The 20th chapter of Between Heaven and Hell! Thanks to all you lovely readers for sticking with me for the past few years! You are all so wonderful, and I appreciate every one of you! I hope you continue to enjoy this story. ^^

-DT

~ "*" ~

A low din hummed throughout the inn as the guests ate their supper merrily. Kagome, Kikyo, and the innkeepers sat at a table in the center of the main hall. Having finished her dinner already, Kagome sat with wide eyes observing the room, taking in the soothing glow of the lanterns.

"Kagome," her sister said, pausing her conversation with the innkeepers for a moment. "Why don't you see if Ichirou needs a break?"

Kagome nodded. "Good idea. I'm sure he's hungry by now," she said.

As she stood up to leave, Kikyo raised an elegant hand to wave her attention once again.

"If Ruri-chan is awake, try to talk to her, if she is willing," the miko told her.

Ruri was the girl who had woken up in a craze the day before. From what her family had told them, she had been asleep for almost two weeks until yesterday. She had been affected the longest of the three girls. Kagome wondered if that meant the other two would come around soon and what it might be like when they did; if it would be the same as Ruri.

When Ruri-chan saw her mother and father, she began to calm down, thankfully. But even then, she was not completely herself, so said her parents. Usually, her mother told them, Ruri was a normal, vivacious girl. But now, she seemed introverted, and shook from time to time. When a question was asked of her, she would stare dumbly at them for an instant, as if unsure if they were truly there, and then look down again. Sometimes, Ruri would mumble a diminutive response, but that was only on very rare occasions.

After Ichirou had informed Kagome's sister about the scars and their potential significance, Kikyo suggested that the girl might be in shock from her encounter with the demon. The idea made Kagome's heart sink.

In truth, she didn't think Sesshomaru being the culprit was likely, but she knew it wasn't impossible. For now, she would give Sesshomaru the benefit of a doubt. Despite the roughness he had treated her with at times, Kagome still didn't believe he would allow himself to do such a thing.

Yes… Sesshomaru had hurt her. He had refused her words and rejected her help, insisting he was past redemption. But yet, Kagome thought, such awareness of his own state had to mean that somewhere inside him, Sesshomaru had a conscience. Possibly conscience enough not to do the things she had seen here.

Kagome made her way out of the buzz of guests and towards the less illuminated section. Going a little ways down the connecting hallway, a staircase leading to the rooms awaited her. As she began her ascent, Kagome stared at her feet rigidly, fearful of tripping with the help of the poorly lit area.

Finally at the top of the stairs, a sigh of relief left her lips. Now, if she could only find the correct room… Kagome lifted her gaze to search the hall in the sparse light she was given.

Instead, a dark form, just feet away from her, met her eyes.

A fearful scream ripped from her throat. Then taking in the sight more closely, Kagome covered her mouth; however her shoulders did not relax.

Everything past his white haori was but a shadow of black to Kagome, but it was unmistakable. Looming over the girl, he stood before her with a stony silence.

"Kagome," she heard, but the voice did not belong to him, but to someone further away from where they stood. And then, the youkai was gone yet again.

"Kagome, what's wrong…? What happened?" Ichirou asked her anxiously. His breathing was shallow, as if he had run all the way to where she was.

"I…" Kagome mumbled, still shaken. Her lips moved soundlessly for a moment, as if trying to make out the words. She glanced down the hallway, but no one was there. After pressing her lips together for a moment, she sighed. "…I just… thought I saw a mouse."

Ichirou laughed incredulously. "All that over a little rodent? I heard you scream from the end of the hallway."

Kagome forced a small gesture of amusement. "I was just taken by surprise, that's all."

"Alright, well come on. Ruri-chan hasn't woken up yet, but with all that noise I'm sure she's stirred a little," he said teasingly.

Leading her down the dim corridor, Ichirou began telling Kagome how Ruri had gotten up for a brief while, and how he had only received silence when he asked her how she was feeling. Kagome was only half-listening, though. She glanced behind them uneasily.

"If you're worried about that mouse coming back, don't be," Ichirou told her when he noticed her unusual silence. "I'll protect you with my life."

At that, Kagome truly laughed. "Don't make fun of me…" she pouted, giving him a little shove.

Back at girls' room, she turned to Ichirou again. "Oh, I never asked you…" Kagome huffed, distraught that she had forgotten – probably thanks to the shock of seeing the daiyoukai again, she guessed. "Do you need a break? Are you hungry?"

Ichirou only shrugged and plopped down on the ground adjacent to the wall. "I'm fine. Don't have much of an appetite right now…"

Sighing, she replied softly, "Suit yourself." But in a way, Kagome felt a little relieved. She needed time to collect herself and gather her thoughts. If Sesshomaru showed up again, how would she respond…? What would she say to him?

Kagome made her rounds, checking the girls' heads and then their pulses. She saw Ruri's sheets had become disheveled, so she straightened them. But overall, there wasn't much to do at the time being, so Kagome settled down next to Ichirou.

"…Kagome…?" Ichirou's voice found her through the haze of her thoughts. From the way he said her name, Kagome realized he had tried to ask her something.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Kagome replied after mentally shaking her head. Glancing at her hands, she noticed she was moving them over each other restlessly. She quickly stilled them.

"I was just saying, you seemed a little distracted," Ichirou answered, and a smirk appeared on his lips. "Looks like I'm right."

Kagome shook her head, compelling an off-hand sound of levity to come forth. "Everything's fine; I'm just a little tired."

Ichirou chuckled at that. "What a relief you are, Kagome. You've been up here ten minutes and already you're falling asleep on me."

A smile found its way to her lips, but she found it difficult to feel completely at ease. Her hands clasped together again. After a moment, Ichirou straightened up from his slouched position against the wall.

"Are you sure you're alright, Kagome?" Ichirou asked her, filling the silence in the room. When she didn't respond right away, he added, "…You haven't been yourself lately."

Kagome's gaze dropped to her lap. The conversation was like an echo of a few nights earlier. Ichirou must have still been wondering why she was so upset the other day… After all, she had never given him a straight answer, let alone a coherent sentence. Kagome ran a hand through her ebony hair.

What would she say…? She couldn't tell him the truth, and she couldn't lie and tell him everything was alright; her tears had already betrayed her. But her predicament did not surprise her; she knew from the beginning it wouldn't be easy…

But for the youkai to show up so unexpectedly… What purpose could he possibly have in coming here? To tell her he had made a mistake and wanted to be with her? Kagome pondered what she would say if that were the case.

Honestly, she wanted to see him. She couldn't deny that. From the very beginning, she had been drawn to Sesshomaru. Kagome felt a bit ashamed of her attachment to him, not because he was a youkai, but for another reason. It was a pull she couldn't seem to shake. She wanted to be with him.

"…I'll be fine," Kagome replied finally. Then glancing at Ichirou, she realized the concern in his emerald eyes, the ones that gave away his emotions so easily. Her heart began to hurt.

How could she be so selfish, she thought with frustration. All this time, Ichirou had been worried about her, and all she could think of was herself and how she felt. And it hurt her even more to know that she couldn't just stop as easily as she wanted to. The mind was willing, but her body was weak.

No, she thought. She could not let her emotions dominate her mind like this.

"…So," Kagome tried to change the subject, hoping to dispel the somber mood, "Ayumi seems to like you a lot…" She gave him a small smile and a wink. Ichirou seemed caught off guard at first, but acquiesced to the conversation.

"Oh, is that so?"

Kagome furrowed her brow. "What, you mean to tell me you've never noticed?"

Ichirou shrugged. "I guess I never saw it like that."

"How could you not? She fawns over you all the time!" Kagome exclaimed, sitting more upright to face the taijiya. "Well," she continued, "we know how Ayumi feels… So, what about you, Ichirou?"

The taijiya looked at her for a moment, and then glanced away. He shifted the position of his weapon, as if trying to occupy his hands with something. "I… don't see her in that way," he answered awkwardly.

"Well, that may be just because the idea is new to you, since we've all known each other for so long," Kagome insisted, hoping to put in a good word for her friend. "She's very pretty, though, don't you think? You can at least say that much."

Ichirou was staring down at the floor, a very concentrated look in his eyes. His elbows were resting on his knees as he sat there.

"Is that what you want me to say?" he asked.

Kagome frowned, confused by his sullenness. He wasn't looking at her, so it was impossible to tell what exactly was going through his mind. "Well, I... It was only a question. Did I say something wrong…?"

Shaking his head, Ichirou chuckled, but it was a different kind of laughter. Kagome couldn't put her finger on it. "No. Never mind," Ichirou said after a pause. He sat up, and finally turning towards her, the taijiya patted her head. "Just a little tired," he added, using her excuse from earlier.

The corners of Kagome's lips dropped a little. The look in his eyes didn't seem to match his playful smile, but Kagome didn't think as much of it, as she would have, if she weren't so distracted that night.

~ "*" ~

About an hour later, Kagome opened her eyes, realizing she had fallen asleep. The last thing she remembered talking about with Ichirou was something about Shouhei's progress in recovery… After that, she couldn't recall.

Glancing over at where Ichirou was sitting, Kagome found him sleeping soundly, arms folded and head at a slight tilt. She turned to the girls; all were still.

Kagome looked up, towards the shoji where the soft light shone into their room. But when she did, a glint of silver disappeared behind it.

Again? Kagome thought. But she didn't wait this time. Quickly, the girl rose to her feet and made towards the door. But as she looked out, no one was there. She continued down the hall, half-walking, half-running. Looking left to right, Kagome searched for a sign of him.

But as she passed the brothel's wing, Kagome collided with a woman, apparently exiting the hall just as she was running by. Looking down at the hands that gripped her, Kagome gasped.

The woman's beautifully slender wrists were marred by a collection of cuts and bruises. The horrifically black contusions formed the shape of fingers. Kagome couldn't look away, stunned by the sight.

But the woman, upon realizing the direction of her attention, abruptly pulled her hands away.

"What are you doing here?" she asked Kagome angrily. "Don't you know how late it is?"

"I-I'm sorry." Kagome blushed and gave the beautiful woman a bow of apology before heading towards the way she came. Once a little ways down the corridor, Kagome turned again, stealing a peek in direction she had been going in earlier. No one was there, however; no one but the lovely woman, ambling slowly down the hall. She wore an intricately designed red kimono. But the beauty of her kimono was hard to capture through the hasty way it was thrown together.

Kagome headed towards the room where her sister slept, thinking it would probably be wise to just turn in for the day after her encounter with the red-clad lady. But that night as she laid her head to rest, she didn't think of Sesshomaru, but instead, of the woman and how those angry cuts and bruises got there.

~ "*" ~

The next night, the inn was busy as usual, and the people joyous. The group sat around a dark wooden table, talking and eating their supper. Kikyo mentioned something about how Kagome would need to help teach some of the local villagers how to be healers so that in the future, they could be self-sufficient. Ichirou announced that he would check out the town in the meantime.

At the end of their meal, Kikyo told them how they had to keep alert for the possible demon that might have caused the girls' illness. They would keep watch especially over the perimeters of the village, as that was where the girls had been found unconscious. Ichirou responded with an enthusiastic utterance and clap of his hands, as if ready to go to work right away.

"Aren't you excited?" Kagome teased him.

"Well, seeing as I haven't been doing much, yeah, I am!" Ichirou returned.

Kagome raised an eyebrow at him. "Oh, so are you admitting that maybe your services aren't needed…?" she retorted, referring back to Ichirou's pompous attitude before they left for Higan.

"You will still need to be careful," Kikyo told them, but was looking in her sister's particular direction. Kagome could see there wasn't much amusement in her eyes. "You should have your bow with you at all times, Kagome. Where is it?"

She shrunk back at the sound of her sister's stern voice. She could feel the warmth of a blush rising in her cheeks. "Ah… It looks like I forgot it up in our room…" she laughed sheepishly as she fidgeted in her seat.

"Kagome…" the miko uttered in a tone that made Kagome want to hide under the table in embarrassment and shame from Kikyo's displeasure. Kikyo always made it a point that she have her bow and arrows by her side at all times, so that only served to make Kagome feel worse.

"I know, I know," Kagome said apologetically before she could say more. "I'll get it now." She stood up to leave, but not before giving a snickering taijiya one firm kick in the leg.

As she padded down the wooden floors of the hallway, Kagome headed towards the stairs. It was tucked away in the wall, parallel to the long corridor, so she had to pay close attention to the gaps as she walked along. Upon reaching her destination, she turned and began her ascent.

But before she could take two steps, she felt a strange yet familiar pull. Pivoting, Kagome tilted her head and stepped back out into the hallway. A little ways down, there was an open door on the opposite wall. Through it, Kagome could make out a piece of dark blue sky, adorned with small yet beautiful, twinkling stars. She could faintly hear the chirps of crickets over the loud buzz of conversation in the main room.

Stepping outside, Kagome found herself standing on a long strip of elevated floor. Before her was a lush garden, filled with plants and flowers, some of which she had never seen before. Then peeking out from below the roof, she looked up at the night sky. A bright crescent moon illuminated the heavens. Her lips parted, embracing its comforting glow.

"Kagome."

Kagome's gaze dropped from the sky, and towards the garden.

There he stood. Long silver hair, swaying against black and white; pale skin adorned with lavender and maroon markings… Her heartbeat quickened. There was happiness in her that she could not describe fully in words. But at the same time, another feeling was present, ever so subtly, at the back of her mind. She wanted to go to him, embrace him, but something held her back.

"I wanted to see you…" he told her softly.

Kagome found herself at a loss for words; a thousand questions rolled through her mind that she wanted the answers to. Why did he leave? How did he find her? What were his intentions? But no words came forth. Only silence.

"What is troubling you?" he asked as he began to walk towards her slowly. The pace was excruciating, and made Kagome's heart beat all the more.

"Are you frightened…?" the youkai asked, and the darkness in his voice surprised her. Was she afraid…? Is that why she couldn't speak, or move a muscle?

"No… I just…" Kagome attempted to say, but the words caught in her throat again as he stepped onto her level. He was merely feet from her now. She found herself taking a step back to compensate.

But before she could move any further, he had closed the distance between them, wrapping his arms around her. She did not struggle, however. As his lips grazed her ear, a breath escaped her.

"Kagome…" he whispered to her, with a certain eagerness in his baritone voice. "…I want you…"

The declaration made her shudder, but she didn't protest. She couldn't understand why he was affecting her like this…

"You will give yourself to me, won't you?" he asked her, moving down to her neck. "You told me that you would…"

Pushing gently against his chest, Kagome's eyes shifted to the youkai, as if she finally regained consciousness. "What… What are you saying?"

"You love me, do you not?" he said to her, golden eyes glinting in the moonlight. The question blindsided her. "Then let me…"

'Love'? Kagome thought. Is that what it was…? The happiness she felt when she was with Sesshomaru, the longing she felt for him when he wasn't there – was that love…? And if it was love… Did it mean that she was supposed to give anything he wanted to him…?

So concerned with these thoughts, Kagome did nothing else as he lowered again, lips hovering over the side of her delicate neck. And then, a sharp pain.

Everything following was a blur.

The next moment, Kagome felt an uncomfortable ache in her right arm. Then as if she had been asleep, Kagome's eyes struggled open. Everything seemed to be covered in a shadowy haze. She could make out that she was on her side, and that two figures were before her.

What looked like to be Ichirou loomed over her, a sharp shine of silver coated in crimson in hand.

Fear erupted within her. "…Sesshomaru…" she could feel herself say.

But as she looked at the second figure, laying motionless in front of her, Kagome realized it was not who she had thought it had been. She forced her eyes to focus on the man, and as she did, she cringed in horror. It was the man she had seen upon the first day of their arrival in Higan, the man who looked at her as if she were a meal to devour…

Kagome turned her head, not wanting to look at his blood-stained face any longer.

"Kagome!" she heard Kikyo's voice call for her. But the voice seemed to be fading, as if it were only getting farther away. "…ome…!"

She could feel herself slowly drifting out of consciousness. Everything was a confusing disarray of images. But the more she tried to make sense of things, the more it seemed the world went out of focus.

Never had she felt such fear as she felt now.

~ "*" ~

So, as the chapter ends, we find this last "Sesshomaru" is not really Sesshomaru... Did he seem a little off to you? :P Many of you might have guessed the outcome before it happened! Hehe, thanks for reading, all.

Also, a note, I might add. Not everything is false. It's up to you to decide what was real and not real. A confusing chapter, but hopefully things will clear up for you soon...

Next time! : "Reality"