Interlude.

By: Kurosaki Yuu

Chapter I: The Butterfly Effect

Disclaimer: Inuyasha does not belong to me and I'm not affiliated with Rumiko Takahashi.

"We're all of us stars, we're fading away.
Just try not to worry, you'll see us someday.
Just take what you need, and be on your way.
Stop crying your heart out."
(Stop Crying Your Heart Out – Oasis)

The piercing sound of an agonizing yelp reverberated through the heavily coating of miasma stirred into the scent of blood and desperation, a terrifying anxiousness lingered in every single body frame for a glimpse of a second at the following moment, it was impossible to measure correctly the number of causalities that were induced by the maleficent greed of those who pursued the Shikon no Tama, as it could be considerate a curse on it's on.

However, the long centuries and years of journey had yet to compare to the horrors of the final battle, there was nothing honorable in witnessing the last breath of a comrade, an ally and friend when the battle efforts seemed to be meaningless. They had been outnumbered, cornered and forced to recue through days and nights of battle, their backs were turned against the bone eater's well as the mountain chose by Naraku as a hideaway faded distantly in the horizon like the distance between the sun and the moon.

Foolish, exhausted, shattered dreamers and believers.

It was an understatement, in war, no dreams would ever be allowed. Hope was already a dangerous territory to tread on its own, and clinging to something so intangible out of pure stubbornness had limitations; they had all been connected out of a tenuous thread that could possibly be labeled as a survival instinct, flight or fight, for either justice or simple vengeance. And it was based on temporary peace treaties that they found strength to continue fighting, rising themselves out of the ashes of Naraku's unstoppable forces, regardless of the fact that rest was almost non-existent.

Hours easily defied the chronological order as it extended their hands through an entire day, although, she felt as it had been a week or even a month, anything but a day, since the last time she moved from the post were she stood. Bow and arrows firmly held in between delicate fingertips, adrenaline could no longer entertain the effects of exhaustion on her petite frame, the miko's once lively navy colored orbs widened even further as the spatter of crimson red tainted the surface of her icy pale skin.

There was no letting your guard down, not even for a second; didn't the nauseous scent of the decomposing bodies and dried blood mantling the grass that surrounded Kagome teach her anything?

"Sango!" Kagome yelped, dulcet voice hoarse from despair at the realization that her best friend had lanced herself in between the edges of a sword and the miko's back, thus preventing another fatality to grace their group. "Can you move? Are you alright? Thank you for-…"

"Ka-…Kagome, listen to me!" The taller woman cried in a single deep breath, as soon as the youkai retracted the sword from her shoulder before the blade of her own side sword pierced through its inhumanly large body. "What Miroku and Sesshomaru discussed before the battle… I think we're desperate enough to attempt now."

The taijiya's sword impaled the ground in order to provide a source of support for her restless frame. "Inuyasha is being pushed far more aback; thus, you're the only one who can successfully cross the well."

"I cannot leave all of you behind, especially in this situation!" Kagome shuddered at the thought of running away; her conscience would never bear the ache and the weight of her friends' lives if she were to turn her back on them in their most venerable state. "There must be another way!"

Her arrows had purified a long line of youkais lurking and clouding the blue sky above them, her very skills being required to avoid the shred of the jewel in their possession to become tainted with the increasing youki that hovered in the air, her voice aiding Tessaiga in successfully refraining Inuyasha to lose control of his demon side in the midst of the violence nature of the situation.

"There isn't another way! Our lives are crowding in your hands, you need to move!" Kikyou's voice resounded in a fierce scold as her pale fingers brushed against her reincarnation's warm ones rapidly, in order to thrust her own bow into Kagome's small hands. "You're our last hope, as soon as you're inside the well, I will raise a barrier to buy us more time, and you must hurry to where it all began and stop this atrocity from happening."

Kikyou's opaque chocolate colored orbs became slightly soft as her gaze met Kagome's within the next second, it displayed a fierce believe and hope that the younger girl had never dream on conceive from the other's glance, a recognition that she had secretly craved to receive coming from the most unexpected person and even a small glint of pride for what her reincarnation had come to be. Any doubts about either or not Kikyou was being sincere when stating she was incredible inside the cave while stripped out of her spiritual powers had been completely erased from the back of her mind.

"The obvious reason as to why you've been around for so long is that saving this era is part of your destiny." Kikyou nodded her head gently, as her colder hands finally left the younger's. "I never could, and the only one who can is you, be on your way."

Hesitation reverberated through her petite frame in roaring waves, almost tickling her equilibrium like the moment the ocean met the sand, and all that crossed her reddish lips was a heavy sigh. Kagome couldn't argue reason, no matter how her instincts and her sense of fidelity and comradeship yelped, trembled in her heart for havoc. The most important people in the entire world were putting their lives in line, allowing their hearts to slip past their sleeves to gift her enough time to run away, to submerge into the well towards the further past.

It was not the time to argue. Her duty must be fulfilled so that every single soul involved in this endless battle could rest assured, as for all of them deserved the happiness and the chance in life that had been stole away from their destinies. Time was a powerful tool that could give men purposes, and deep within her heart, the young miko wished that it could also gift men back the lives that were meaningless lost for crossing paths with a selfish being in search of a higher power that was never meant to be his in the first place.

It wasn't a choice anymore, no, it was responsibility.

A step back was taken out of tentative instinct to suppress the anxiousness build on top of the wall of hesitation that had previously attempt to cloud her better judgment; reddish lips were parted multiple times as the brunette searched for words and phrases that could display her feelings and gratitude towards her friends, she could also, never leave without a proper goodbye.

"Miko, this is not the time or the place." The voice carrying a husky baritone that reached her ears was rapidly followed by the warm sensation derived from the smooth fur effectively wrapped around her petite waist, and before Kagome could utter a protest or a reply, the daiyoukai had already pulled her back, neatly launching the younger girl inside the Bone eater's well.

Blue colored lights enveloped her entire frame as she defied gravity, falling further and further onto time's warm embrace, the miko reached out her slender hand in a futile attempt to hold onto the wooden edges of the well, that wasn't the proper goodbye she deemed necessary. They deserved each and every word of gratitude that was stuck and tangled in her throat, after all the years they spend together, all the battles and conflicts they faced, would that be the end?

A solitary teardrop graced the pale cheekbone of the young miko, forcing her to close her eyes tightly to repress any other tear that dared to follow the same path down her delicate features, the pressure onto her chest made it harder for her to refrain a sob for she trembled slightly. It felt exactly like drowning, and despite of being inside of a well, she was positive that there was no water surrounding her, slender hands moved in despair fighting against the calming sensation provided by the soothing blue lightening.

Kagome reopened her eyes in time to witness the stars in the Sengoku Period one last time, even when the miasma and youki covered the sight almost completely; the gentle rose colored barrier was being lifted slowly as it purified the darkness that surrounded the well. The frightening feeling that disrupted her heart suppressed everything she felt when she was first drag onto the well by mistress centipede.

It was, after all, yet another reminder that even though she carried a vast amount of spiritual energy within herself, Kagome was still a human, and just like any other, she feared the unknown and the details of the planning her destiny seemed to be clouding away from her eyes for she didn't understood it neither. And something in the back of her mind deeply questioned if it was wise to solve this mystery.

It was an irony, people said the future could not be predicted and yet she was more concerned about what the past reserved to her.

She could feel the solid ground sheeted by fragments of bones draw her blood towards the surface of her skin in small scratches as soon as her knees made contact with the ground, one of her delicate hands slowly caressed her cheeks as if to erase every sign of the tears that was previously shed, Kagome was back to where everything had started and it would be an understatement to say she did not had time to lose.

Kikyou's long bow made contact with the ground as the brunette clung onto it in order to steed herself, the yellow backpack carefully adjusted as she hovered the bow onto her arm and towards her shoulders. There were no sign of vines descending the walls and Kagome took it as a sign that perhaps, she had been brought to the right time stand.

Enveloping her hands onto the rocks and stones that composed the walls had not been the easiest task, no matter how experienced on it she was at that point of her life, a heavy sigh escaped her lips as she had finally trespassed the edges of the bone eater's well. Though, that was the only sign of relief ever displayed by the young miko, the aura that surrounded the place was terrifying and almost similar to the one created by the war she had just left behind.

Perhaps, she was years too late or maybe, the well had taken her further away into the past.

Her teeth sunk deep into the flash of her reddish lips, Kagome couldn't help but wonder if there was more that could be saved, that perhaps, things haven't started with Kikyou and Inuyasha and there were a lot more of deceives and deaths caused by those who seek the sacred jewel that she would be able to attempt to prevent. However, she found it a necessity to discover exactly how further away she was and what was the cause of that demonic aura, it was only rational.

Footsteps took her towards the west, to where the increasing amount of youki seemed to be concentrated; it was lightly alarming how from such a distance it was able to make her feel almost out of breath. Not even Naraku's youki had that reflection upon her body, Miroku would say that it could only had been created by two powerful demons, she mused to herself as she shook her head.

"You shouldn't be wandering around this area! Run if you have any sense of protection towards your life, girl! Those demons will burn this area to ashes in a few more minutes!" The chorus of male voices startled the miko as they ran past her without any ceremonies; Kagome raised an eyebrow at the sight of the armor that covered their bodies, samurais and soldiers.

"Demons? As in Youkais? Who-… Where?" She managed to utter loudly enough to draw their attention; her delicate features displayed absolutely confusion, especially as they glanced back at her in an almost horrified manner.

"The 'where' won't be a matter if we don't get out of here! It's the Lord of the West and Ryukotsusei; the battle field will soon reach those lands as well! If you're stupid enough to stay, it will be your problem, child." The one male who appeared to be the commander of the samurai troupe interrupted the others with the information, rapidly hushing the remaining men to continue straight forward.

Blue orbs widened in awe as soon as the information was processed, Kagome was sent more than two centuries previous to where she stood, although the details were still a fogged blur, it was obvious that there was a lot more to the story of the Shikon no Tama than she had been previously informed. Nonetheless, it was no accident that the well had taken her to such a precise moment in time.

Teeth sunk deep into the flash of her bottom lip as the remembrances gathering in years of travelling across Japan in search for the shreds were carefully analyzed; there must be something within the history that fell on her shoulders to avoid or to turn into reality, rewriting the past is never easy, but at least, it was indeed the only chance for a brighter future.

"Ryukotsusei…" The dragon's name haunted the back of her subconscious with the taunting attacks and revelations during his battle with Inuyasha, and as the first victim of Tessaiga's ultimate technique. But yet, the memories of Miyouga's voice and Sesshomaru's story were soundly enough to force her legs to move once again, rapidly and rhythmically like every single beat her heart took with much agony.

If she aided the great daiyoukai that was Inuyasha and Sesshomaru's father in battle, perhaps, she could offer him more time to reach Izayoi-sama's captivity before the worst. Inuyasha would be able to grow up with both of his parents, and maybe, it would be what it took to easy the harshness and polish the sorrow out of his life. He'd know love, and therefore, he wouldn't be so easily deceived by Naraku 200 years from now.

The motivation that sparkled the fire of dedication within her every gestures, each single step she took still seemed slow, painfully too slow, to reach the valley were the dragon should come to be sealed. If only Kirara was there with her, Kagome felt the tears attempt to cloud her vision once again as she shook her head fiercely in order to stop them from falling, she couldn't permit the concern and the guilty trigger her consciousness into punishing her now. Otherwise, her friends' efforts would go to waste and that was something that she could not allow to happen.

Youki collided with such an alarming force that it made the atmosphere heavier, it was hard to keep the oxygen within her lungs, Kagome was more than positive that each step that lead her towards the battle field would grow hesitating as her body would soon refuse to move. Fortunately, it wasn't difficult to spot a dragon and a dog youkai as big as the two in question, further ahead Ryuukotsusei had the dog general pinned in between his claw and his steel resistant body.

Delicate hands maneuvered the bow instinctively, faster than her mind could even process, because one hesitant arrow wouldn't be enough to purify such an enormous youkai, but she hoped, that it would be sufficient to free the dog general from the other's hold. One of her orbs was closed, and her fingertips tapped slightly the edge of the arrow in a silent prey for a clean shot.

The sky lightened a pure colored pink, purifying the youki around the powerful beings into light purple colored smoke just before it made contact with the dragon's arm, effectively avoiding another clawed attack as Ryukotsusei hissed in pain, releasing the dog from his hold almost instantly.

"No!" Kagome yelped, dulcet voice sounding almost horrified as the dog youkai fell down through the sky, his demon form wavering and slowly succumbing to a human one, and even from a safe distance, the young miko could affirm the Lord look a lot like his oldest son, Sesshomaru.

She moved as rapidly as she could, as swift as her legs could take in the fallen general's direction, the mare possibility of being too late was enough to send shivers down her spine and consequently making her footsteps quickly out of pure adrenaline. Her petite frame was positioned in between the injured daiyoukai and the dragon, it was a foolish impulsive reaction, Kagome was well aware of that, but how else could she help the Lord of the west?

Another arrow quickly pierced through the sky in a mere second after she positioned herself, Kagome wasn't the young little girl who once shattered the Shikon no Tama, reality had forced her to mature rapidly, and even though she still couldn't control her spiritual powers, her archery skills had already suppressed Kaede's and could indeed rival Kikyou's.

"My lord, can you still stand?" Although her words were pronounced with a tenuous hesitation, her velvety voice tone expressed genuine concern for the older's well being, as well as for how to appropriately address him, though those thoughts were pushed aside as a low growl was emitted from his chest.

She couldn't, however, decipher its meaning nor had her the time to attempt so.

"Bastard is a way more pathetic than I could have ever imagined." His thunderous laughter reverberated through the entire valley, obligating Kagome to reflectively take a step closer to where the Lord of the West rested. "How can he can call himself a daiyoukai while relying in a child, a human one regardless! Tell me, little one, how many arrows are left until you run out of them? This is hardly fun any longer."

Kagome wasn't allowed a single second of wonder, the blue lightening of Ryuukotsusei's energy blast filled the area with fear and anxiousness, a shiver past her spine at the memories of the vast destruction that could be promoted by a single ball of his youki. Her delicate hands held up her bow in an attempt to shelter herself and the daiyoukai behind her from such a powerful attack, her only surprise was that Kikyou's bow appeared to claim and convey her powers, effectively deflecting the attack to the stone mountains at their right.

Blue eyes widened in wonder, shifting their gaze from the visible surprised dragon back towards the bow in her hands, it wasn't the time to doubt herself, and it surely wasn't the time to over think the situation.

The sound of a sword being impaled to the ground served as a catalyst to the stir of fear that spread through Kagome's body in waves, accompanying beat by beat the unleash of youki from the boiling blood of the daiyoukai behind her. She didn't even dared looking back, the growl that emanated from his chest was already a lethal warning, the miko felt her entire frame flinch slightly, never had she felt such a powerful aura before nor had she seen such amount of self-control.

Kagome remembered the first time Sesshomaru had transformed in front of her and the first time Inuyasha had allowed his youkai blood to overflow through his veins, but nothing could ever compare to the imposing and suffocating aura the Inu no Taisho carried.

"I'd advise you to take a step aside, Miko-sama." His deep baritone had reached her ears carrying polite words in an authoritarian manner, refusing any protest on her part as he acknowledge her participation in that battle.

Kagome's legs moved a lot faster than her head could accompany as she placed her frame behind the enormous stone that had descended from the highest part of the Valley after her deflection of the dragon's attack, not even Sesshomaru sounded so commanding when he spoke, and who was her to actually disobey? The small nod of his head seemed to her as a soundless way of thanking her for her bravado, a small recognition that had her both puzzled and flustered.

It wasn't everyday someone acknowledge her doings in a fight, and more surely, it wasn't everyday that she received any kind of gratitude in an attempt to buy one time to recover, the general in front of her, however, seemed to defy completely from the image both of his sons would carry in the future.

Blue orbs followed attentively every single one of the Inu no Taisho's movements and steps in battle, to say he was graceful was an understatement, he maneuvered his swords as if they were part of himself, without any difficult or complications. She almost failed to reminisce over the fact that Tessaiga and Tenseiga were indeed part of the Lord's body, his fangs to be exact, and they reacted magnificently to their master's hold.

However, it was the light of Tessaiga's main technique that reminded Kagome of the reality, and the fact that time could not be wasted any further in this battle, lives were too precious to be deposited in the hands of Lady Luck. Her teeth sunk deep into the flash of her bottom lip, until the metallic taste of blood that effectively clouded her mouth, an unconscious gesture derived from her mind's preoccupation in searching upon her memory a manner to be useful in the battle again.

Ryuukotsusei was in the same bad shape as the dog daiyoukai, it surprised Kagome as to how long he was managing to maintain his true form considering the amount of energy he was wasting in desperate blasts of attacks that were being dodge by the Inu general, until the memories of Inuyasha's fight with the dragon had successfully hold on an important piece of information.

"My lord, can you perform the Bakuryuha?" She yelped, eventually removing herself from her hiding ground in order to obtain a clean shot.

"You're not foolish enough to think the same little trick would work again, wouldn't you, bastard?" The dragon chuckled, inclining his head back for the charge of a higher amount of youki inside his mouth.

If the Backlash Wave had not worked on its own, there was just one thing she could do.

"Ryuukotsusei!" She yelped, the serious tone within her velvety voice was the second glimpse distraction that the Inu youkai needed to unleash Tessaiga's ultimate technique, and just as Kagome had done many times before with Inuyasha, her arrow shot in the midst of the wavering technique enhanced its potential even further.

The Miko didn't had time to attempt to decipher the look on his eyes, amber pools clouded with questions and disbelieves as she approached him again, slightly taken aback by the height difference that made his imposing figure even more frightening. Inuyasha's life rested in between her delicate hands, there is no way she would but her best friend's life at risk by the fear of his lethal father.

"My Lord, what is the extent of your wounds? You need to hurry and gather the amount of aid necessary to crash onto a palace!" Determination overflowed from her blue orbs as her voice held an undertone of despair that caught his attention, there were no lies in between it, and yet, he had no idea of what the strange Miko was talking about.

"Izayoi-sama! You have to hurry and rescue Izayoi-sama!" Kagome cried the information, as if sensing his doubts and in a futile attempt to save them the interrogatory that could follow, she had enough of experiences to affirm those were always a waste of energy. "Takemaru has her hostage and she is to undergo labor, you most hurry!"

Crimson red, his eyes glittered of blood.

And in the following second he had her pinned, claws tangled in between the fabric of the red bow she were under her collar as the daiyoukai raised her to his eye level, the shiver of fear that reverberated through her petite frame in an automatically response at the feral growl he emitted had his hold being lighted slightly.

"What are you? Shall you be lying to this Touga and you will be regretting it immensely." He threatened, crimson eyes never leaving her clouded blue orbs, in searching for any sign of hesitation on her part.

Kagome knew it, it was like a déjà vu from her first encounter with his older son, Sesshomaru, she was also aware that there was many questions to follow as it had been during her first encounter with Inuyasha, but currently, they didn't had time for either or could she handle that much of overwhelming sensations at the same time.

"You have no time to waste on me, my lord." She muttered, a tone louder than a whisper, but veracity contained in every single word. "If you wish for my help, I'm willing to assist, but we do not have time to waste! I cannot have any lives being at risk tonight."

He left a lethal and almost primitive growl escape through his parted lips, and she closed her own eyes before she could fight the instinct of protecting herself, perhaps, that had not been the most intelligent approach, but she was too caught up in the velocity of the occurrences to even reminded herself of the consequences that could be brought upon the future because of a ricocheted butterfly effect.

A/N: It's been almost six years since the last time I wrote a fanfic, I feel slightly anxious as if it was the first all over again as I present this piece of work, I'm a little bit rusted but hopefully it won't be much of a problem as the story develops further. If you have read so far, please, let me know your opinions about this story! I'd really appreciate it.

Also, considering that English is not my first language and any help is immensely welcome, if you have the time and wish to aid me with the grammatical corrections of this fanfic, please let me know through a review or a message, I'd love to have a beta!

Yuu.