Happy New Year's all, I hope you had a Merry X-mas cause mine sucked. So I give all my love and hope to you all for the next year, mwah. XD

Chapter 21:

A Shaman's Heart

"Ama… Amaterasu…"

Cool lime green eyes looked to Kagome from beneath disheveled gray strands in silence, curiosity at the identity of the girl flickering within their depths.

'Is she… one of my subjects…?' she thought absently as she extended her arms out before her, palms up. She looked away from the small group staring at her all in favor of examining the thin white lines that danced across the delicate skin of her wrists.

Blinking in confusion, she brushed tentative fingers across the surface of her left wrist, the ghosts of scars telling her so much and yet nothing. What was going on…? Hadn't she…?

The smell of brimstone met her sensitive nose as a man in the black cloak kneeled before her, right hand cupping her chin as she looked into the dark recesses of his hood.

"Aren't you… Amaterasu… the Sovereign of the Elements?" Kagome asked, jarring the gray-haired kitsune from her memories with a slight twitch and tightening of fingers upon her wrist.

Coolly confused green eyes drifted back to blue-gray as she tilted her head slightly in confirmation. She felt the cool wind blow against her skin and ruffle her feathers, tousling her hair as well as she closed her eyes.

She was alive.

"Yes… I am empress Butai, Amaterasu, keeper of the eight elements and peace in this world… Who are you girl?" she breathed, confusion lacing the question thickly.

How was she alive…?

Kagome glanced to Zelgadis and Shippou and then back, "My name is Higurashi, Kagome."

Her eyes snapped open and the raven-haired priestess was hard pressed not to flinch from the glare that seemed as acidic as the liquid they resembled, 'She smells of the Elemental… How can that be if I live…? Am I alive…?'

The scars on her wrists seemed to glare at her, mocking her in her confusion.

"How is it that you are blessed by the Elements when I breathe?" she questioned, eyes narrowing, as she took a small sniff, "Time and Dimension have fallen to your will as well, but that cannot be…" she glanced at her wrists again before looking to Kagome again, "Where is Origin?"

The girl was at a loss for words. How could she not know that Origin was dead…? Oh yes… she'd passed on before her brother. But if she was dead…

'I can only die once…'

How did she stand so full of life before her now?

At this point, Shippou took it upon himself to make his presence known by hopping onto Kagome's shoulder, making the girl nearly jump out of her skin. She blinked widely at him and he smiled, shrugging a little before whispering into her ear, "How do you know this lady?"

She thought about how to explain the matter of she and Terasu's meeting without sounding too crazy and sighed when no answer was forthcoming, opting instead to answer vaguely, "I met her when I went missing."

Amaterasu quirked an eyebrow as her hearing caught what had been said. What was the girl going on about… and why did she not answer her question…?

"Girl-" she started but the kit interrupted her.

"Does she know that she's naked…?"

The elder kitsune scowled and as she noticed that many of the males had diverted their eyes even before the child had mentioned it. Of course she noticed. What was she, blind? Although to her disdain, the human monk continued to stare with the lecherous look intact.

Kagome flushed lightly when she finally took notice of the woman's state of undress as Sango preceded to beat said monk unconscious, and looked away, saying, "Um… Tera--"

The blade of wind that sliced her cheek open was one that gave her pause, her eyes wide as she looked jerkily up to the fuming kitsune.

"Who do you think you are ignoring me and then addressing me with such familiarity?" Amaterasu seethed, lime greens burning, "Do not ignore my questions, girl, or your life is forfeit. Answer me truthfully and I will forgive your naïve blunder."

Shippou bristled, Zelgadis glared, Kouga had to be restrained by a fuming InuYasha, and Kagome merely blinked, her eyes finding the other's with a calm she didn't feel, "Blessed by the Elements, I am your successor, Amaterasu-sama." She wiped the blood away that dribbled down her cheek, glancing to her hand before looking back to the woman before her, "You died many years ago, as did your younger brother, Origin. I have been blessed by his power as well, though I don't know why." She looked away for a moment and met Zelgadis' gaze, "Origin's soul rests within mine, why this happened is yet another mystery."

The scent of brimstone grew as the man spoke to her, the words forgotten and faded. Only the distant memory of a voice lingered.

Her eyes widened and she took a step forward, disbelief coating her voice, "I felt in my heart that I had died, but Origin…?"

Navy blue eyes crinkled in mirth as he laughed at his sister, silver strands falling into his eyes hap hazardously in his mirth.

She snarled, "You lie! Origin could not have- would not have let himself die!"

A small hand gripped hers as the siblings walked through the lush gardens together, the cherry blossom petals swirling at their feet. Blue eyes looked into her own, a smile lighting his lips.

"I'll be with you forever, Tera. So don't you leave me!"

She choked back a sob as tears escaped her moistened eyes, "Explain your self, girl!"

"…" Kagome felt the other woman's pain and it kept all of her willpower not to rush over and comfort her. She was not the Terasu she knew, "I speak only the truth."

"You're so cool, Tera! I wanna be like you when I grow up!"

Amaterasu dragged both of her hands through her hair and gripped at her ears at a loss of what to do, it hurt. It proved that she was alive. The tears were warm against her cheeks, the wind that tousled her hair and feathers, the breath that she inhaled… It all proved that she was alive.

"You died many years ago, as did your younger brother, Origin…"

Why was she alive when Origin was not?

A broken sob escaped her throat and she looked away, her throat constricting as she spoke, "You lie… It has to be a lie…"

'She's in pain…'

Kagome took a tentative step forward when InuYasha's rough voice sounded, stopping her from doing anything else, "Stop tryin' ta call Kagome a liar! She'd never lie!"

'Only to the people who don't really need to know that I go 500 years into the past…' she thought to herself a bit sheepishly as Amaterasu looked to the hanyou, her eyes burning in confused anger.

"And you are to say that I am wrong?" she nearly screeched, tails bristling, "I never lie!"

The priestess tried once more to think of something to say, but Shippou beat her to it, his little voice gushing forth from her shoulder.

"There's a first time for everything!" she stared at the kit a moment before looking back to the woman before them nervously.

'They are all against me…!' Amaterasu thought frantically, her tears increasing as her madness returned slowly, 'This is the fault of that girl!' she glared through her tears at the raven-haired girl and scowled,'I'll kill her… Then they'll believe me. I'll kill her and I will be right!'

It was then that she transformed, an elegant storm gray fox standing where the kitsune-jin had once stood. The bloodlust that leaked off of her was not at all pleasant, and even Sesshoumaru felt the need to grip Toukijin in preparation to attack. She growled and whimpered soon after as a pain in her head made its way into her awareness, making her eyesight blur and her stumble at the abruptness of it.

'This pain…' she thought, ears flattened against her skull in an effort to relieve some pain, 'I cannot stay and fight… she is lucky this day…'

Amaterasu turned, but not before shooting Kagome a glare that made the girl swallow lightly, and faded away from their sight leaving only the ashes of her rebirth. There was silence and the girl let out a sigh, starting to move over to the ashes, only to be stopped by InuYasha's arm.

"Where were you, Kagome?" InuYasha asked, eyes expressive as his worry for her finally showed through.

'InuYasha was worried about me…' she thought as she smiled gently, making a light tinge of pink break out across the bridge of the hanyou's nose. "I'm fine InuYasha. These guys found me as soon as I was transported to this world and have been taking care of me ever since. They're really nice and I guess you could say that they're my new friends." She gestured to the Slayers group.

"The red head is Lina Inverse, she's got quite a temper," she narrowly dodged the hastily cast Fireball and continued, "but she's got a heart of gold. She's kinda like you in a way…" she trailed off as she ignored the glares from both sides.

"The blonde is Gourry Gabriev, he's nice and basically harmless," she said, throwing a smile to the blonde swordsman before continuing, "and he's really awesome at sword fighting. You should challenge him sometime, InuYasha."

The two looked at one another and Gourry smiled at InuYasha's scowl.

"The long haired woman in the leather is Naga the Serpent," Kagome said, gesturing to the tall female beside Lina who gave an earsplitting peal of laughter that made many cringe and Miroku stare at a certain part of her anatomy, "she's rather unique and is good with spells…" she mumbled, rubbing at her ear a little.

"Of course I am! I'm Naga the Serpent! Ohohohohohohohohohohohoho!" she bubbled, ignoring the sweat drops and the obvious staring at her chest.

"The last female of the group is Amelia Seiloon, and she's a princess I believe…?" Kagome said, looking to the youngest of them all for confirmation. At the nod she continued, "She loves justice and won't hesitate to step in if she thinks something's wrong."

Amelia flushed and smiled, bowing to them politely.

There was a brief silence as Kagome flushed lightly before speaking again, "The guy standing next to me… is Zelgadis Graywoods." She looked away from the chimera's general direction before continuing, "he's helped me a lot, more so than the others and is really nice."

Zelgadis himself looked away, a faint tinge of pink dusting his stone cheeks as well. InuYasha saw this but didn't say anything, opting instead to watch the tan clad shaman closely.

The man looked to be made of stone and his hair of wire but InuYasha cared not for that, oh no. It was the scent that seemed to wrap itself around the own man's natural scent of spices. He reeked of Kagome, it was almost as though she'd scent marked him, but that was impossible. Amber eyes continued on staring right up until the introductions were done, scowling when he found Kouga was doing a similar assessment.

Aquamarines blinked as he turned and looked to the source of his discomfort, he'd been feeling eyes on him since he had been introduced and it was unnerving to see that two of that new group were staring at him. Both cobalt blue and amber stares hardened into full out glares and Zelgadis sighed, looking back to Kagome, unwilling and unwanting of a staring contest.

These friends of hers apparently didn't like him.

"Um… not to be rude or anything," Lina began after Kagome had finished introducing her group plus Sesshoumaru, "but who were those people?" she asked, eyes roving over every member and resting on the white clad Taiyoukai slightly apart from the group. Sesshoumaru snorted and looked away just to show how much he thought she needed to know about the matter.

Not much apparently.

At the silence, Kagome sighed and deemed it as her unannounced duty to be the one who filled everyone in about things. Sometimes being the only who cared not about differences the most really sucked.

"The man's name was Naraku, and the women were Hyourin, Terasu, and Amaterasu…" she related, eyes downcast at Terasu's name.

Lina nodded, "but how do you know who the women were? We've only seen that Naraku guy before," Lina pressed on, her curiosity piqued.

"Um…" she stalled, unsure of how to explain all that needed to be said without her sounding like a nut again. Zelgadis noticed and came to her rescue, effectively drawing Lina's attention away from the poor girl.

"The black-haired woman had confronted us before when we were in the forest when you were fighting the Naraku golem. As for the white haired woman…" he glanced at Kagome before continuing, "she drove away the other, Hyourin."

"Yeah, okay. But what about-?" Lina stopped when Filia had run up and glomped the unsuspecting raven-haired priestess, almost making said girl fall over. Blue gray eyes widened in confusion, blinking as tearful blue eyes looked up at her.

"Um…?" Kagome whispered, her voice a little shaky as her surprise was made apparent.

"Thank you so much, young miko! You've helped us so much by destroying that vile woman, we are in your debt," the blue-eyed blonde woman told her, a watery smile spreading upon her face.

Kagome blinked a few times and looked to the other two dragons standing just slightly behind Filia. Val smiled, his hands carelessly placed behind his head as his amber eyes looked to her with so much gratefulness that the girl had to look away. Milgasia, for his part, merely nodded, a small half smile touching his features. She tentatively wrapped her arms around the taller female as a nervous smile touched her lips.

"You don't need to thank me. I've only done what any other person would do given the chance."

Zelgadis closed his eyes, a content smile touching his lips at Kagome's words. Amelia saw this and looked away, a slightly pained look crossing her youthful visage as Filia pulled away from Kagome, her smile still present.

"Take this," she pulled out and handed the girl a dark blue opal that looked suspiciously like one of the dragon gems that she wore, "should you ever be in trouble, just wish upon that gem and we will find you," she stepped back and bowed, moving back to where the other two dragons stood.

"It was nice seeing you again, Lina-san, Gourry-san, Amelia-san," she said, waving to each in turn as Milgasia nodded in greeting and Val just smirked. Lina smiled a little and waved as Filia gave one last bow before the three of them transformed and took off.

"Um… who was that…?" Kagome asked no one in particular as she held the gem to her chest, watching the rapidly departing forms in the sky in a bit of a daze.

"That was Filia," Lina started before an enormous growl made it known to herself and the others that she was hungry, "eh heh, but before I answer that, let's find a place to eat!"

Kagome laughed at the InuYasha group's expressions (save Sesshoumaru who cared not to show such an emotion) and nodded, deciding it was far better than standing in this place of wretched rebirth. She cast a last look at the ashes a little ways away before joining the group.

-With Amaterasu-

The force of the blow against the tree made the trunk rattle and the leaves shake violently. She pulled back once more and repeated the action until it cracked and shattered, her head bleeding around the jewel imbedded on her forehead.

She took no notice.

Her heavy breathing filled the silent forest as the blood continued to drip steadily down, running through her fur and into her eyes, becoming indistinguishable from the blood red of her rage. Lime green irises darted wildly around her, not really taking in anything as the blood seeped into her saliva and splashed onto the forest floor below her.

She couldn't taste it.

'This pain… I can't stop the pain! Why does it hurt?' she growled as she slammed her head into yet another tree, making the branches and leaves shudder from the impact. She repeated this until her knees buckled and she collapsed, dropping to the forest floor in a heap. Her breathing was more ragged than before.

She was tired. So very tired.

She closed her eyes as her exhaustion kept her from doing anything more, sitting as still as possible in an attempt to stop the pain. As the blackness closed in about her tired mind, she nearly sighed in relief as the pain dulled to a throb.

-With the others-

To say that the pub's combined restaurant was lively with service, you'd have to be severely, horribly wrong.

It was chaotic.

Kagome, she being a kitsune and all, had never really paid attention to how much food Gourry, Lina, and Naga ate between themselves until now. To say that the food before her failed to draw her attention was like saying humans didn't breath air. It was a shame.

That turkey leg looked rather appealing…

As Gourry snagged the piece of bird from the reeling miko's plate, Inuyasha and the others (save Sesshoumaru who claimed he didn't eat human food) just sort of sat there in a daze. It was so… morally disturbing, and yet… they couldn't look away. It was fascinating. It was intriguing. It was…

It was like watching bottomless pits absorbing any and everything that was stupid enough to draw close enough, and as a matter of fact…

It was just like that.

Zelgadis and Amelia, being the only two in the group who were used to this display, ate as though those three were not there. They ignored the bewildered faces of their audience and the flustered and nervous waiters all in favor of focusing upon their own meals. Zelgadis ate as sparingly as normal and Amelia ate with the dignity of a princess. Kirara, who was also unaffected by the display, stole bits of food when given the chance, not wanting to bother the stone-still Sango who sat rigid and unmoving in her chair.

When the fireballs started flying, Kagome felt the need to excuse herself. She slipped out without the notice of any save two, who watched her progress to and through the door. Shippou was about to stand when Zelgadis moved before him, excusing himself before Amelia and following the raven-haired girl.

Vibrant green eyes shut as he allowed a small smile to grace his lips and sat back down. He'd allow him just this once to prove himself to his mother, but that was all. It was Kagome after all.

And Shippou loved her for that.

The youngest princess of Sailune continued to stare at the last spot that Zelgadis' cloak had disappeared, her gaze hard and unrelenting. The forced smile upon her lips was anything but pleasant, but none took any notice, they were too occupied. She was… happy for the chimera, her feelings didn't matter next to his. He deserved a right to be happy.

Even though her heart hurt as it never had before.

-With Amaterasu-

She awoke to a splitting headache and cried out, her howl tortured and ragged as it echoed throughout the woods. Her wings stretched out as she reared her head back, flames licking at her jaws, a spell at the ready.

A figure stepped forward from the shadows.

Her eyes immediately went to his black clad form and let her spell fly, eyes wild and mind blank. She wanted to burn everything away, leave it to ash if only this pain would go away.

'Why did it hurt?'

The man waved away her attack as if he were swatting away some bothersome insect. The flames caught on the plant life and a wild fire sprung forth, eating away at all the green and growing. The brightness of the flame made her flinch away as the pain in her head intensified greatly.

'Why does it hurt?'

She howled again and reared her body back, stomping on the ground and causing the earth to spring up around her, sharp pillars were created, uprooting trees and stopping the fire from going too out of control.

But the man seemed to take no heed to her display of power.

He moved around the razor sharp pillars as though in a dance. His movements were as fluid as the water in a pond, uncontainable. His advance never wavered nor slowed as he drew closer to the large fox.

And just like that he stood before her, robes billowing from the wind created from the lingering flames. He crouched before her, paying no heed to her soft growls nor the way her eyes struggled to focus upon his person, and touched her chin gently.

'It feels so… nice…'

As he lifted her blood-soaked jaw, she began to lose consciousness as he whispered something she only just caught the end of.

"The Twilight…"

-With Zelgadis-

His footsteps were light upon the ground as he moved silently though the dark underbrush, leaves rustling gently when he brushed against them. He was concentrated upon the trail that Kagome had left behind using his Mage Sight; she was just that powerful. With each footprint that he came across in the soft mud, he could see the power that she leaked like a small puddle. The fact that she could go about leaking power like this was a little scary to say the least.

Couldn't she feel the drain of energy from her power?

After a few more minutes of walking, he saw something that made him pause. A silverfish pink bonfire roared brightly high above the tree line, making even the stars seem dull. He looked down and pressed forward a little more, freezing in his steps just when he could make out the source of the power.

Kagome was staring at the moon in the middle of a lake in a sort of trance, her power swirling around her with not a care in the world. The moonlight shone upon her skin, making it seem as though it were glowing and pale. Her hair seemed gray, the moonlight giving it an unearthly glow.

He dispelled his Mage Sight and stepped forward, snapping a twig mercilessly.

She stiffened and turned as he was looking to the twig beneath his boot with a stony expression. He looked up as her twirling hair rested against her back and the water droplets settled back into the lake. For a moment, he thought he saw her previous form silhouette her body, but it was gone too quickly to really register. The miko blinked and blushed, moving towards him when she recognized who he was.

"Zelgadis? How'd you find me?" she questioned, blue gold eyes looking at him from under her bangs.

He blinked as he watched her eyes swirl back into the familiar blue gray before shaking his head and giving his little half smile, "your power is so strong that my Mage Sight could pick up your tracks on the floor."

She blinked and blushed harder, looking away as her eyes switched back to blue gold and grew unfocused. He again saw the shadow of her other form and his brows furrowed. Why was he seeing this?

His eyes widened as a thought made itself present and he looked to the girl before him more closely. 'Could it be…?'

"Kagome?" He questioned, placing his hands on her shoulders to get her attention. She jumped a little and her head turned, her large eyes (that were blue gray again) looking to his.

"Hm?" she muttered, a slight blush still lingering upon her cheeks.

"Are you… hiding your form from us?"

Her eyes widened, gray flickering and giving way to gold, before she allowed a sad little smile touch her lips.

"I guess… I couldn't hide anything from you, Zelgadis…," she extended a hand to him and let out a breath. He sent her a curious look and grasped her slender fingers with nothing more than the ghost of a smile.

She pulled him onto the lake with surprising strength and he felt himself stumble a little. She looked back to him to make sure he was okay and allowed herself to shed her human form in a cloud of sparkles. The chimera gaped at her as she led him to the middle of the lake.

She was different from the last time he'd seen her like this… different in a good way.

Her hair was a gorgeous sterling silver, the color of that male fox… Origin. Her fur had a lustrous sheen to it, silver up until the white-tipped ends of her tails. She still donned her… sailor fuku as she'd called it, but the magic she now possessed allowed it to fit her body perfectly. Her wings were still pure white, but the tips of her flight feathers were gold. And when she turned to face him, the shaman could only stare, unable to speak.

She still looked about the same except that her features had matured more and she had lost the child-like curve of her face. She looked more like a woman, and her eyes were more slanted to match her new persona. She was so pale that the markings that replaced her pearls were glaringly noticeable.

"I… didn't want anyone to worry," Kagome started, voice soft as her ears flattened against her head, "I was afraid that they might try to return me to a form that is far to weak to hold my power… and if that happened… my power would destroy everything!"

Zelgadis was silent a moment as Kagome looked away. Yes he still remember what "Terasu" had told him about Kagome's power, but she never mentioned the sheer amount that she would have. At the moment, he didn't feel angry of afraid, in fact, he felt quite happy.

She had chose to keep to herself instead of making everyone else worry about her. She had kept this to herself and still retained the ability to smile. He smiled a little to himself and realized-

He loved her for that.

"Kagome, he whispered, his half smile resting on his lips as she turned to face him.

She opened her mouth to speak but was stopped by the feeling of cool lips on hers. She was frozen for a moment before Zelgadis started to pull away in which she deepened the kiss, wanting more than just that little bit of contact. Kagome felt him smile against her lips and smiled in return.

It seemed they both had little secrets.

-With Amaterasu-

She awoke slowly, disoriented and confused. The pain in her head was gone for the moment and it allowed her to finally regain her bearings. But there was someone near her. Someone she didn't remember smelling.

But their presence was another matter entirely.

She opened her eyes and was met by a black cloak, he was facing away from her and she couldn't see his face. How could he instill such fear and worthlessness into her from just being near her? She looked away and clamped down on those thoughts, catching sight of the room and holding in a small gasp.

This was not a place she expected to see.

A ruined room with torn tapestries and hangings charred black met her gaze. Half of the room was gone and the other half burned and destroyed until you could see the stone of the floors. But the bed that she lay in… the bad was untouched and beautiful. She remembered this blanket. But from where, where did she see them?

The pain in her head stopped her train of thought and she winced from the abruptness of it. This pain was different, this time it was accompanied by memories.

"I wonder how this Amaterasu will die… I just know it will be glorious and beautiful…" she looked to the silver-haired male beside her, "Origin, I demand that you tell me. When and where?"

The boy's eyes widened and shook his head, "N-no, Tera, you know that that is forbidden-"

"Oh shush, I'm ruler here and I can bend the rule just this once, so go ahead… tell me. I can take it."

"But Tera…"

"It'll be okay, Gin," she ruffled the boy's hair lovingly, "I'll be fine."

There was a moment of silence in which Origin sighed, calling forth his power with little enthusiasm, "The end of a life I wish to see, my empress' to be specific, my kin, my sister, Amaterasu of the Elements."

There was a silence in which his eyes went unfocused but came back swiftly.

"In a month… in the castle."

The silence that followed was anything but pleasant.

"What?"

Her eyes snapped open as a tear slid down her cheek. No! She didn't want to remember! Not now, not ever!

Lime green eyes stared listlessly at the grand feast before her, a maid standing nervously beside her while Origin stared in obvious concern.

"Please eat my liege, you grow weaker by the day."

The peal of laughter that bubbled forth from her throat was anything but pleasant and all in the vicinity stopped and stared.

"I refuse. The poison will kill me. Hee hee hee, I will die."

"Tera…"

She tugged on her ears and let a whimper escape as she sat up. Why? Why was she remembering? Why now?

Origin stood beside her bed with a tray of food and a spoon in his hand, trying and failing in getting the empress to eat.

"Tera, please eat… please…"

Unfocused green eyes moved to him in a gaunt and pale face and allowed him a smile.

"If I do, the lavender owls will tell the orange daisies that I am conspiring with the black eels to kill them."

Navy blue eyes stared at her a moment before he shook his head, the confusion in that one sentence almost deterring him from his task.

"Tera?"

"Yes, and the green hawk will notify the white viper and he will kill me."

The tears that fell were silent against the embroidered blanket.

She was crying now, the pain of remembering coupled with her sorrow was too much. Why did she have to remember?

The room was dark when he entered; funny he thought the torches were lit when he'd left last time…

"Tera…?"

"Here you are… Crystal care to have a cup of wine with me and Sir Rabbit?"

Origin froze for a moment. Wine…? Who gave her wine? And who in the many Hells was Sir Rabbit? She'd called him Crystal starting a few days ago, he thought it was because of his hair.

"Tera?" he called again, tentative and just a little worried.

There was a shuffle and the spilling of liquid before there was silence.

"Ah… look there… Emerald is… jealous. Crystal… do you mind serving… yourself? I have to… see to Emerald…"

"Emerald…? Who's Emer…?"

It was then that his eyes adjusted to the darkness and he just barely refrained from screaming. The floor was splattered with dark stains and Amaterasu's left wrist was dripping a copious amount of blood onto the floor.

"TERA!"

Half lidded eyes looked to him and he could see a small smile on her lips.

"How rude to yell Crystal… He's the White Viper… that's who. How… could you forget…?"

He ran over and tried to staunch the flow of blood but he could already feel his sister's heart slowing, her skin was so cold…

"It's… hard to breath… could it be that… Emerald poisoned me…?"

"TERASU! Please don't… ah… please don't leave me…!" His tears fell fluidly down his face and he sniffed back a great sob when she placed a bloodied hand on his head.

"Don't wor…ry Crystal… I'm not… going anywhere… I'll always be… here… with… you…"

The heart that once beat so strongly a month before stopped beneath his ears.

The resounding wail was enough to bring in the guards and advisors.

Strong arms wrapped around her shoulders and she stiffened, refusing to look up for her tears had not yet stopped. She was too proud to show her weakness in front of males, it was how she was raised. It didn't matter what she was feeling.

But that didn't stop her from burying her face in his shirt.

"Shh… poppet. It's all over and done with now. You don't have to remember, just let go. Just let go… and it will be forgotten.

"Will it really? Or will it resurface sometime later?" she asked, voice muffled by cloth.

"Of course it will be gone… like it never happened poppet… Just open yourself to me… And it'll be all over. You'll never come across these memories again," he paused, stroking her unruly hair, "do you want that?"

She answered without hesitation. Her answer much more than what it seemed.

"Yes."

A smile before he whispered against her crown.

"So be it…"

-With Origin-

The kitsune-jin was pissed.

How he hated Zelgadis… how he wished to tear him limb from limb from touching what was his. Or what he had yet to claim. But… he could do nothing to change it.

No matter how hard he wished to.

His eyes unclouded and he looked across the flowery field that was Kagome's soul and sighed. She was this happy just being within Zelgadis' grasp. There was nothing he could do.

He could only wait until Kagome was ready for his power… and then…

He would be absorbed into her soul.

And he would at last be free to be no more. Free to be nothing, worry about nothing, see nothing…

But why did that thought make him want to cry?