Kagome came back to consciousness slowly. What registered first was the lack of sound... any sound. It produced such a feeling of wrongness , she ending up waking as if an alarm clock was buzzing in her ear. She yawned, stretching her arms above her head and sitting up, blinking bleary eyes.

Crouched over her was a white blob. More blinking resolved it into a vaguely human shape, then a man with long, white hair that pooled on the ground at his feet and a long, white kimono. Despite the white hair, he was quite handsome, looking somewhere in his early twenties. He was looking at her with some concern.

"Feeling better? I'm sorry the transportation here is so rough," he apologized.

She shook her head. "Where... am I?"

The man giggled inanely. "That is a difficult question to answer." When Kagome made movements to get up, he quickly stood and offered her a hand.

"Thank you," she murmured.

As far as she could tell, they were surrounded in nothingness. Nothing below, nothing at their feet, nothing above, and nothing in the distance. Darkness was all. The only light shone from the man who'd helped her to her feet.

"Welcome to my world," he said, waving an arm. "Even I'm not exactly sure where this is. Suffice to say, the jewel transports people here. It can only bring one person at a time, though.  My best guess is it's an alternate pocket of reality, or some type of limbo."

"I... I see." Kagome's head spun. This was where Inu-Yasha had gone? "How do I get out?"

He shook his head. "There's only one way out." He pointed, and suddenly Kagome made out a small speck of light far off in the distance.

"What is it?"

He cocked his head and looked at her. "A way out, of course." He smiled cheerfully. "Want to see it?"

"Yes, please," she said politely.

It felt strange to walk in the darkness. At any moment she expected to begin falling, because there was no actual floor for her to step on. If one could walk on clouds, she thought it may feel like this.

"My name is Towa," he said, bowing slightly.

"Kagome... Kagome Higurashi."

He smiled proudly. "I know. I've been watching you."

"...Watching me?" she repeated, frowning suspiciously.

He pouted. "Well, there's nothing else to do here but watch what happens outside."

Towa waved a hand, and in front of them appeared a large image of Kagome's home. Her grandfather was sitting on the porch, dozing off, while Sota played with Buyo, and her mother washed dishes.

"Time is kind of funny in here, too, so I can view things from other times." He paused, then admitted, "Or so I assume. I have been in here for... a very long time."

He waved his hand again, and this time, Kagome saw people dressed in kimonos, mixed with things like Western bowler hats and suits on dirt streets. There were no cars. Kagome sucked in her breath rapidly.

"It looks like the Meiji era, possibly," she guessed.

Towa laughed and clapped his hands. "See, see?"

They continued walking in silence for several minutes, while Kagome tried to digest everything Towa had said or implied.

"If... if you've been watching me, do you know why those lizard things were after me?"

Towa nodded, eager to please. "Mm! I sent them after you!"

"You?!" She stopped, staring at him.

He blinked in confusion at her accusing look. "Well, I needed to bring you here. They were just helping me out."

He smiled sadly. "Since they were just lizards at the beginning, I could only increase their intelligence so much over time. They really should have just made you touch the jewel when they first grabbed it at the museum, but they instinctively took it back to the cave first.

"Oh! And I'm sorry they attacked your friend. It was instinctual, I'm afraid. He was keeping you from touching the jewel, so they tried to make him stop..."

Kagome held her ground, her heart thumping. "What do you want with me?" she asked directly.

For the first time since she arrived, Kagome saw the weariness of age pass over Towa's eyes. The child-like expression disappeared under bone-deep exhaustion. "Not yet. Let's wait until we get to the way out."

The speck of light turned out to be a hole. Kagome couldn't think of a better word to describe the large circle of white light which gently sucked in the darkness around it. In width, it was five or six times her height.

"This is the way out," Towa said, waving a hand grandly.

Kagome nodded, expressionless. Her heart pounded like a drum, so loud in this soundless place, she was sure Towa could hear it. A light shined infinitely bright in the very center of the hole... She gasped, covering her mouth.

A Shikon shard shone in the center of the hole.

"That's...!" she began in disbelief.

Towa laughed and clapped his hands. "I knew that you'd know what it is! I've watched you collecting them with your friend."

"How did it get here..."

The statement was rhetorical. She didn't expect Towa to be able to answer. To her surprise, though, he did.

He shrugged. "The jewel was relatively harmless back then. I used it to escape from the pressures of life for a little while. But one night when I used it, there was a small sliver of jewel next to it. Concerned it might have come from my jewel, I picked them both up."

Kagome's winced. She thought she knew where this was going. "When you arrived here, though, the shard embedded in the darkness. And you were trapped."

Towa nodded, closing his eyes. "Mm. The nature of the jewel had changed... It took people whether they wanted to go or not, and it didn't let them go. It never used to do that.

"I eventually learned how to manipulate the darkness, using it to my own ends. I found I could transform things, changing their basic shape. I could even extend it beyond the jewel. But I couldn't leave."

That explains how he created the lizard-men...  and how the traps changed in the cave.  He must have changed them every once in while to keep people from carelessly grabbing the jewel.

Towa took a deep breath, recalling himself out of his depressing thoughts. He smiled cheekily over at Kagome. "There is one way for you to leave, though."

"How?" she asked, voice cracking. She swallowed, wishing her desperation wasn't quite so obvious.

He smiled sadly. "Only those of pure spirit may leave."

She blinked, momentarily stumped. "What does that mean?"

Towa shrugged, twirling around. "It means you must be pure of spirit."

"But... isn't that impossible?" she asked, frowning. "No one is completely pure. Everyone's done something at some point."

Towa nodded, smiling. "You're right! By nature, humans aren't pure enough to leave. Except right after they're born. At that time, they are completely unspoiled, and they can pass through the gate." He shrugged. "So when people want to leave, I transform them back into babies and drop them off somewhere at the nearby village."

More subdued, he added, "I just wish my own technique worked on myself..."

He pouted, looking put out. "Your friend was demanding! Most people are happy simply to leave, but he was very specific about the year in which he should be placed!"

"But I have a request."

Towa frowned, pouting. "Yeah?"

"You said time is strange here... Can you choose the time in which you place me?"

"I guess so. It's a lot of trouble, but..."

Kagome's mouth went dry, and she unconsciously clenched her fists. "What...what did he request."

"The year you were born." Towa blushed, looking sheepish. "I actually made a mistake; I placed him there a year or two before you were born. Thankfully, it looks like everything worked out."

Inu-Yasha...

Towa smile displayed his hope and desperation as he continued. "The reason I brought you here is because I believe you can end this darkness."

Kagome tapped one foot impatiently, waiting for Towa to continue.

"If you are able to take the shard, this place should go back to normal, and we'll be able to leave without any special conditions."

Kagome frowned suspiciously. "What happens if I can't take the shard?"

Towa's smile dimmed. "The darkness will consume you, and you will die."

Kagome sat on the "ground" in the darkness, head in hand, thinking of her options.

Choice 1: I wait in the darkness with Towa forever.

Choice 2: I have Towa transform me into a baby and escape that way.

Choice 3: I take the Shikon shard, and escape with Towa.

There weren't many paths she could take, and each one had possible unpleasant consequences. If she waited with Towa in the darkness, she would go insane. If Towa transformed her into a baby, she might never see Inu-Yasha again. If she tried to take the Shikon shard and failed, she would die...

She sighed. It wasn't a choice, really. There was only one path for her to take.

Towa seemed to sense her resolve, looking up at her with hopeful eyes. "Have you made a decision?"

She gave a firm nod. "Yes."

Kagome stood before the circle of light, staring at the glittering shard. She took a last, deep breath, holding it for several seconds before letting it go.

Then, she took a tentative step into the light. A wind whipped at her clothing, so intense it nearly shredded them.

She took another step. Darkness followed her, twinning around her leg like a snake, trying to keep her in place. She resisted the urge to scream.

Another step. Her foot felt like a lead weight because of the darkness dragging it down. It began spreading up her other leg.

Another step. The darkness had wrapped itself over the entire lower half of her body. She kicked at it, managing to dissipate just enough to move forward. It was similar to trying to walk in water, only much worse.

Another step. If she could just make it one more step, she would be close enough to reach the shard...

The darkness pulled at her arms, and with a startled yelp, she fell to the ground. The dark energy made quick work of her immobility, twining dark ropes over her arms and legs. She grit her teeth and stretched her arm desperately as far as it would go. Her finger just brushed the shard...

And then the shard was in her hand.

The darkness wailed, falling apart and dissipating like a bad dream. The light that she had been standing in disappeared, leaving her alone with Towa.

She sat there for several seconds, letting her heart go back to a normal level, before looking up at Towa and smiling tiredly. "Can we go home now?"

Towa's face was beautiful, full of an indescribable joy. "Let us leave," he murmured, stepping forward and taking her hand in his.

Inu-Yasha sat where he was for a long time, staring off into nothing, eyes blank. If an enemy had found him then, he wouldn't have defended himself, too lost to be aware of what was happening around him.

He didn't know how long he'd been sitting in the cave. It could have been a few minutes or a few days for all he cared. There seemed to be no reason to move, honestly. His parents wouldn't miss him, and the only person who really cared for him was gone...

He stared unseeing, unblinking, into the cave. The corpses of the two creatures disappearing like fog into the air didn't register.

However, the flash of light which illuminated the entire cave did.

The light grew in intensity, until to look at it was to be blinded. Shielding his eyes, he nonetheless tried to see what was going on. Movement in the center of the light caught him. Two pairs of feet... one in a kimono, the other in slouch socks.

He was still blinking back spots when the two feet approached him.

"Inu-Yasha, are you alright?"

Oh god... He knew the voice... but she had disappeared into the jewel.

"Inu-Yasha?" the voice asked again, sounding concerned.

No, there was no mistaking the owner of that voice. The spots dissipated, allowing him to clearly see Kagome, looking a little wind-blown and her clothes sporting numerous rips, kneeling next to him.

He grabbed her wrist and jerked her into his lap.

"Inu-Y-!"

Hugging her as close as their two bodies would allow, he pressed his lips to hers. She relaxed, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, smiling into their kiss.

Towa cleared his throat delicately, blushing slightly as he tried to look anywhere but at them. "Ahem... I, ah... hate to break this up, but... we should probably leave."

Kagome blushed, hiding her head in Inu-Yasha's shoulder, while Inu-Yasha looked grumpily up at Towa. He smiled benignly at them.

"But before we go," Towa said, eyes dancing, "I have something to do."

He threw the jewel as hard as he could against the nearest wall. Unlike Kagome's attempt, this time it shattered into a million pieces, turning into so much dust.

"I don't think I need to escape into darkness anymore."

Once Kagome was able to extract herself from Inu-Yasha, the dog demon became impatient to be away from forest, and back in home territory. He found a nearby train station, where he bought the three of them tickets to Tokyo.

On the train, Kagome sat next to Inu-Yasha, who had a possessive arm around her waist, while Towa sat in the seat across from theirs. People who passed by them gave their dirty appearance and torn clothing second glances, but the three didn't care.

Towa seemed amazed by everything, his cheeks flushed with excitement as he caressed everything he could. After so long in the jewel, mostly alone, where nothing was real but himself, Kagome could understand his reaction. But she warned him not to try it with people, and he reluctantly obeyed.

Kagome sighed, leaning into Inu-Yasha's embrace. "I'm so glad it's over."

Inu-Yasha's arm tightened. "How did you escape?"

"There was a Shikon shard in the jewel. It changed it from a relatively harmless means of temporary escape into the thing we all knew it as," Kagome explained, fingering the small jar of Shikon shards around her neck. "As soon as I took the shard, it went back to normal and we were able to leave."

"So you didn't have to turn into a baby to escape," Inu-Yasha said, nodding in understanding. "I'm glad you didn't have to make the same decision I did."

"Mm," she agreed. Her eyes popped open and she pulled away slightly to stare at him, eyes both hopeful and disbelieving. "Wait... Inu-Yasha... do you..."

He scratched the back of his head, looking embarrassed. "It all came back when you were disappearing into the jewel." He shrugged, not looking at her.

Kagome stared, unaware of the tears that fell down her face until Inu-Yasha gently rubbed them away.

Finally, finally he remembers...

His face was grave as he continued. "But I only remember bits and pieces right now, and it feels like another person's life to me. I doubt I'll ever be the Inu-Yasha you knew, Kagome... "

She shook her head, pressing her cheek into his hand. "It doesn't matter anymore."

"That is so cute," Towa sighed, blushing. His eyes seemed to sparkle as he watched them with unashamed interest.

Inu-Yasha snorted, pulling Kagome into his lap. "It's only natural. She's my girlfriend."

She smiled slyly over her shoulder, lips only inches away from his. "Really? Weren't we just pretending?"

He blinked, looking adorably confused. Kagome got the impression he'd forgotten. "Hmph. It stopped being pretend a long time ago."

She smiled, the small knot of worry she hadn't even known she possessed untwisting. "Yes, it did."

Towa giggled, hands over his mouth.

"Oh, Towa," Kagome said, turning her attention forward. "What are you going to do now?"

The white-haired man shrugged, looking completely unconcerned. "I have no idea."

Kagome considered. "Hmm... You could stay at my family's house and work around the shrine, if you would like."

He nodded enthusiastically. "I would love to! Thank you."

She smiled. "It's no problem. My grandfather will be delighted to have help."

As Kagome had predicted, her grandfather was ecstatic to have another pair of hands to help him. In the way that mothers often do, Mrs. Higurashi immediately seemed to sense Towa's needs and welcomed him whole-heartedly into the family, showering him with motherly concern. After so many years with minimal human contact, he soaked it up like a sponge.

Outside, Kagome sat on the stairs with Inu-Yasha.   The stars twinkled in the dark, cloudless sky.  It was pleasantly different from the stifling darkness Towa had been imprisoned in for so long.

"We're going to have to begin searching for Shikon shards again soon," Kagome murmured, staring up.

"My parents won't be happy with how much school I miss," Inu-Yasha said. He almost sounded cheerful about it.

"And my grandfather will make up terrible excuses again," Kagome said.

"We'll both have to get tutoring lessons from my old teacher, Umino."

"Shippo and Raiju will be helping us find the Shikon shards. Possibly Towa, too..."

Inu-Yasha began to chuckle. "Y'know, life was a lot more normal before I met you again."

Kagome smiled, bumping his shoulder. "I could say the same thing."

But as Inu-Yasha gently kissed her beneath the night sky, Kagome found herself perfectly content.

THE END