing himself to be used. It was ironic that the object of my love and desire was now to be the instrument of my death.

In that moment, there arose such a fight arose within my soul. Part of me wanted to hate him and curse his very existence. This was all, all of his fault. If he had mated me as promised, Naraku would have never been able to control him. As for Kagome, the unwitting accomplice in all this, I hated her for having the one thing I would have sold my soul for. Koga’s heart, and his love. The other part of me wanted to weep in despair and grief for the love that I had lost. Did I love him enough to wish him happy, even if it wasn’t with me?

“Ah such delicious torture isn’t it Ayame? What do you do with an inattentive lover? Hanging on by the last of your strength what can you do?” Said a voice very close to my ear. Kami! I was losing it if I let him sneak that close to me. I swallowed hard, fear making it almost impossible to finish my gulp. “What would you do, wolf princess, if I gave you this fine katana? It is more than capable of killing them both. Will you kill in hate or die in love?”

When I felt the weight of the katana I jumped. Oh such evil was contained in my sword. Just holding it in my hand I could feel it trying to convert me to malevolence. I struggled as never before to keep my free will. Koga and Kagome stood in the clearing calm relaxed as if there was no care in the world. Looking closer I realized that was not it. Naraku was controlling them even now. I threw my head back and screamed to the heavens, a scream of the damned. Of one who knows there is nothing left to fight for, that the end is here.

I took the katana and walked closely towards Koga. Stupid Naraku wanted a better view so he paced me. I stopped right in front of Koga and stared. I reached up a hand to trace his face and lips one last time. I closed my eyes and prayed to Kami and any other deity for forgiveness. Raising up the katana and thrusting downward, there was no hesitation to my stroke.

Before Naraku could say a word I yanked the katana out, and impaled his heart and spider scar. The blood loss was making me dizzy. Even dying, the dark hanyou didn’t understand the depth of my sacrifice. I smiled and reached up to touch his cheek. “You underestimate the heart of a female in love Naraku.”

I coughed up some blood and watched at the light dimmed in his eyes, the last word he spoke before he died was, “impossible”. Koga and Kagome were released from his spell. As I fell, strong arms encircled my body and began to rock me. This, this feeling is what I waited my whole life for. How paradoxical it was that it occurs at the time of my death.

“Ayame, why, why would you sacrifice yourself for me? I don’t deserve that type of love and devotion from you. I should have not been stubborn. I could have had many years with you as my mate, had my own eyes not been blinded to the truth. Can you forgive me?” Tears fell from that proud ookami prince’s eyes. I brought up a shaky hand to touch his cheek. I was loved, and I was cursed. To hear what I had desperately wanted almost all of my life, and know it was pointless. Pointless because I knew we would never be Koga and Ayame, mates for life.

Tears welled in my eyes. I wanted to stay by his side, but already I could feel the cold hand of Eimin reaching for me. “Koga, my love one last request,” he swallowed manfully and nodded. “A last kiss, send me to Goshou with the memory of your lips on mine.” Firm lips came to rest on mine gently. I moaned. His lips were the softest thing in creation. He held his lips to mine until my last breath. My spirit watched as he threw his head back and howled his anguish.

Love lives, love dies…………….
Love bites, love bleeds………………

The pain of dying and losing my love was immense. I screamed the scream of the damned and the lonely. And I came to myself screaming in Koga’s arms inside the castle. I was inconsolable in my grief. That it was a trial, and not real, did not make my sacrifice worth any less. While I was in that trial, everything took on the taste of reality. My muscles still ached from my fight with Koga. My shoulder throbbed where the arrow had pierced. The real pain was in my heart. Was this a sign from the Kami’s that we were not meant to be?

All through the tears, he held and rocked me. As a matter of fact, he would not let me leave the safety of his arms until I recounted my whole story to him. Tears fell from his eyes as I described my death and sacrifice. I stared at him in wonder. That he would cry for me, it left me shaken. Brokenly, he began his own tale of his trial. My heart wept for his pain. Who ever designed the trials was clever. Indeed they knew us as well as we knew ourselves.

Had this all been worth it? Had the trials taught us those valuable first lessons? As much as I loved being held in Koga’s arms, I wanted my pack sisters. Only they could truly appreciate the pain of love lost and found. Only they could tell me if their trials were similar to mine’s.

So I sat there held within the circle of Koga’s arms and made several important decisions. One, if he still wanted me as his mate, we would bond as soon as possible. The second thing was I would never, ever give up my fight to protect our packs, Japan and the world …

Kagome’s POV:

I woke up by the God tree in my time. Kami my head was killing me. It felt like somebody had really beaten me up. I looked up and gasped in horror! The Shrine was gone! Burnt down. Darkness filled the air; actually it would be more accurate to say evil filled the air. I climbed up the hill towards the top of the shrine grounds. What I viewed staggered me. As far as the eye could see, devastation and destruction reigned. I was curious as to the cause of such wide scale obliteration. Had Naraku somehow managed to follow me through the well?

My soul cried out at the thought of such needless annihilation. What horror and despair had the population felt right before their untimely demise? I prayed to Kami for strength and for wisdom. Somehow I had to fix this. Fix the future so that it was no longer the barren wasteland that lay before me.

And that’s when it hit me. Change the past to protect the future. I ran back to the well and dived into praying to every deity that it still worked. Imagine my relief when the familiar blue light surrounded me. I looked up at the sky and smiled. I was back in the past. Such excitement and exhilaration I felt, along with hope. But such things are short lived.

As I climbed out of the well, the sight that greeted me was horrifying. There, sprawled on the blood soaked ground were my friends. Sango had a hole punched through her abdomen, Miroku looked as if he had suffered from poisoning. Poor hoishi was barely recognizable. Bloated and purple from miasma poisoning you could tell he suffered tremendously before dying. I looked around for Inu Yasha. I knew that he would never let his friends fight without him.

Finally, by the God Tree I spotted the familiar red of his haori and hakama. I ran to him on unsteady legs. When I saw him I gasped. Gone were the distinctive white hair and puppy ears. Instead there was dark black hair and violet eyes that stared into oblivion. I sank to my knees. Grief weighed me down. There by his side was his Tetsaiga. I grabbed it and took it with me. Even if Sesshomaru could never wield the sword, it was still the fang of his father and as such he deserved to have it.

My head shot up as I thought about Shippo. Where was my son? I stood up and began to search. Nothing! There was not a trace of my son. On one hand I was elated not to find his body anywhere nears this battle. On the other hand, I was scared at what his absence meant.
Was he out there waiting for me to find him? Was he wounded or safe? There were so many questions and no answers.

I went numb and shut down. There is no other way to describe it. I picked up my bag and made my way towards Kaede’s. Maybe when I got there I would take a nap and this carnage would be nothing but a nightmare. Why I so surprised to see the village had faired no better, I’ll never know. I turned around and headed west. I don’t know why I chose that direction, but at least it was better than staying here and having a nervous breakdown.

The first few days passed in relative silence. Whatever had ravaged the land had done a very thorough job of. Game, fish and food were scarce. Good thing I had supplies from the future. I wondered how many more days of travel I had left. I sighed as I got up from my bedroll and stretched. Today something was going to change. The air felt heavy and oppressive, as if fate itself was holding its breath. I went to go wash up in a spring close to my campsite. Imagine my surprise when it was not empty!

There lying on the shore was Ah-Un, and he was wounded. I came close to him, speaking slowly and gently so as not to startle him. A wounded animal is twice as likely to snap out and hurt someone, even if they are trying to help it. Labored breaths, and whimpers were the only sound the Doragon Youkai was capable of making. Using just a small amount of my powers, I healed him enough so that he would be able to finish healing himself. Both heads came up to nuzzle me, causing me to giggle. “Can you take me to Sesshomaru-Sama?” I asked him. Both heads nodded enthusiastically. I gingerly climbed aboard, taking care not to brush against Ah-Un’s numerous injuries.

We didn’t fly very far to get to where Sesshomaru-Sama and Jaken were. I noticed several things at once. One, Jaken was severely injured. Two, Sesshomaru-Sama had that ‘I am pissed, and am going to bathe in someone’s blood’ which was not good for me. Three, Rin was nowhere to be found. I don’t have the gift of foresight, but suddenly I got a bad feeling in my stomach, and it had to do with Rin and Shippo.

Ah-Un greeted his master with a series of chortles and whistles obviously trying to communicate something to his master. Emotions flew over Sesshomaru’s face so quickly, so fleetingly, that if I had not been concentrating on his face I would have missed it. Kami what had the Doragon told him? I could bet money that it was not good.

I slowly walked over to Sesshomaru and bowed deeply. Politeness never hurt anything according to my mother. “Sesshomaru-Sama, I have brought you the fang of your father and the news of Inu Yasha’s demise. I bid you good day and will take my leave now.” As I said this I laid the sword reverently on the floor and began to back away.

“Onna, you will tell me how the hanyou died!” Oh I was so not in the mood for his demands. Who the fuck did he think he was? Deciding I could not die today, I answered him. “I was away at my village. When I arrived back to Inu Yasha’s forest, the sight of my friends greeted me, dead. The village close to the forest was destroyed. I am currently looking for my son, the kitsune Shippo.”

“Hmm, Miko my ward Rin is also missing. This Sesshomaru had sent her back to his castle with Ah-Un. He was injured and Rin was taken. He extends his gratitude for you healing him. He also states that he was overwhelmed with many youkai, which means the vile hanyou Naraku. I am going to destroy this creature for the offenses he has caused to This Sesshomaru and my clan.” He stated as he turned and started to walk away.

“Wait!” Kagome cried. “Please take me with you. I have a feeling that Naraku may have my son as well.”

He stopped and looked at her over his shoulder. After looking at her for several moments, he said, “Do as you wish. But do not slow me down human.” And he turned and continued on his way.

Kagome hurried to catch up to him, Ah-Un not far behind her. Sesshomaru set a brisk pace that had Kagome at almost a jog for the rest of the day.

“We will rest here human.” He said after he had found a large meadow, and dropped gracefully to sit under a tree. Kagome dropped to the ground gratefully. Inu Yasha never pushed her this hard, but she somehow knew, that if she had of asked Sesshomaru for a small break, he would have left her behind. Another thing that kept her going was the thought of her child, as well as Rin, hoping that they were all right.

All of a sudden, there was this great gust of wind. Sesshomaru jumped to his feet growling. Kagome grabbed her bow and notched an arrow, just to be ready.

The wind sorceress Kagura appeared. “My master wishes to speak with you both. Now!” And she opened her fan, and sent a great gust of wind towards the two. Sesshomaru quickly moved to stand behind Kagome to brace both of them against the onslaught.

When we both opened our eyes, after the dust had cleared, we found ourselves in an opulent throne room. Naraku was seated up on a raised dais at the other end of the room looking like the ruler of his domain. But the surprises kept rolling in. There in the corner lay a dead Kohaku and Koga. I said a quick prayer for my dead friends that their souls would be in rest.

“Ah the Taiyoukai and the Miko, how honored I am that you both came to see me. Tell me Miko, did you like my little present to you? I tried so hard to get the right tone. Now tell me, what brings you both to my humble abode? No, let me guess. You both lost something precious to you correct? And you think that I have them? Well you would be correct.” He said smugly, and with that, Kagura dragged in both the children.

My anger spiked when I saw that they had both been beaten and tortured. I was going to rip Naraku’s heart out myself. Two of his tentacles grabbed the children, and held them high in the air. “Now, I am not normally interested in children, but some of my allies have certain, how shall I say, predilections that are specialized? These children will buy my allies allegiance. I am told they make the best pleasure slaves. They are so young, so easy to manipulate, and yet so obedient to their masters. Would you like to say goodbye to them before they leave?”

During Naraku’s speech, Sesshoumaru ended up busy fighting Kagura and about 100 lower class demons. I knew it was up to me to save Rin and Shippo. I raised my bow up to shoot Naraku, when more demons appeared. Two of them were close to Naraku, and I knew these were the depraved animals that threatened the children’s happiness. I looked to see where Sesshomaru was and saw that he was injured, but still fighting with every fiber of his being.

My mind went blank. I knew deep in my heart that he would never be able to reach the children in time to save them. I also knew that I could not let those vile demons take the children. If they did I would be damning the children to a lifetime of torture and rape. I notched two arrows in my bow and prayed to Kami-Sama for a true aim. I swear this was the hardest thing I ever had to do. My arms trembled from the amount of pull I was placing on my weapon.

I released the arrows and watched as they streaked towards their targets. I will never ever forget the sound of those arrows striking flesh. Shippo opened his eyes and said “Thank you momma.” Little Rin said, “Kagome, oni-chan, thank you for saving Rin.” And with that the life slipped away from those two beautiful children. Yes, as horrible as it was, I chose to kill the children rather than allow them to fall victim to two demon pedophiles.

I screamed, funny how that’s the one thing I can remember clearly. Yes, my scream of despair and anguish that rang to the very heavens themselves. It did not matter that I had not carried Shippo in my body; he was the son of my heart. And now my heart felt dead at seeing he was no longer alive. It was different than seeing Inu Yasha, Sango or even Miroku dead. For all intents and purposes we were adults and made our choice to fight for good. Shippo was a child who should have been playing tag and other child-like games, not ending up a prisoner of war.

Sesshomaru let out a mighty roar. I knew by looking at him he understood my sacrifice but it didn’t negate the sacrifice.

A poem that I had once heard chose that time to roll through my head,

For everything there is a season,
A time to be born, and a time to die;
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
A time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to love, and a time to hate,
A time for war, and a time for peace.

I knew it time. It was my time to kill the vile hanyou to save the world. I knew that I would die in this endeavor and for a moment I felt regret. Regret that I would never know the love of a husband, or the joy of having more children and growing old. But all that paled in comparison for in my death, the world would once again know peace.

The two demons that were here to take the children had left, as there was no reason for them to stay any longer. I dropped my bow, and reached out my hand towards them. I would be damned if I would let them leave and hurt other innocent children. Miko spheres of energy shot out towards them, purifying them in an instant.

I turned to Naraku, my intent clear. But the hanyou just smirked at me. “You think that you can kill me with some little trick? Little miko I have the power of the Shikon backing me. What do you have?” he scoffed. “Let’s see you try to kill me when you are dead!” And he shot his tentacles at me. But I was ready for him. His projectiles hit me, square in my stomach, causing me to fold from the impact. He laughed. “Now what will you do you pathetic human? You couldn’t save your friends, you killed your own child, and now you will die too!”

“Th … think … again … asshole.” I whispered as I sent almost all of my purifying energy up his tentacles towards him. He screamed as he was purified. I smiled, as the pressure in my stomach was lessened. The world was safe once more. The Shikon was whole and purified. I closed my eyes and made a wish. A wish that would set everything right again, and would heal all the damage wrought by Naraku.

I fell towards the ground my legs no longer capable of supporting my weight. I braced for impact, after all what was one more hurt when you are dieing? Instead I found myself cradled in the arm and tail of Sesshoumaru. Kami at least one secret fantasy fulfilled before I died!

I heard rather than saw Rin and Shippo take their first breathe. I was so occupied with looking at Sesshoumaru’s face that I did not have eyes for anything else. “The wish, tell me Kagome what did you wish for?” I smirked.

“I wished that all those innocent beings killed by Naraku or his manipulation would be brought back to life, given a second chance at happiness.” Now that was one bona fide pure wish! I in no way gained from this. I knew that due to the magnitude of my wish that I would have to sacrifice myself for it to come true. Due to all the evil that the Shikon had absorbed it took my whole soul to purify it. Why was it so cold now?

Shippo was pleading in the background for me to stay. Oh my son if only I could! Kami has decided differently for me. Rin was crying quietly, poor babies. I hoped that they would live the rest of their lives in happiness and the horror of this day would become a misty memory.

I felt a touch on my shoulder, and looked up again to see Sesshomaru kneeling there. I felt some regret that I would never be able to tell the Taiyoukai my true feelings, but also felt better, knowing that he has survived. Rin and Shippo cried quietly in the corner.

“Why Miko, why would you sacrifice yourself? Do you not desire seeing your pup grow up? What about the hanyou” he asked me so seriously. I answered him with great difficulty. “I love everyone enough to give them a second chance. Tell InuYasha to be happy with Kikyo and to remember me always. Tell Sango and Miroku to grab life and not to let one moment’s happiness pass them by. And help Shippo become an adult, the kind of adult I would have wanted him to be. If you live to the year 2006 find the Higurashi Shrine and tell my family I did make a difference and that I love them! Promise me, promise me all that and promise to never ever forget me Sesshoumaru!”

“Kagome, this Sesshoumaru swears upon his honor and that of the Inu clan to deliver your final words. I promise to aid in the upbringing of your pup. I also promise to hold your memory in my heart until the end of his days” lips lightly and quickly pressed to my forehead.

I slowly, and painfully, reached up to touch his face. He turned into the caress, I figure to comfort me in my passing. I will give him one last gift before I leave this plane of existence.

“I … l … love … y …you.” I whispered, as I sent the last of my healing powers into him. He recoiled from my touch, but the deed was done. He now had his arm back, as well as all his major injuries were well on their way to being healed.

My sight was growing dim, and I knew that he would not leave me alone as I left this earth. I only wished that he would find happiness in his life. I drew my last breath. I think dying was like being born just the opposite. I awoke lying in the garden amidst the sprigs of lavender. Strong arms pulled me close, another set held us both. I was weeping, not the shaking kind of weeping. No this was the silent tears kind of weeping. There was death still on the top of my mind, even though I was surrounded by life and my family.

My faith in myself was stronger that ever. Yes I was burdened with the knowledge that this was a war. War means sacrifices. I prayed right there that our sacrifices would me minimal and that the children would be safe. I would talk to Kaede-baba about making talismans to keep the children safe. Sometimes it is precious moments that make the biggest difference.

I was happy to see my Taisho family by me. Inu Yasha the brother of my heart, Kikyo my real sister, Inu Taisho my father and last but not least my love Maru. I finally composed myself and we all went back to the castle. I could see when we all met up how shaken we were. I knew why we were all tested.

For the measure of a hero is not what he does, but the strength of his heart. I knew we had all proven that we had the heart to see our mission thru. We would see Kimi in the morning, but for tonight the eight of us slept in one huge bed like a pile of puppies. It was comforting on a primal level. Did I mention it was warm as hell too?

Japanese Glossary:
Eimin – death
Goshou – afterlife
Doragon – Dragon! (DUH)