The Town that Time Forgot, Chapter Six

"Out of the way please!"

Kagome gasped and stumbled from her seated position as a blur of white and black raced by. It skidded to a halt behind the group of priestesses close to her, revealing itself to be a young black cat in a burgundy dress of lace and velvet pushing a cart of freshly pressed towels. She brushed a few strands of bobbed black hair from her bright yellow eyes as she handed towels to the women with spastic little bows and nods, until suddenly her head shot up and ears perked, dropping the towel she currently held as the priestess beside her dove to catch it. Kagome heard the shout of an angry man approaching and watched as the cat-girl hastily packed up the remainder of the towels, apologizing abruptly "Sorry, all out!"

She had nearly shot off again when a bony hand grabbed her by the scruff of her dress and hauled her back. "Why you little thief! Not so fast!" Kagome frowned at the sunken faced young-man currently glaring at the smiling black cat. He seemed… odd, to say the least, and she didn't like his handling of the young girl, human or not. "Those roots were for my spell! You can't just take them and eat them! Just who do you think you're dealing with?!"

The cat-girl smiled carelessly. "Sorry, it's been a long day and I've been sooo hungry! And all the snacks on the buffet are gone, so -."

"But those were for the humans!" Another rogue priest had joined the group now, arms crossed and expression even crosser. "We need the nourishment to keep our spiritual auras going! What, you think this power comes from nowhere?" Others had come up to them now, all arguing and throwing accusing looks at the cat who was growing increasingly nervous. Kagome rose to her feet, ready to intercept on the young girl's behalf; but before she could take two steps, there was a sweeping flash like shining metal, and everyone in the growing circle was thrown onto their backs, some sporting tears in their robes. The young spiritualist holding the cat-girl stumbled in the epicenter but steadied quickly as a firm hand grabbed the wrist holding the girl captive. "If you wanna keep your spot, Priest," a raspy voice growled in the human's ear, "you better let her go right now." Thin fingers shook as they loosened, dropping the girl in a heap to the ground. She sat dazed for a moment, then looked up to her rescuer: her eyes widened, and a smile lit her face to see the familiar black tail and orange vest of her friend "Oboro-kun!"

The black cat Oboro glared around the group of priests and priestesses watching him cautiously and raised a paw to brandish three knife-like claws at the group. "Hands off the help, y'hear? You'll get your snacks and your towels if you just sit tight. Now, no more causing trouble, or you'll be reported to the Disaster Prevention Bureau, got it?" No one seemed to have an argument to that and scurried back to their seats. Oboro turned then to the young man who'd started it, crossing his arms and saying "What was it again? Gosunkugi-san?" The sunken-faced Gosunkugi nodded, eyes bugging fearfully. "Well, you pull something like that again, and I'll go tell Ageha-sama to send you right back where we picked you up. We don't got an invite for you anyways, so you're already on thin ice. I wouldn't push it if I were you." He finished with a smirk, brandishing his long claws again, and Gosunkugi swallowed and beat a hasty retreat into the crowd.

Oboro sighed, his paws shrinking back to human-like hands in red gloves, and turned to the cat-girl with a frown. "Suzu, what were you thinking? You're going to get in real trouble one of these days, and I won't be there to hel-." He cut off with a grunt as Suzu grabbed him about his scrawny middle in a tight hug, squeezing him with a purr of happiness. "Thank you Oboro-kun! You're a life-saver!" She held on for a few seconds more, Oboro stammering above her, until with a quick goodbye she'd grabbed her cart and was off again. The black-cat boy was left scratching his head as he watched her vanish once more, thinking to himself 'Wonder if I shoulda told Kain.'

"So, that's Suzu!"

He was caught off guard by a sweet voice beside him, and turned to see a pretty black-haired young woman standing close by, watching him thoughtfully. She smiled softly at him, eyes falling gently, and Oboro stiffened at such an oddly affectionate look from this complete stranger.

Of course Kagome couldn't help coming closer – she'd already been on her way to save Suzu-chan; but then… this boy had shown up… and everything he did brought back a thousand memories of the boy she'd left behind. He was a little bit younger than they'd been when she left, and his pointy ears were black and cat-shaped instead of Akita-white, but his protectiveness, his attitude, even his speech pattern reminded her painfully of Inuyasha, and she had to introduce herself. "My name's Kagome," she said softly, as the cat-boy continued to stare strangely at her, "and my Shinigami companions and I had a run-in with Shirushigami Kain earlier. He was looking for his black cat, and I believe that was her?"

She let the question hang, hoping to engage the adorable black cat in conversation, and at last Oboro swallowed thickly and responded "Uh, yeah. Suzu. She's a real headache, but she means well. Couldn't just let all those jerks gang up on her like that, even if it meant she got away again." Kagome smiled even wider, and Oboro's cheeks warmed. "Well that's very noble of you" she teased, enjoying the way he casually brushed off his rescue – just like her Inuyasha used to do.

Oboro scratched absently at the back of his furry black head, frowning as he searched for words. Shinigami didn't usually pay him much attention, aside from Ageha's sisterly teasing, and he hardly ever dealt with humans (live ones anyway). To have a human girl, and such a pretty one at that, practically fawning over him was… nice. He didn't usually change into his cat form, preferring the fighting prowess of his fists and longer legs… but the way he felt now, Oboro had the strangest urge to become his thin cat self and curl up on this girl's lap. He shook the thought away as suddenly as it came, and realized Kagome was still smiling at him. "Name's Oboro" he said quickly, wondering just how long he'd spaced out. "Contract black-cat to Shinigami Ageha. N-nice to meet you!" He nodded, but couldn't bring himself to bow – a formal introduction was odd enough as it was. Kagome didn't seem to mind though.

Her head cocked to the side in thought as she gave him a piercing, soul-searching look, and then she said softly "I'm very glad to meet you, Oboro-kun. And sorry if this sounds weird, but… you remind me of someone. Someone I lost a few years ago. I wish you could've met him." There was such sadness in her eyes then, such melancholy in her tone, that for a moment Oboro didn't know what to say. Soon the dark cloud cleared though, and Kagome gave him another winning smile, saying "I hope I'll see you around Oboro-kun! It was nice meeting you!" And before Oboro had noticed or Kagome could think twice, she'd reached up one hand to softly tweak his fuzzy black cat-ear, and gave him one last smile before heading back to her seat in the ring of priestesses.

Behind her, Oboro's face erupted in a plume of red, and he stayed staring at the back of her wavy black hair until Ageha came floating through the crowd to drag him off, nagging him for running away in the first place.

"Wait… he turns into what now?"

"I told you!" Ranma said with a laugh, hands linked behind his head as he walked between Akane and Inuyasha, "A yeti-riding-an-ox-carrying-a-crane-in-one-hand-and-slippery-eel-in-the-other! What's there not to get?" He grinned even wider as the half-demon's face screwed in thought, though his grin fell at Akane's playful jab to his side. "Ranma, play nice." Sticking his tongue out at her, Ranma turned back to the still bewildered Inuyasha whose pace was finally (thankfully) back to something the two could manage.

"So anyway, there's water bursting outta the rocks all over the place, I keep trying to turn back into a guy but no such luck, and he's only too happy to become a… y'know - what he becomes - and at this point we're all pretty much at a loss as to how to beat him." Inuyasha seemed recovered enough to rejoin the story, asking cagily "So how'd you do it?"

"Pantyhose!" At his audience's blank stare, Ranma explained "See, Akane put together this sick slingshot, and I tried using it to drag Pantyhose Taro to the ground, 'cause he was flying y'know, but then he tried using it against me, only I was one step ahead of him: I used all that elasticity and energy to propel myself into one massive attack, and – MAN! You shoulda been there! It was pretty awesome."

He was nearly skipping along the path now as he replayed the action, fists jabbing the air and a toothy smile spread across his face. Akane watched, features soft and affectionate despite the wide berth she was giving him as they walked – she was in no mood to reenact the fight in Pantyhose Taro's place. Her gaze drifted across to Inuyasha, and her smile fell at their new friend's persistent look of confusion.

"Something wrong Inuyasha?"

He looked across at her then, hesitating before blurting out "What's pantyhose?" Ranma froze mid-punch, all attention suddenly on the white-haired man beside him, his pretend fight forgotten. Akane stopped as well, mouth drawn in a thin line as she searched for some helpful reply. Wha… what were pantyhose? He didn't… he didn't know?

"Seriously?" Ranma said, straightening up and folding his arms to regard Inuyasha. "You mean your girlfriend never wore 'em?"

"RANMA!" "OW!" The pig-tailed boy flinched as Akane pinched his arm, tugging him away from the still silent and confused half-demon. "You can't just ask him that!" Akane hissed, pulling him down by his pig-tail to reach his ear, "I mean, that kinda stuff's personal! We don't need to know about it!"

"Personal?" Inuyasha said suddenly, arms folding into his sleeves as he took a few steps towards the startled pair, "What the hell are they? Should Kagome have worn 'em?" Clarity lit his eyes as a thought struck him. "They weren't… they're aren't like…" his ears drooped into his snowy hair, eyes suddenly wide as saucers, "like those 'bras' or 'pantsy' things she used to hide all the time… are they?" The bright blush and obvious panic on Inuyasha's face had Ranma and Akane sharing a slow, wide-eyed look that screamed to the other 'Is this guy for real?' Not getting any help or encouragement from his fiancée, Ranma managed to shut his gaping mouth and turn back to their friend. Linking his hands once more behind his head in a casual and careless manner, Ranma schooled his features, fighting back the laughter already threatening to escape, and answered coolly "Yup. Just like those. What, she never showed 'em off to you?"

The blood in his cheeks was almost the same shade now as his suikan, and Inuyasha couldn't manage more than a sputter. Ranma's lip quirked, and finally he couldn't take it: he doubled over in laughter, eyes pinched as he fought for words. "You- you're kidding me! Oh man, you really – you sure you're really ready to see this girl again? Your – pfft! – your head's gonna explode if you blush any harder!" He was lost to helpless giggles, and even Akane was having trouble hiding her grin. Inuyasha was left glaring at them both, too embarrassed still to do much else.

"Aw, don't listen to him Inuyasha!" Akane giggled, not sounding quite as apologetic as Inuyasha thought she ought to, "I think it's sweet! Besides, only pantyhose Ranma ever sees are his own!" Her fiance's laughter snapped to a stop as he shouted "HEY!"

"W-whatever!" Inuyasha groused, turning back to the path and starting off again. The other two stumbled after him, noticing he'd picked up his earlier, inhuman pace. "I just think it's a stupid thing to name a person, that's it!"

"Heh, Pantyhose Taro feels the same way! He didn't have much choice in the matter."

"Yeah," Akane said, "but those kind of things happen when you deal with Happosai!"

Inuyasha turned thoughtful yellow eyes back to the pair, thankful for the change of subject. "Happosai? Who's that?"

"Trouble, that's who" Ranma answered with a scowl. "And trust me, not the fun kinda trouble you get a workout from. Believe me man, you're better off not knowing the old freak. Just hope you never meet him.

"I don't think you have to worry about it though," Akane said brightly. "Those cats who told us about Tomobiki sealed him. Even they know he's bad news! We won't have to deal with him for a change!"

"I sure hope not!" Ranma said, striding forward on the path, "The last thing we need is more troubl-!" He stopped so abruptly and so violently that the other two paused to stare at him. He was facing away from his friends, but they could see his hands were thrown back as though they'd been hit. It was a minute before he managed to pull himself together and stumbled back towards the other two. "Wh-what the heck is goin' on? There's like… a wall here or something!"

With matching looks of curiosity, Akane and Inuyasha walked slowly and carefully forward. Akane extended her hand as she went, and yelped when it ran into an invisible wall. Inuyasha watched her and turned back to the empty air before him with determination. His fist reeled back and he punched the barrier, stumbling under the rebound of the hit. They all watched with slack jaws as a ripple of light traveled away from the impact, the shockwave careening up into the sky and soaring over the treetops.

"What is it?" Akane said wonderingly, as Ranma stepped up beside her to poke at the forcefield. "A barrier" Inuyasha answered, and both martial artists turned to see him grinning victoriously. He was already drawing his sword as he turned to tell them "We found it guys. I bet my life this is where they took Kagome." Despite his confidence, the beaten and rusty sword he brandished had any budding hope withering into the dirt.

"Okay, but," Ranma said, watching the half-demon tap the sword against the barrier, "what's that antique supposed to do about it?"

Inuyasha only smirked wider and took a few steps back. "I'll show you what this 'antique' can do. … You guys might wanna back up." Before another question could come there was a flash of light about the sword, and what once had been a chipped toothpick of a blade was now a massive, razor-edged cleaver. Akane and Ranma scrambled to get behind the half-demon as he raised the blade, and their awe only increased as the metal began to turn red as though drenched in blood. With a ferocious battle-cry Inuyasha swung the sword through the air, and for a moment all three could see the glowing edges of the gash it had left in the barrier – that is, until the edges began to crumble, and the whole barrier disintegrated in a backwards wave of destruction.

Tetsusaiga's blade shrank to it's normal, battered self before it was slipped into the black scabbard at Inuyasha's side. He ignored the dumbfounded looks of his companions as he took a deep wiff of the air rushing out from the barrier. There was… nothing. No scent of trees aside from what they'd been walking through, no scent of animals or flowers, and Inuyasha frowned as he took another, deeper breath. He started picking up human scents, and the smell of something otherworldly – it reminded him of the air in his dad's resting place on the border between worlds, and he growled in fear for Kagome.

And then it hit him: bright, flowery, like orange blossoms or sweet honeysuckle, mixed with something so unique he'd never be able to forget it. A shiver ran through him, and he turned anxious yellow eyes on his friends. There was no way they'd be able to keep up now. Kneeling suddenly, he turned back to the road and barked "Get on!" As expected, Ranma was reluctant. "Huh? You're kidding, right?" Akane too seemed unsure. "You're not really planning to carry us, are you? Wouldn't we slow you down?"

"Yeah, you sure as hell would" Inuyasha responded, trying to keep from snapping as every bone in his body screamed to move, to get to Kagome. "But it'll be hella faster than me waitin' on your sorry asses. Let's go, we don't got all day!" Surprisingly, Ranma was the first to move, but it wasn't to climb aboard the half-demon's back. Reaching to the side of his pack, he unhooked the canteen, unscrewed the lid… and poured the cold water over his head. Inuyasha watched confused as the red-haired girl shook the remaining droplets away and approached with an understanding smile. "You should be able to go a little quicker now – I'm lighter like this!" The half-demon was stunned, unable to form a thank you as Ranma clambered onto his back, sitting sideways to leave room for Akane who quickly followed. Overcome but unwilling to make a scene, Inuyasha rose to his feet with a slight grunt, linking his arms under the girls' legs to support them, and shot into the dark forest ahead.

They heard the shouts of the Shirushigami first. Bureau officials came pouring out of the treeline shouting commands to their black cats and flagging down nearby Shinigami. Whispers broke out amongst the priestesses surrounding her, but Kagome ignored them as a strange sensation prickled over her skin. Even though the foliage surrounding their portion of the barrier ring was too thick to see through, Kagome had the distinct impression that something was approaching: every hair on her body stood on end, her heart beat faster, and her aura prickled with the feel of something… otherworldly getting ever closer. From further down the line a priestess screamed, and several began shouting and pointing toward the sky. The feel of demonic power enveloped her, and Kagome craned her neck in time to see a mesmerizing wave of crackling red youki eating away at the outer barrier to Tomobiki.

Her heart flew into her throat - she'd seen this before. The barrier overhead burned red and then black as ash, and Kagome could almost see the blood-red of Tetsusaiga's blade dealing the fatal blow. But… but it couldn't be. That was impossible. Tetsusaiga was 500 years in the past… and she was so far from the well. She watched the disintegrating barrier until it passed over the tree tops, her gaze lingering on the blue sky until she felt a soft paw tap her cheek.

"Kagome-san, Kagome-san!" She looked down at Rokumon, his large green eyes fearful. "Something went wrong with the outer barrier. They want all the priests and priestesses to move further into the city to work on keeping the inner seal intact. C'mon, we gotta get moving!"

Belatedly Kagome noticed that her former priestess companions had gone, and various Shinigami and black cats were rushing through the trees behind her in a mad dash towards the barrier's center. The feel of approaching youki was only growing stronger, and something in Kagome's heart told her not to move… but the slight tug of Rokumon's claws in her sleeve, and the sudden presence of Rinne and Sakura coming up behind her urged her to stand.

"W-what is it, what's going -" "No time" Rinne responded as Rokumon jumped from Kagome's arms to his wide shoulder. "They're saying someone broke the barrier - and anyone powerful enough to do that has got to mean trouble. We have to go! Everyone is meeting at the center of town." His hand reached out suddenly to grab Sakura, pulling her swiftly along with him as her mouth opened in a silent gasp. Kagome ran after them, questions on the tip of her tongue even as her eyes strayed knowingly to Rinne's fingers clutched tightly to Sakura's.

"You don't think" she gasped as they weaved through trees, "that someone's trying to let loose the 'evil', do you?"

"That's what the Shirushigami think" he called back, his pace quickening as the foliage began to clear and blue sky opened up before them. "Whatever it is, they're not risking it getting to the seal first."

Kagome stumbled as the trees cleared and their feet fell upon a packed path through the woods. She could see rooftops in the distance, and beyond it all, the canopy of an enormous tree. "But… if the outer seal was broken so quickly… how're we supposed to -"

She stopped, feet frozen, words dying on her tongue and questions exploding in her mind. They'd crested the hill of the woods, the path sloping down until it met concrete stairs and paved streets. Rinne and Sakura had stopped as well, the girl gripping the Shinigami boy's hand in both of hers, their eyes locked on the same horrifying scene.

A girl was stopped before them on the steps, unmoving and unseeing. Her limbs were stuck in the act of running, a look of panic splashed across lovely young features. Her long brown hair waved out behind her in a ponytail, caught in some breeze none of them could feel. Kagome took note of the clothes she wore, a bright yellow and green jazzercize outfit that would have been stylish were this the 1980s. 'That's right…' she thought, Rinne's words from before striking her hard, 'the seal has been in place for twenty years…. But… no one said anything about the people inside being… frozen!'

Acting on impulse, Rokumon hopped from Rinne's shoulder, inching forward until he could pat at the girl's ankle with a tentative paw. "R-Rinne-sama!" he cried out, startling the group. "She's… she's still warm!"

Kagome's skin prickled as the sensation of youki traveled over her skin once more. "It's coming."

"Rokumon."

The little cat didn't need anymore prompting from his Shinigami counterpart. In an instant he'd transformed into his monstrous cat-form, and Rinne quickly lifted both Sakura and Kagome atop his fur. He sailed away over the streets and roofs, but Kagome kept her eyes on the frozen young woman until she was but a speck in the sea of gray and black.

Sabato startled awake as his back abruptly met the forest dirt. He hadn't meant to oversleep, but then… he'd never been an early-riser to begin with. Quickly patting his robes to make sure his valuables were in place, he glanced about to see where his fickle 'friend' had run off to. A disgusting chuckle from the trees behind him told Sabato the old man hadn't gone far.

"Oooh, Rokudou, luck is on our side today!"

"It would seem so" Sabato said, slipping his arms into his blue haori and approaching the old man and frozen fossil-creature he was poking. "I am lucky indeed that you didn't race on without me the moment the barrier dropped. I misjudged you, Happi!"

Happosai forced a look of hurt pride as he jumped atop the creature, which looked even more oddly terrifying up close. "I'm hurt, Sabato. All this time, and you still don't trust me?" Big, fake tears pooled at the corners of his bulbous eyes, and Sabato's smile became a thin line. "And here I was, going to let you get your rest while I gathered our things and made all the preparations myself." His fingers fussed with a rope from his pack as he talked, knotting one end until he'd made a lasso. "And this is the thanks I get for doing all the work around here?" With agility and strength that belied his small frame, Happosai hopped from the creature's back to where the small monk hung suspended in air, looping the rope around the old man's middle and cinching it tightly. He fell back to the ground in a pose befitting a martial arts master, all traces of tears and whining gone.

"If you're going to keep being ungrateful," Happosai continued in a more cantankerous voice, "then maybe I will just leave you here after all." With a jump he was on the rope, pulling with all his slight body weight against whatever force held the frozen monk aloft. He swung for a while, straining, until finally the monk began to descend at a painfully slow rate.

Sabato watched the figure slide through the air like a slug on a wall, and even his easy-going nature couldn't handle the wait. In a few short strides he'd grabbed the rope and yanked the man down to the ground. It felt worse than trying to haul a bag of valuables out of his mother's house - his arm ached in protest against the force. "Well," Sabato asked shortly, lifting the weighted old man from the ground and tucking his frozen form under an arm, "now that you've made me work, what else are you going to force from me?"

Happosai smiled cheerfully, having gotten his way as usual, and said brightly to Sabato's phony smile "Now my boy, you're going to make one of those swirly-path things, and take myself and our guest here to the Cherry Tree."

"Rrgh! Dammit! She was right here!"

Akane leaned nervously against Ranma as they watched their half-demon companion pace back and forth on the edge of the concrete. Her eyes darted every now and then to the frozen figure of a girl beside them as she stood in the motion of running into the forest. Whatever they'd been hoping to find in Tomobiki… this was the last thing she'd expected to see.

"Listen… Inuyasha," Akane began, flinching at the rage in his yellow eyes as he looked back at her, "Maybe you should just go on without us. If they could move her so quickly in such a short time, who knows how far they could get while you're having to lug us around?"

His eyes hardened, a snort her only response as he turned to stare over the city, clawed hands clenching and unclenching anxiously as he stood at the top of the stairs.

"She's got a point, man." Ranma's voice was firm as she stepped forward, fearless in the face of the half-demon's anger despite her normal than normal stature. "Look, we helped you get here, we owe you big time for helping us get in here in the first place, but maybe it's time we went our separate ways."

Those inhuman eyes locked with hers so fast that Ranma nearly took a step back into the frozen Tomobiki resident. She stood her ground though, even as Inuyasha stomped forward to snarl in her face "What, turnin' chicken on me already Ranma?"

The challenge hung in the air between them, and had this been any other day, Ranma would have gone barreling into it head first. But this situation was dangerous, and Inuyasha's goal was too important. Ranma bit her tongue to keep from snapping back; Inuyasha needed them out of the way. The cure would just have to wait.

Inuyasha didn't move though, eyes searching Ranma's face as though looking for answers. When he found them, his face softened, and he stepped back with a sigh. "I know what you're doing."

Ranma and Akane shared puzzled looks as Inuyasha elaborated "This is the same kinda thing my friends back home mighta pulled. Hell, I'm guilty of trying to do it myself!" He shook his head, white hair brushing back and forth over his shoulders as his dog-ears flicked back in a shamed manner. "Tryin' ta make it easier to part ways by bein all tough, thinking you're just gonna be baggage and get in the way… a few years ago I mighta agreed, and that woulda been the last you'd ever see of me." He paused, and turned back to Ranma and Akane with soulful amber eyes hidden beneath a determined scowl. "But if I've learned anything from Kagome, it's that tryin' to do something dangerous by yourself is really stupid."

Akane raised an eyebrow, and Ranma looked ready to argue, but Inuyasha plowed on "Y'don't know how many times I got into a tough scrap and wished I'd just waited for my friends to back me up. Or how many times I made it out of a fight alive because they were there with me. Even if… even if I could get to Kagome faster without you… I'd be lyin' if I said I wouldn't appreciate some help when I get there."

The half-demon clenched his jaw as though afraid to say anymore. His posture was tense, but he stood before the two martial artists waiting for their response. Ranma couldn't say a word. There was a lump in her throat and a tightness in her chest that she didn't want to acknowledge, and she couldn't bear to admit how grateful she was for Inuyasha's words. A fierce kinship for the strange man burned within her, as though she'd found a long-lost brother she'd been waiting all his life to meet. Ranma had always been competitive, always wanted to be first, but right now, she would have followed Inuyasha into battle through hell if he'd asked. 'This' she thought, 'is what a fighter should be.'

She startled at a soft touch against her hand, and looked down to see Akane's fingers twined through her own. Ranma looked over at her with wide eyes, hoping the warmth on her face wasn't showing too badly, but the girl's sweet smile only made the heat worse. "C'mon", she said quietly, "let's face it together." She nodded, because she couldn't trust herself to form words. It took only seconds for them to climb onto Inuyasha's back once more, Ranma's hand seeking out Akane's as they settled in for another bumpy ride.

"The tree," Inuaysha said over his shoulder, and Ranma looked out over the city to see a dense canopy shadowing the rooftops from a small hill. "That must be where they're headed, so we'll head that way too. Hold on!"

"Wh… why would they do this? How could they?"

Kagome stared out from the base of the cherry-tree hill in horror at the crowds of motionless townspeople. Her blood ran chill at the looks of terror and disbelief on the faces of men and women, young and old, fleeing from the nameless threat at the center of town. Couples grasping hands, parents hiding their children, all immobilized by a force they didn't have the power to fight. Energy prickled across Kagome's skin, charges of spiritual energy coursing like lightning through her veins as her anger surged. This was wrong. Whatever had happened in Tomobiki, whatever evil was being held back, these people had nothing to do with it.

"C'mon, we need everyone up here now. Priestess, you too." Her stormy eyes snapped at once to a dark-haired shirushigami shouting orders, carelessly weaving through the frozen crowd as though they were cardboard stage props. He was hardly the only one; even her fellow priestesses seemed more scared by the Tomobikians than sympathetic. Those who hadn't already ascended the stairs to the cherry tree were hurriedly making their way to it, dodging statue-like humans as though traversing a Halloween maze.

"I'm sorry," came a soft voice beside her, and Kagome turned to see Rinne looking shamed and bewildered. "I didn't know… I never would have made you come if I knew that we were…."

"That the Shinigami were the real threat?" His responding glance was so full of guilt that Kagome's anger melted somewhat at the sight. "Listen," she said softly, "I know this isn't your fault, and I don't blame you for bringing me here. If anything…" Her shoulders squared, head high in determination as she glared at the swaying brown branches above her head, "I'm glad. They would've fixed the seal, left everyone in this frozen hell, and probably wiped all the priests and priestesses memories afterwards. But not while I'm here."

She strode past the red-haired boy who gaped after her, and Sakura hurried to fall into step at her side. "We're with you on this, I know I can speak for Rinne. Even if he misses out on some pay, he'll step up to do the right thing where it counts. But…" her soft voice trailed off, and Kagome slowed her pace a bit to let the other girl climb the stairs beside her, "what are we going to do? I mean, just the three of us against pretty much all the Shirushigami the afterworld could spare? We need to be careful."

Kagome slowed to a stop, silent even as a Shirushigami rushed past with a hurried apology. Her lips formed a tight line, and it was a moment before she could look Sakura in the eye. "I… I know I'm rushing into this. I know everything's against us, but… I can't let this go on without at least getting some answers. And if I have to fight for those answers, I will." Her anger broke, a harsh laugh breaking from her lips as she added "Besides, these Shirushigami are nothing compared to fighting demons! I've been in way worse fights and lived to talk about it!"

For a moment Kagome feared that Sakura might laugh at her - that she might pass her off as being silly or tell her off for joking around at such a crucial time… but the girl did none of that. Instead her warm hand grabbed Kagome's, fingers tightening reassuringly as she said "Then lead the way. I believe in you."

Kagome couldn't stop herself. Freeing her hand from Sakura's, she flung her arms around her newest friend and fought back the tears pricking at her eyes. "Thank you," she mumbled, her previous violent waves of emotions calming to a tranquil sea as Sakura enfolded her in a hug as well.

"Higurashi-san."

The girls broke apart, Kagome wiping hastily at her eyes as she peered up the steps to see Rinne at the top of the hill. His expression was grim, and even the spirited Rokumon was silent as he perched on the young Shinigami's shoulder. "You're going to want to see this - both of you. And you won't like it."

There was something… off about the grounds around the tree, and it took Kagome a few moments to spot what Rinne had wanted to show them, what with the rings of Priests and Priestesses spreading out from the tree like ripples on water. Once she looked beyond the red and white, the black and blue and neutral tones of robes, she found it. The source of the odd feeling. A gasp tore from her throat at the sight.

She thought the townspeople couldn't startle her anymore, that in their short time here she'd become grimly accustomed to the state of Tomobiki and its residents. But these… these were the strangest residents she'd seen in her life! Some of them were almost demons… some of them were demons, she was sure: a giant white cat, a flurry of ghouls surrounding a tall woman in a nurse's jacket, some towering beast with tiger stripes and a cow's face. But then there were humans too, almost as impossible to believe as the monsters: a girl with bright pink hair, a woman in some kind of armored bikini swinging a chain, a young man brandishing a katana while an octopus sat perched on his shoulder, and a girl with short auburn hair clutching a small fox to her chest, while a handsome man in a rabbit costume held her shoulders reassuringly.

The strange figures were scattered around the lawn of the great Cherry Tree like twisted garden gnomes, each one wearing conflicting expressions of shock, fear, and absolute rage. And each of them, unlike the other Tomobiki residents, were facing resolutely towards the Cherry Tree. Despite the oddity of it all, Kagome felt she was, for the first time, seeing the real face of Tomobiki.

"There, by the tree!" Sakura's normally gentle voice was strained as she all but whispered "Look at him… it's like… like he's trying to get inside it!"

Kagome looked beyond the crowds, and saw where Sakura's shaking hand was pointed: a lone figure stood out from the rest, silhouetted beside the gray bark of the tree, his figure bent to the point of falling as his fingers reached mere inches from the wood. If not for the spell, he would've been crashing into its trunk.

Trying to keep her emotions at bay, Kagome took purposeful steps through the throng, stepping over floor mats and prayer beads as Priests called out for her to 'watch it' and Shirushigami stumbled through the crowd to intercept. She wouldn't be stopped though - couldn't be, at this point. There were too many questions, and too many answers staring her in the face, waiting to be revealed. She was right beside the young man and the tree now. He was young - he couldn't have been any older than her - but the look on his face was one well beyond his years. Enraged, distraught, shattered… heartbroken. Her eyes began to water, and hand fisting at her chest as though to calm the heavy thump of her heart. She knew that expression. It was the same one she'd worn when the Meido had swallowed her up to become a captive inside the jewel. It was the same look she'd worn when she finally realized… finally admitted… that the well had closed.

And suddenly her body shuddered, a wave of pure spiritual energy emanating out from her heart to fill every vein and blasting beyond her body in a spray of magic. Several priests and priestesses cried out, the Shirushigami halting in their tracks. A pulse emanated from each of the frozen figures, almost like a heart beating back to life. But Kagome noticed none of that, because suddenly the feel of youki had returned a hundred times stronger than before, and her heart called out to it before her mind could dare to put the pieces together.

"KAGOME!"

She froze, just as still as the young man before her, unknowingly mirroring the desperation on his face. She was dreaming. She had to be. None of this day had been real, and this voice… his voice, was the most unbelievable of it all. Not here, not in this forgotten town with all these afterlife bureaucrats and people like lawn ornaments. Except, "KAGOME!" The voice rang out again, louder closer, and she couldn't fight her body's reaction, couldn't stop herself from turning with hope blossoming in her chest - and there he was. Robes flashing like fire and hair like silver streams of moonlight, her half-demon crashed his way through the crowds of breathing and non-breathing people alike, a wild eagerness on his dear features that almost brought Kagome to her knees.

He was real.

"Inuyasha…."

It was just a whisper, a throaty voicing of a name so close to her heart it almost hurt to bring it to the surface. And it did hurt. Her heart leapt, pounding against her ribcage in her torrent of emotion, and with just that whisper of his name, her spiritual aura surged, and she could no longer contain it, nor did she want to. Her feet dug into the soil by the tree, legs propelling her forward - and a shock-wave of light exploded from around her, soaring over and through and under Tomobiki and its residents in the time it took for Kagome to plant her weight from one foot to the other. The city shuddered, and a wind blew strands of hair and loose clothing around the still figures in a collective sigh of awakening.

He was so close now, hardly a foot or two separating their outstretched hands… and that was when hell broke loose upon them all. Arms held her back, shouts of Shirushigami ringing in her ears as her panicked eyes sought out her rescuer - only to see him being held back by the scythes of nearly a dozen other Shirushigami. He was fighting fang and claw, but the otherworldly weapons refused to break, and Inuyasha (dear, sweet Inuyasha, Kagome thought), would not wound a human. He downed as many as he could with well-placed punches though, shouting something over his shoulder… and that's when Kagome noticed he wasn't alone. Two girls jumped down from his back, each fighting off their own group of Shinigami with what looked to be various styles of martial arts. Kagome wondered that Inuyasha seemed to know them when she'd never seen either before, but didn't dwell on it for long: she was realizing that her spiritual energy was strong, and that it could be a weapon.

Each touch to an opponent with a charged amount of spiritual energy was enough to knock them out, but they just kept coming. And Inuyasha and herself were being drawn further and further apart in the fray. "No, NO! Inuyasha!" Pushing her way through the Shinigami and spiritualists was like wading through water; no matter how many she cleared away, even more slipped in to fill their place. There was fighting everywhere it seemed, odd flashes of color joining the neutral sea of robes, but the only color Kagome could focus on was fire-rat red. "Inuyasha! INUYASHA!"

"KAGOME!" He and his strange new companions were doing their best, but the overwhelming number of opponents was taking its toll, and Inuyasha was losing his patience. "Dammit, DAMMIT! YOU CAN'T KEEP ME FROM HER!" He drew Tetsusaiga suddenly, the blade transforming and giving him a circle of space as the Shinigami stepped back. "The damn well couldn't do, you ain't gonna stop me either!"

Kagome paused in her fight, overcome with love and aching for him with the intensity of all three years combined - and in that moment a Shirushigami dared get close enough to slap a strange device over her wrists, and Kagome felt her spiritual energy shrivel deep into her soul. She grit her teeth, curses on the tip of her tongue -

"DAMN, DAMN, DAMN!"

The words shook the air, but they hadn't come from her. Inuyasha lowered his sword even as his opponents closed in. Everyone's attention had turned to the Cherry Tree, and the brown-haired young man desperately pulling at its bark.

"DAMN YOU ALL! This wasn't part of the deal!"

It was him: the boy who'd been reaching for the tree. Only he was breathing, moving, as alive as any of them. Kagome stood dumbstruck, not only by the evident breaking of the seal, but by the depths of despair in the young man's voice.

"MOROBOSHI!"

The crowd of onlookers turned at a new voice, and Kagome saw the armored bikini-clad woman step forward through the crowd, her chain swinging at a dangerous speed. The rest of the strange townspeople on the hill were gathered behind her, all of them looking tired and worn but alive.

"You have five seconds to explain, before my chain meets your neck!" The woman cracked the metal like a whip, the sound making nearly everyone flinch.

"I don't have time for this Benten!" he roared back, and Kagome noticed his fingers were starting to bleed as they dug uselessly against the ancient tree. "Call me when it's over! I've got to get Lu-"

"DON'T YOU DARE!" Benten cracked the chain again, igniting an impossible array of sparks and causing a few priests and priestesses to shriek. "Don't you dare say her name! It's all because of you that they took her! It's because of you this all happened!"

"I KNOW IT'S MY FAULT! I never said it wasn't!"

Kagome's heart broke for him all over again. She knew what he was feeling, even if the circumstances eluded her. She couldn't help but think, fault or not, that he deserved her sympathy, if not her support.

"Kagome."

The voice was soft - so soft she almost missed it. But she couldn't miss the gentle pressure of Inuyasha's clawed fingers wrapping around her arm. He'd reached her. At last, they were together.

"Get these intruders out of here at once. Kain, round up the spiritualists and get them back in line. We still have the tree, we can still place the seal."

'No,' Kagome thought madly as the men began to pull her back, 'not again! Not again!' Inuyasha's claws clung to her sleeve, even as the Shirushigami turned their scythes on him, bursts of spiritual energy striking his chest and causing the half-demon to grit his teeth in pain.

"Let go, demon! Back off!"

"Someone get these trouble-makers out of here!"

"MOVE IT, PUNKS! MOROBOSHI!"

His claws tore through her sleeve like butter, leaving the fabric tattered like her heart. The Shirushigami beside her dragged her back, farther and farther from Inuyasha's outstretched hands, and her eyes stayed on his until he became lost in a melee of Shinigami, spiritualists, and revived Tomobiki citizens. It wasn't until she heard a meek "Sorry about this" beside her that she forced her eyes away and saw her captor was none other than Kain, the cold Shirushigami she'd met earlier that day. His eyes were downcast behind his glasses but his hold was firm - he wasn't disobeying his orders - and Kagome's jaw clenched. "You will be, I can tell you that."

He didn't reply to her threats, but continued to pull her carefully until they reached a tent set up on the other side of the tree. Pushing her inside, he called through the flap door "We'll make this up to you, once everything is settled again" and left, assuming she'd stay in the tent of her own free will. Kagome had no intention of staying, and marched to the door after him - only to cry out as an invisible wall pushed her roughly back.

"No use, they put up barrier tape."

Hope brought a smile to her lips, and Kagome turned to see Rinne and Sakura standing behind her in the tent… her smile fell to see both of them looking downcast and disheartened. So… they were trapped too. "We followed your lead" Sakura said, smiling weakly. "We confronted Kain about the seal, and when it broke, well…." She left off with a sigh, but turned admiring eyes at RInne, who turned red almost instantly and found a spot on the opposite wall to stare at. "The Shirushigami were trying to keep the townspeople from running away, but Rokudou-kun fought them off."

"That's when they threw him in here! Pretty gutsy if you ask me. Gotta give him credit!"

Kagome paused. That… wasn't Rokumon's voice. It was young like Rokumon's, a little boy if she had to guess, but… who…?

"Hi! I'm Ten. You're pretty, what's your name?"

Startling at the sudden presence beside her, Kagome saw that the voice was indeed coming from a little boy: a little boy hovering in the air, with vivid green hair, pointed ears, and tiger-striped bottoms. He smiled broadly, and Kagome saw tiny fangs amidst his teeth. 'Is he… an oni?' she thought, even as a smile lit her face. His big bright eyes and round cheeks were adorable, and once more memories flooded her of the little fox she left back home.

And just as fast, realization struck. Painful, excruciating realization. Inuyasha was here. He'd come for her. And once more, they'd been separated.

She crumpled to the floor, hot tears flooding her eyes and running over her cheeks before she could bring a hand to wipe them away. Her lungs ached with the force of her sobs, and not even Sakura's comforting hand on her back could make the hurting stop.

"Onmyouji… Onmyouji, please help me… where are you, we need you… Mao!"

Mao shot upward in the dark room, breathing hard and clutching a hand to his chest to still the pounding. He didn't sleep regularly, and when sleep did claim him it tended to be for days at a time, usually to heal whatever damage he'd done to his near-ancient body. And he never dreamed during that sleep. But this… this had been mere hours. Nothing close to normal for him. Not even Nanoka had awoken yet. Glancing across the clinic, he spied the young woman with her head pillowed on the strange knapsack she'd brought, cuddled up in a roomy yellow sweater with Otoya lying peacefully beside her. She'd been afraid to return home after all they'd been through recently, and despite her worries about how her grandfather on the other side of the time-gate would react, she'd opted to spend the night in his era. A small part of him was grateful - he'd come far too close to dying this time, and although the prospect didn't scare him as much as it should have… he worried what would happen to her once he left for good. She was a target, and despite her impressive strength, he was anxious about leaving her alone. He'd lost too many people that way.

'Onmyouji Mao….'

He shivered, the voice from his dream echoing in his mind once more. It had sounded so real though… it still did. Almost as if…. He paused, watching Nanoka and Otoya carefully in the dim light of early morning through the cracked windows. As though he could feel the gaze, Otoya perked up into a seated position. He was a shikigami after all, and any sleep was purely for show. Locking eyes with the little boy, Mao said carefully "Otoya… I'm going out for a bit. Watch Nanoka, will you? I'll be back shortly."

Otoya nodded, quiet and careful to make sure he didn't wake the sleeping girl beside him. Mao smiled in response, a fond smile he reserved only for the little shikigami, and sat up to gather his sword and coat.

The morning air was damp as he stepped outside, and Gougyou Town was still and peaceful as the remaining tenants cashed in their hard-earned hours of sleep. They'd be called on soon enough to get to work, trying to recover the shopping district to what it had been before the great earthquake. Mao stopped in the middle of the silent street, one hand on his sword, and closed his eyes, concentrating. He thought back to his dream. It was a memory, really, of centuries past: before the cat, before the curse. When he'd been an Onmyouji in training, hoping to save lives instead of curse them, and he'd been called upon to save one of greatest importance.

"Mao… help me…."

His brown eyes snapped open, their hue churning to red. There it was, and stronger. The feel of a spirit drawing at him, and the sound of a familiar soul calling to his. He stared to where the feeling emanated from, and his gaze hardened.

The gate.

Nanoka's gate, where she slipped from her world to his. He'd tried passing through it before, to rescue a younger version of the girl from the cursed Byouki, but it had forbidden him entrance. It called to him now though, with the plea of a long-lost friend, and Mao found his feet moving forward against his better judgement. It was unchanged even as he approached, and all he could see on the other side were houses and lined roads. But he felt the change. It was a crackle across his skin, a shiver at the back of his neck. He reached forward, felt a pull… and stepped through.

*Author's Note:

HEEEYOOoooooo! So... it's been a year. And here I said I hoped it wouldn't take a year to update this. WELL. At least it's updated. And thanks to my Rumic buddies on Discord, I've been feeling super inspired for this fic lately, so here's hoping I can work hard on that next chapter and get some more stuff for you guys to read while you're stuck at home! Thank you for the continued love and support everyone!

OH! And because this took a year to write (...) during that time, Rumiko Takahashi came out with a new series (GOSH this took forever to update...) and while talking things over with my Discord friends, I've discovered that not only is there a place for Mao and Nanoka in this fic, they actually make the plot BETTER! So look forward to what they bring to the story, and if you haven't been following Rumiko's new manga "MAO", you can find English translations on tumblr. IT"S AMAZING. PLEASE READ IT.