"It is time to let you go, Kohaku . . . However, you will not be granted death. No. Instead, you will be granted life, a second chance at having something that everyone needs. You will not remember the deeds that you have committed at my command. You will not remember anything. The deaths of your kin at your hand will be nothing but a bad dream induced by a fever.

"Go in peace, Kohaku. May the Gods smile upon you on your journey."

888888888

"Are you sure?" The old woman glanced at the tall, handsome man before her, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"Hai, I'm sure," he nodded, handing over an unconscious boy. "He's been dealing with a very high fever as of late and needs the help of a priestess . . . a priestess like you."

"And he won't cause any of the other villagers to fall ill?" she inquired, her eyes narrowing sharply at this strange yet richly dressed man.

"Quite sure," came the assurance. "I wouldn't be surprised if he recovered in the next few days. So . . . may he stay here?"

The old woman hesitated for a moment. Her village really could not afford having another mouth to feed but she also didn't want to turn this man away. He had such a kindly face . . .

"All right," she finally conceded. "He may stay . . . though if no one comes to claim him, we will put him to work."

"I'm sure he will have no problems with that."

The old woman stepped to one side, allowing him to enter her small and meager hut. He did so and placed the boy on a futon. For a moment, he just stayed there, his eyes never leaving the boy. Then he stood and faced her, bowing some.

"Arigato, priestess. Your help is greatly appreciated."

With that, he quickly, and quietly, exited her hut.

888888888

Naraku let out a deep breath as he left the village. That had not been nearly as difficult as he had first anticipated but it still had been hard. He'd had Kohaku as one of his puppets for quite some time and had intended on using him as a final bargaining chip when the final battle came.

Life had a funny way of changing plans, though, as he soon noted. Everything had changed within the last month, and he did not mind at all. He pulled the nearly complete Shikon no Tama out of his haori and smiled.

'Just one more thing left and then . . .'

He smiled warmly as he thought of the new plans that had been made. It wouldn't be too much longer before he left Japan with Kagura and Kanna . . . and Inuyasha.

For good.

888888888

"We have to keep moving!"

Kagome took the lead, barely paying any attention to the fact that Sango and Miroku were lagging behind. They were tired. She was tired, but she hadn't wanted to give up. Inuyasha needed to be found. She needed to talk to him, to apologize and to set some things straight. There were things that he needed to understand, that she needed to explain. They couldn't afford to rest. Not for very long, anyway. She'd gotten to where she was practically running on instinct alone. It had taken some time and much determination but she'd finally caught a hint of Naraku's whereabouts. He was close. The jewel called out to her.

'Thank goodness Hiroshi and Ayame left when they did. I don't think I could handle having them around much longer.'

"Kagome, we need to rest for a moment . . ."

"We can't!" she exclaimed, whirling around. "Naraku's nearby! I can sense the sacred jewel!"

For a moment, no one said anything. No one dared to say anything. After all, they were tired and needed to rest. However, they didn't want to let Naraku slip away from them as he had so many times before. Then their expressions steeled and they nodded. They knew what they had to do.

"Let's go then."

888888888

He knew that he shouldn't have left the castle. He knew it. Naraku, though, hadn't told him he couldn't leave the castle.

'Besides, I'd like to take one last look around . . . before we go . . .'

Inuyasha drew a deep breath and let it out, a sigh of happiness escaping him. For the first time in what had felt like forever, he felt good about himself. Nothing could destroy him. He still didn't want to lay too much hope into Naraku or the promises that had been made to him. His heart was still healing from the betrayal of his friends.

'But he's right . . . I need to get away . . . from everything.'

He inhaled deeply at that moment . . . and caught his brother's scent on the wind as well as the scents of his former friends. They were close. Too close. Inuyasha started to run. He had to find Naraku before they did.

'Please don't let me be too late.'

888888888

Naraku glanced up just in time to see a whirlwind flying towards him. His eyes narrowed as he dodged a fist aimed at him. As he did so, he reminded himself that he didn't want to fight. He had to hand the Shikon over to the strange miko. That was his goal.

Within moments of the wolf appearing and growling at him, Naraku kept himself at a safe distance and waited.

He didn't have to wait long. The miko, the taijiya, and the monk appeared moments later, the wolf tribe right behind them. Suddenly, he felt very, very nervous.

'This doesn't look good . . .'

888888888

His world teetered on the very brink of misery and despair. Before him played out a horrific scene, one so terrible that his mind refused to comprehend what was truly going on.

Letting out a soft whimper and moan, his eyes rolled into the back of his head and everything went black.

888888888

Sesshomaru watched as his brother released a strangled cry and collapsed, just as Naraku was delivered a fatal blow by the strange miko that Inuyasha had traveled with. Why Inuyasha had collapsed, he didn't know. It was what he had seen the moment he'd arrived, and he'd only gone to where they were at because of both of their scents.

The scene itself was rather gruesome, Naraku's body slowly disintegrating from the miko's purifying arrow. Apparently, he had heard Inuyasha's cry for he'd turned to where his sibling now lay, his eyes wide. With a lurch, he began to make his way towards Inuyasha, despite the fact that his flesh practically melted off his skin. More arrows then pierced Naraku, causing him to stumble. Still, he didn't give up. He kept stumbling towards the boy, his own expression filled with horror and concern. Finally, his legs gave out several feet away from Inuyasha, and Naraku collapsed unceremoniously to the ground. The dark hanyou drew a final breath, muttering something before he hit the ground and before his body turned to dust.
To say that he was displeased with the current developments would have been an understatement on Sesshomaru's part. He had wanted to destroy the dark hanyou himself, not for using him against Inuyasha but for trying to destroy him as well. If he'd been just a few moments later in removing that human arm . . .

'Good riddance to him,' Sesshomaru thought.

For some reason, though, he couldn't bring himself to fully believe the dark hanyou's death would result in anything good. Something had changed. What, he couldn't say but he knew that something had. Inuyasha had not participated in Naraku's death. If anything, it had horrifed the boy beyond belief.

Then there was the way his brother was dressed and appeared in general. Granted, he had the Tetsusaiga at his side and that strange necklace around his neck but Inuyasha wasn't wearing his fire-rat clothing. He had never seen Inuyasha out of those clothes. They'd been a family heirloom, something their father had given Izayoi to give Inuyasha as he got older. Instead, from what he could tell, his brother had been dressed in a fine silk haori and hakama, a white yukata peeking out from underneath. His hair had also been brushed until it resembled . . . well, silk. It also shimmered like the full moon when it graced the sky . . . and it had been pulled back, much like Naraku's had been. Inuyasha didn't look like the scruffy half-breed he always had. He looked regal, handsome . . . very much like the prince that he was. Something had happened, and Sesshomaru intended to find out what it was.

Keeping his back straight, he strode to where Inuyasha lay, as did his former traveling companions. Each wore a look of concern as they hurried over to him but Sesshomaru paid no heed to them. If anything, Inuyasha would not greet them warmly. If not for the miko's betrayal then for Naraku's death. Of that, the daiyoukai was sure.

The boy was starting to come to as everyone converged around him. Sesshomaru noted the pain that had flooded Inuyasha's eyes. Before he could say anything, however, the strange miko reached for him.

"Inuyasha . . ."

Upon seeing her, Inuyasha skittered away.

"Go away."

"Inuyasha," she began, "we came to rescue you . . . to get you away from Naraku . . ."

Inuyasha shook his head at that and kept scooting away from them. His entire form shook as he fought to keep some amount of control over his emotions. The ningens may not have seen it but Sesshomaru could, and it only confirmed to him that something had changed.

"Perhaps he did not want to be rescued," he said, his eyes never leaving Inuyasha.

"Don't be silly!" the miko declared, turning her attention to him. Her expression was one of anger and disbelief. "Why would he want to stay with Naraku, after everything that creep's done?!"

"It isn't any of your business!" Inuyasha screamed, rising to his feet and interrupting anything Sesshomaru might have had to say. "I'm not your concern anymore!"

Before anyone could react, his half-brother whirled away and started to run . . . only to end up hitting the chest of a very familiar-looking inuyoukai. Sesshomaru felt himself going cold as the inuyoukai wrapped his arms around his sibling, effectively restraining him, despite Inuyasha's struggling. Cool golden eyes gazed at every single of them, finally landing on the daiyoukai himself. Then he uttered the words that Sesshomaru had not wanted to hear.

"Lords Rei Inu and Kenmaru wish to see you. All of you."

888888888

Rei Inu took in the appearances of the group before him and did his best to hide his disgust. It wasn't because three members of the group were ningens. Granted, he wasn't as fond of ningens as he'd once been but he wasn't as repulsed by them as he'd once been. And it wasn't because a few members of this strange group were wolf youkai, either, or fire-neko or kitsune, or of indeterminate origin. He'd lived a very long life, and had dealt with many ningens and youkai throughout the course of that life.

No. It wasn't the fact that they were ningen, wolf, fire-neko, kitsune, and whatever that made his nose want to crinkle in disgust. It was their scents. They apparently had not bathed in a few days and their travels were starting to show on them. The only ones that didn't smell of their travels were his grandsons, Sesshomaru and Inuyasha, though Inuyasha had been in no shape to actually take part in the current conversation. His elite guard captain, NatsuMaru, had taken the boy to a guest room, he'd looked so tired. Inuyasha's tears and pleas had not escaped Rei Inu, either, and it disturbed him.

'Guess it really can't be helped,' he told himself, keeping himself steeled. 'They can bathe and rest later . . . depending on how useful they're going to be in helping me find out what I need to know. I'll talk to Inuyasha later, when he's calmed down.'

He'd heard some rather disturbing rumours, Rei Inu had. Some of the rumours had been good. Some had not. It was time, in his opinion, to find out what exactly was going on. Apparently, one of the wolves had the same idea.

"All right, we're here. What do you want?"

Rei Inu raised an eyebrow at him, immediately creating a look of chagrin on the wolf. He was a leader. The ancient inuyoukai could tell by his demeanor. However, being a leader did not give anyone the right to talk so crudely to him in his home. Though his son now ruled over the southern lands, the palace was still his.

"Forgive me," came the quiet murmur. "I meant no disrespect. It's just that it's been a very long and hard journey, especially after a lengthy and difficult battle."

"That my father and I can understand," his oldest son, Kenmaru, stated. "And you'll be forgiven your rudeness. This time. Next time, you will not be so lucky, wolf."

"Understood."

"Very good. Now . . . many disturbing things have come to my attention and to my father's attention. According to my brother, Akira, you are among the ones who can either confirm or deny these . . . rumours. Your help and honesty are required in these matters." Kenmaru then cast a glance at him. Rei Inu nodded for him to continue. His son opened his mouth to say more but then was interrupted.

"Please," one of the females began, a strangely dressed ningen, "we're tired. Couldn't we at least rest first?"

"My dear, these are matters of great importance. You may rest after our questions have been answered satisfactorily. Food and drink will be brought in shortly. Now . . . shall we begin?"

888888888

Inuyasha felt exhausted. Not just physically exhausted but emotionally, mentally, and spiritually exhausted. Nothing in his life made sense anymore. The pain that had been lodged in his chest after he'd learned about Kagome and Kouga had once more burrowed itself into him. It made breathing difficult and all he wanted to do was escape it.

'Why? Why couldn't I get there sooner? It's all my fault . . . if I'd been there . . . he wouldn't have died . . .'

He no longer asked himself why he couldn't be allowed a small amount of happiness. Inuyasha knew the answer to that, had always known the answer to that question. He was hanyou. Hanyous weren't allowed any kind of happiness. They were meant for suffering and solitude. He hadn't wanted to believe it, had denied it for as long as he could remember but everything he'd gone through in the last two months . . . well, losing Kagome to Kouga then Naraku to death at the hands of his former friends had driven the points into him like nothing else ever had.

'If only I could just . . . sleep . . . then I'd be all right . . .'

His fingers dug into the soft baboon pelt that Naraku had always worn. At one point, he'd have never even touched it. He would have loved to dance upon it in victory at one point but not anymore. Given the pain in his heart and chest, Inuyasha knew he'd fallen for his nemesis, though he'd never meant to.

"Inuyasha?"

At the sound of his grandfather's voice, Inuyasha raised his head to see golden eyes flashing at him. He knew that look. His grandfather wasn't happy.

"Hai?" he whispered, the desire to shrink in on himself overwhelming everything else.

"What were you doing with the creature known as Naraku?" he demanded, his tone somewhat harsh.

Inuyasha cringed and shuddered as fresh tears threatened to assail him. He couldn't take anymore.

"I . . ."

Strong arms grasped him by the shoulders, sitting him up so that he met his grandfather's piercing gaze. Inuyasha hadn't even seen the ancient inuyoukai move.

"I have heard of everything that confounded creature has done," Rei Inu hissed, giving him a rough shake. "Especially of what he's done to those friends of yours. Why would you do that? Why would you betray your friends?"

"Betray? My friends?" Inuyasha felt his soul shattering all over again at his grandfather's harsh words and tone. "Is that what they're saying I did? That I . . . betrayed them?"

"Isn't that what you did when you began to consort with Naraku?"

"Naraku . . . took care of me . . . he was nice . . . he . . ."

A rather large lump had formed in Inuyasha's throat at that moment, making it difficult for him to speak. He knew, though, that his grandfather wouldn't relent until he had his answers.

"He was nice to you? Are you sure he wasn't using you?"

Rei Inu gave him another rough shake. A choked whimper escaped Inuyasha as the shake unhinged something deep within him. The tears that had threatened him before were finally freed from their prison and rolled down his cheeks in relentless rivulets. Inuyasha kept his head lowered, shame and defeat causing his shoulders to slump. He'd take whatever punishment his grandfather had in mind. He deserved it, after all.

"He was there for me," he whispered, his entire form trembling violently. "He . . . he was changing . . . he promised me . . . we were going to leave . . . after he gave Kagome the jewel back . . . he . . ."

"And you believed him?"

"Yes. I did . . . he'd been keeping his promises . . . to me . . . I swear that he was, Grandfather, I swear that he was . . . he promised . . . he promised he wouldn't hurt me . . . like they did . . . he promised . . ."

"He . . . promised he wouldn't hurt you like they did? Who are they?"

Gulping for air, Inuyasha raised his head to see golden eyes gazing at him intensely.

"My friends."

"What?" Rei Inu blinked then pulled Inuyasha into his arms. "Tell me, child. What happened?"

Taking a shattered breath, Inuyasha began his story . . .

888888888

Rei Inu gazed at the slumbering form of his youngest grandson then let out a heavy sigh. The boy had been through hell. Of that, there weren't any doubts.

'And I didn't make matters any better by coming in here the way that I did,' he thought morosely, reaching out to stroke a dampened cheek. He knew that he hadn't made the situation any better for Inuyasha, especially after the boy had asked if he intended to send the hanyou away. It had taken a lot of reassurance on Rei Inu's part to finally get Inuyasha to calm down and believe that he wasn't going anywhere.

'Such a strong spirit . . . broken so easily . . . apparently, I didn't get the complete story . . .'

The ancient youkai rose to his feet and slipped out of the room, sliding the shoji behind him as he did so. Outside stood NatsuMaru and one of his most trusted advisors, an inuyoukai with empathic gifts named Haru. He turned his attention to NatsuMaru first.

"Stay here and watch over him. Make sure that none disturb him."

"Yes, my Lord."

Knowing NatsuMaru wouldn't disobey him, Rei Inu then turned his attention to Haru.

"Walk with me."

"Yes, my Lord," Haru murmured, bowing before him. Rei Inu then began to walk back to the main meeting hall, Haru falling into step behind him.

"Tell me, Haru . . . how long do you think before he recovers from this?"

"However long it takes for him to sleep it off, my Lord . . . he will not be waking up tomorrow. He will not be waking up for some time. Not unless someone tries to take that pelt away from him."

"And if someone does?" he inquired.

"He will die. He needs this time to grieve. That pelt will allow him to heal."

"So it needs to stay with him . . . very well then. It shall stay with Inuyasha until he is ready to part with it. I'll see to it."

"And what about the ningens, my Lord?" Haru asked. "They seem pretty adamant that the pelt has got to go, so as not to allow Naraku a chance to return to this world. They believe that he will if anything of his remains, with the exceptions of his incarnations. They're not going to like your decision."

"What about them? They told me what they wanted me to hear about Naraku. They left out some rather important details, in my opinion."

"Didn't Inuyasha confirm most of what they had said, though?" the advisor frowned.

"He did . . . but they also failed to mention the secret that they'd kept from my grandson," Rei Inu replied. "That secret has crushed my grandson, Haru. He was a strong-spirited boy. You know this as well as anyone else in this castle. He's been crushed by these events. The miko's preference of the wolf over him has wounded Inuyasha deeply, so deep, in fact, that he found an enemy's company preferable to theirs. I personally don't care if they like my decision or not. Inuyasha is my grandson and I will decide what's best for him during his stay here."

"Hai," Haru nodded. "I know this. I just felt it prudent to point out how the ningens won't like this."

"I know," the ancient inuyoukai offered a tiny smile. "You wouldn't be one of my trusted advisors if you didn't. But my decision will stand. Inuyasha comes first. I'll see to that personally."

They reached the meeting hall and all eyes landed on the two of them as they entered. The eyes of the ningens and their youkai traveling companies were hopeful, but they wouldn't be. Not for much longer.

"I have made my decision," Rei Inu announced. "Inuyasha shall keep the pelt. That is my final word."

Owari