Entwining of Destinies ~ Dragonia - Chapter 19

 

Chapter 19:

Revelations

(Opening: Still Time)

A little after Kouin finished treating everyone with his magic, most of the group had again their eyes back to their normal state, and began blinking in surprise due to the sudden change from near-absolute darkness to the light that was filtering through the door, windows and damaged roof of the abandoned temple.

Gerardo immediately hugged Gabriela, who tried getting away from him with a scared expression on her face. Sango and Miroku hugged each other as they muttered incomprehensible things right before Shippou leaped into them. Miko tried getting close to Yasha, but he went away from her and the others in fear. However, when they noticed who was with them, they stopped their initial reactions and unsheathed their weapons.

- "You!" – shouted Gerardo as he walked to Kouin with Ryuuga on his right hand and shield-form Fuuinryuu on his left – "What are you doing here!?" –

- "Hmm, I expected a less aggressive reaction," – sighed Kouin – "After all, I'm who just saved your lives" -

- "What!?" – shouted everyone spooked.

- "Just as you heard, as I was who rescued you from that horrible mirror" – said Kouin as he pointed to the remains of the Mirror of Shades, which had completely shattered by now. Everyone stared at him with their jaws dropping to the floor.

- "Then, what was all that we saw while we were inside?" – asked Miroku as he checked his Kazaana was like before, and amazed to see himself and the others safe.

The others reacted in a similar way, while Yasha was looking at the others confused: they didn't seem so bad in comparison to how they were within the mirror, while Miko was examining herself and noticing her appearance and clothing had gone back to their usual state.

- "Everything you saw, heard, touched and sensed in that place was a mere illusion" – said Kouin as he looked at the mirror with a sad gaze while the others looked at each other in embarrassment – "That artifact is called the Mirror of Shades, and after it traps its victims, it relentlessly assaults them with their worst nightmares and fears, to the point it completely destroys its minds and spirits. And there is no possibility of escape: the mirror is also capable of perceiving the hopes of those it has imprisoned and turning them into more despair" -

- "But then… how did you get us outta there, and why?" – asked Miko rolling a hand into a fist and putting it over her chest. She didn't think Kouin was so bad, but still didn't fully trust him.

- "For now, I don't think it'd be prudent for me to explain it, little one" – said Kouin as he knelt for their faces to be at the same height, and then turned to look at Kagome and Inuyasha – "Unfortunately, it seems two of your friends were left in a grave condition from having gone through this" -

In fact, Kagome and Inuyasha were still in the state everyone was when Kouin got them out of the mirror, even though he had also used the same magic he applied to the others to get them out of that. Apparently it had no effect on them, as they kept trembling while the jewels on their medallions were twinkling in a strange way.

- "What's happening to them?" – asked Gabriela worried as she and the others went to check them. Shippou and Sango tried moving their hands in front of their eyes and calling them, but it was useless: they didn't show any reaction.

- "Looks like their minds are on the verge of collapsing" – explained Kouin saddened – "They were already in a delicate situation because they still haven't gotten fully used to having half of their souls missing, and I'm afraid this has caused them a severe mental damage. This is beyond the reach of my healing abilities…" –

- "Oh no…" – said Sango biting her lip – "There's nothing we can do for them?" –

- "Probably, the medallions could also be the key to this…" – said Miroku as he pointed to the medallions' gems, which were still twinkling.

- "But how?" – asked Yasha, who had been very quiet after they got out from the mirror – "Returning to them won't be of any use now, and we've already separated from them…" –

- "There's a function we haven't tried out yet…" – said Gerardo looking at the medallions, and the others noticed what he was talking about when they remembered the positions they had.

- "We'll have to seal their memories?" – asked Miko turned around to look at Kouin when she realized what they would have to do to save them.

- "I'm afraid that is the case," – said Kouin as he stood up and looked at the group with a serious face – "The memory sealing also serves as a preservation mechanism to keep their minds from getting destroyed upon receiving an unbearable shock, so it'll be necessary for you to leave them like that at least for one day so they can recover" -

- "I didn't want something like this to happen…" – said Yasha shaking his head as his gaze sank to the floor, feeling guilty about the joke he said when they had met with Kaede a few hours ago. Miko put a hand on his shoulder and smiled.

- "It isn't your fault. We didn't know Tenebross had such a horrible trap prepared" – said she in a calming voice.

- "Well, I think we really don't have other choice…" – said Miroku as he walked to Inuyasha, but Shippou jumped on his shoulder and stopped him.

- "Miroku, shouldn't we let Yasha and Miko do this?" – asked he as he signaled to them with the head - "After all, they're the closest to Kagome and Inuyasha, if you get me" –

- "Okay, we'll do it" – said Yasha as he walked to Inuyasha and grabbed the medallion's ruby needle with his hand – "Nii-san, please get well soon…" –

- "Onee-san… please… don't leave me again…" – said Miko as she looked at Kagome's empty expression with a great sadness.

They both then looked at each other straight in the eyes, nodded, and changed the position in the medallions of their counterparts to "Seal". The next instant, Kagome and Inuyasha closed their eyes and fell unconscious in the arms of their younger counterparts. The jewels in the medallions then stopped twinkling and began filling with light, as if they had some kind of gauge inside.

- "Very well, that will be enough" – said Kouin nodding at them – "It would be a good idea that you seek a place they can use to rest. I also have to warn you that as long as they have their memories sealed, which will be until the jewels in their medallions are filled with light, you must treat them in the same way as a person that drank the Water of Restart" –

- "Let me guess: otherwise they will go insane because their real memories are disconnected, for lack of a better term" – said Gerardo as he looked at them.

- "Exactly. However, you will see by yourselves what will happen once they awaken" – said Kouin in a mysterious voice – "And if you agree, I wish to accompany with you from now on" –

- "Ehh?" – said Gabriela recoiling back with surprise written all over her face while Miroku saddled Inuyasha on his back and Sango did the same with Kagome – "And that?" –

- "We're all wondering the same thing" – said Yasha as he looked at him with an eyebrow raised – "What reason do you have to join us if you're Tenebross' henchman?" -

- "I have my reasons, and I'll explain them as soon as your friends have recovered" – said Kouin in a firm tone – "I'm sorry about this, but I don't like repeating explanations and I'd like to give them only once" -

- "At least it doesn't like he's gonna set us a trap or something" – said Miko as she looked at Kouin with her hands joined behind herself while the others put their weapons away.

- "In that case, okay. You can come with us" – said Gerardo with arms crossed after he returned Ryuuga and Fuuinryuu to his obi – "But we'll have to off you if you try anything weird. Is that clear?" -

- "Understood" – nodded Kouin – "After all, I can't ask you to trust me after the actions I took during our first encounter" -

- "But it's thanks to that we're here now, Kouin-san" – smiled Miko. Kouin blinked at her a couple of times surprised, and then smiled back at her.

They left the temple and followed again the road to the village. When they finally got back, they went to Kaede's hut and left Inuyasha and Kagome lying in two separate futon while they waited for them to wake up. As for Kaede, she was on the outskirts of the village gathering medicinal herbs, so they didn't meet her.

- "This brings me back to when we brought Kagome and Inuyasha here after they drank the Water of Restart for the first time" – said Sango with some nostalgia in her voice.

- "True that, it's very similar to what happened back then" – said Miroku thoughtfully – "Though at that time we didn't get any new allies, nor did we imagine that it would bring so many novelties to our world" -

- "But it's still pretty weird that something like that happened again" – said Yasha crossing his arms.

Then, Kagome and Inuyasha began moving, and they woke up at the same time. However, far from having the same reaction they had when they woke up for the first time after drinking the water, they just sat up and smiled at the others.

- "Hi, Sango-nee, Houshi-sama" – said Kagome cheerfully as she and Inuyasha each let out a little yawn and stretched. It looked like they both just had gotten up from a little nap.

- "Are you okay?" – asked Miroku with a worried face.

- "Of course, why wouldn't I be?" – said Kagome with a smile.

- "Onee-san, I was so worried for you…" – said Miko as she walked to her and smiled at her in relief.

- "Huh? Miko, why're you calling me that?" – said Kagome tilting her head – "We're twins after all…" -

- "What?" – said Yasha confused upon hearing that, while Miko was left agape and couldn't reply back. The others were looking at each other confused and shocked.

- "Yasha, what's up?" – said Inuyasha as he got up and walked to him – ""Don't tell me you were distracted and you got hit on the head or something, bro!"-

Everyone continued looking at each confused, while Kouin was laughing in silence.

- "But come on! What's up with you all today?" – asked Kagome in an amused voice. She then giggled, thinking they were trying to pull a joke on them – "Even Gerar-nii and Gaby-nee are acting weird!" –

- "What!?" – said both Gerardo and Gabriela at the same time, thinking the situation was only getting weirder with every passing second.

- "Keh, it doesn't matter. Let's just let them continue with their joke, Kagome" – said Inuyasha snorting – "Let's go play already, before Kaede-obaasan comes and makes us train again!" –

- "Miko, Yasha…" – said Kagome as she turned to them with a large smile in her face – "Wanna come with us?"

Miko and Yasha looked at each other, not knowing what to do, until Miroku decided to intervene.

- "They'll come with you in a second" – said he gently – "For now, we have to tell them something important. They'll go play with you after that" –

- "Okay!" – smiled both, and after Kagome put her zori on, they ran out of the hut.

- "Okay, Kouin" – said Gerardo after they got far away enough to be unable to hear them – "Can you explain to us what just happened?" –

- "That was so weird… it looked like they had their memories and like they didn't at the same time…" – said Gabriela puzzled.

- "It's something like that" – explained Kouin – "When they use the medallion's sealing functions, it makes up a basic group of memories based on the identity and personality of that person, as well as giving them some background story so their caretakers won't have to come up with one" –

- "So it means…" – began Miko with a hand over her mouth, but Yasha then put a hand on her shoulder.

- "We'll ask them directly later," – said he as he smiled – "I don't think we should make guesses and act differently from how they expect us to be" –

Miko just answered by smiling at him and nodding.

- "About that," – began Sango smiling at them – "Why don't you go play with them?" -

- "Huh?" – said both confused upon hearing her.

- "Sango is right" – said Miroku nodding in agreement – "So far you had to act more like adults than like children due to all the battles and dangers we have been through so far. It wouldn't bad for you to play around until they both have recovered, especially after the horrors we just witnessed" –

Both kids then smiled at them.

- "Gerar, it's okay if go play with them too?" – asked Gabriela brimming with joy.

- "Go ahead," – said Gerardo as he smiled and softly stroked her head – "Besides, you deserve it, sis, as you've also fought hard and long" -

- "And me too!" - said Shippou in a singsong voice as he ran behind Inuyasha and Kagome. He was thinking this would give him another chance with Kagome, and he wasn't willing to let it go to waste.

- "We'll use this afternoon to rest up, and we'll tell Kaede-sama about this to get her up to date" – said Sango as she left her weapons in a corner of the hut.

- "And I think I'll stay here and chat with Kouin, as there are some things I want to ask him" – said Gerardo as he sat down again – "Oh, and Gaby… I want you to be my eyes and ears out there, to make sure nothing bad ends up happening" –

- "Okay!" – said Gabriela in a singsong voice as she, Miko and Yasha left the hut.

After a few minutes, they met with Kagome and Inuyasha, which by the looks of it, had been waiting for them under a tree near the river.

- "How weird…" – said Miko looking at the tree as they got closer – "This is the same tree we used to meet up at before" –

- "You're right…" – said Yasha puzzled – "It's as if this place had gotten pretty important for us four" –

When they saw them, Inuyasha and Kagome ran to greet them.

- "Miko, Yasha, Gaby-nee!" – said Kagome as soon as they had gotten close to them – "At last! We thought you'd never come!" -

- "Keh, and what was that Houshi-sama wanted to tell you?" – asked Inuyasha crossing his arms – "We lost lotsa time 'coz that" –

- "Yeah! Miroku loves making us waste time!" - uttered Shippou.

- "Just a few things about the training they're giving us" – said Yasha quickly to not make it seem suspicious.

- "Yup… Kaede-obaasan's giving archery lessons to Kagome and me later…" – said Miko joining her hands before herself – "While Yasha and Inuyasha'll get some fencing lessons, and Gaby-nee's gonna tell us some stories about her journeys" -

- "Hihi, I hope you like them when you hear them" – said Gabriela smiling, thinking it wouldn't be hard to change up a few things that happened recently to tell them as stories – "Well, we're gonna play now or what?" -

- "Yeah!" – said they all as they ran off to a nearby plain. Once there, Miko got out a ball from the Dragtemn she shared with Kagome and threw it to Yasha.

- "By the way, Kagome-chan" – said Gabriela as they continued playing by passing the ball to each other – "Can you tell me about how you came to this place? I forgot some things about it" –

- "Huh?" – said Kagome tilting her head as she got the ball from Yasha and threw it to Miko – "Okay, but Miko could tell you that too, Gaby-nee" –

- "Hehe, I think it'd better if you did it instead…" – said Miko as she thought to herself she didn't really know what kind of memories Kagome had now: the memory sharing link they used to have was closed at that moment, as also was the one between Yasha and Inuyasha. She then threw the ball to Gabriela.

- "Oh… okay" – said Kagome as she breathed in – "Miko and me are twin sisters, and we were born in a land very far away from here. Some months ago, our relatives sent us here with our tutor, Kaede-obaasan, so we could learn how to be mikos, and here's where we met you all: Houshi-sama, Sango-nee, Shippou, Yasha, Inuyasha, Gerar-nii, and you, Gaby-nee" -

- "It was similar for us" – said Inuyasha as he caught the ball Gabriela had just thrown and he threw it to Kagome with a smile – "After our mother died, Yasha and I were wandering for a long time, running away from humans and youkai, until Kaede-obaasan gave us a home here. She and Totosai-sensei have been friends for a long time, so they gave us the swords our father left us, and we also made our first friends here" -

- "Hehe, we've been through a lot, right Inuyasha?" – asked Yasha a bit surprised about all the stories the medallions made up for them.

- "Yeah, that's right, Yasha" – said Inuyasha with a smile – "But at least I'm glad we got friends and people looking out for us now" –

- "I miss my family a little, but I'm still glad to have friends as good as you!" – smiled Kagome.

- "I'm the same, onee… I mean, Kagome" – said Miko correcting herself at the last second. She still hadn't gotten over how used she was to call Kagome "onee-san".

- "By the way, Kagome" – said Shippou as he feigned timidity after they had stopped playing to rest a little – "I've got a gift for you" –

- "I hope it isn't a flower crown, Shipou" – said Miko angry. That was in fact what Shippou was going to give Kagome.

- "Come on, Miko. Don't be so hard on him" – said Kagome in a tranquilizing voice – "I know he was mean once to Yasha and Inuyasha, but he's sorry about that" -

- "Yeah, yeah!" – exclaimed Shippou upon seeing how Kagome was defending him – "I'm really sorry about that!" –

- "Okay…" – said Miko as she sighed with some exasperation upon seeing how Kagome accepted the flower crown and put it on her head.

- "It looks great on you!" – said Shippou, to which Inuyasha nodded.

- "Yeah… you look pretty with it…" – said he as he blushed.

- "Thanks!" – said Kagome as she went and hugged them both. Yasha, Miko and Gabriela were left agape from this.

- "But, Shippou" – said Kagome once they separated and continued playing – "We're still only friends. I don't want you to misunderstand things" -

- "Ugh…" – groaned Shippou as he felt the ground sinking around him – "Okay, got it…" –

The others just laughed upon seeing him sulking, and decided to continue playing. Kagome took off the flower crown and put it away in Miko's Dragtemn so it wouldn't get damaged. The next moment, Gabriela got bored from them only playing to pass the ball, so she showed them how to play volleyball.

- "It's like this," – said she as she threw the ball over her head and hit in Miko's direction with the tips of her fingers – "Then the ones on the other side have to hit it, and the one who makes it hit the other team's side without them getting to hit it back gets a point" –

- "Sounds fun, Gaby-nee!" – said Kagome as Miko shot off the ball in Yasha's direction – "These games the people make in the place you're from are things I've never seen before!" –

- 'She actually knows, but doesn't remember it' – thought Miko as she laughed to herself – ''Hehe, maybe that's what everyone thought of me before we got connected' –

They began playing, so Gabriela, Miko and Kagome teamed up; while Shippou, Yasha and Inuyasha formed the other team.

- "So, Gaby-nee" – said Inuyasha as he sent back one of Kagome's shoots – "How've your last journeys been? What things didja see? What evil beings you've beaten?" –

- "Hihi, well," – said Gabriela as she began remembering some of the recent happenings and began telling them with a smile – "Among other things, we got into a volcano, defeated a fire monster, and made a couple that wouldn't stop fighting marry" -

- "Wow! Cool!" – said Kagome as she bounced the ball in Miko's direction and she shot in the boys' direction – "And you found more of the things you were searching for? The Fragments of Dark or something?" –

- "Kagome, these are the Fragments of Shadows" – said Miko puzzled from Kagome misremembering the name – "And yeah: they supposedly have gotten a lot, and are pretty close to completing the crystal" -

- "Congrats!" – said Inuyasha as Yasha passed the ball to him, and he shot it to Kagome and Miko – "You've progressed a lot!" –

- "Hihi, I wish it was like that. But we've still got a long way ahead before we finish this" – said Gabriela in a humble way.

- "And you still gotta fight Tenebross, right?" – asked Yasha a bit more relieved, as apparently they wouldn't have to keep all their conversations secret so nothing bad happened to Kagome and Inuyasha.

- "Yeah, but as he's such a coward, I don't think it'll be easy to find him…" – said Gabriela as she made a serious face.

- "Why ya say that?" – asked Inuyasha, but his distraction ended costing him because he couldn't send back the shoot Gabriela sent him – "No!" -

- "Okay, point for us!" – said Gabriela cheerfully – "And I say that because it's like that. We've been searching him for a long while, but he only appeared a couple of times before Gerar and me" -

- "And probably it's going to be harder to find him now…" – said Yasha deep in thought as they all took their positions again to continue playing.

- "Don't be so pessimistic, Yasha" – said Kagome from the other side of the plain they were using as playground – "I'm sure they can do it, like Houshi-sama and Sango-nee are with their search for the Shikon Pearl…" –

- "But aren't ya wondering why they gave ya that shard, Kagome?" – asked Inuyasha a bit disconcerted while Shippou made the next shoot.

- "Not really" – said her shrugging her shoulders as Miko received the shoot and prepared to send the ball back – "Anyway, it's a souvenir they brought me from their journeys, and if something happens, we can take care of it ourselves" -

- "So, you know how to fight well already?" – said Gabriela amazed upon hearing these words.

- "Not as much as we'd like" – replied Inuyasha as Kagome received Yasha's shoot – "But at least we can defend ourselves from weaker youkai" -

- 'What a surprise…' – thought Yasha surprised while Inuyasha responded to Kagome's shoot – 'But I'd say Miko and me know how to fight pretty well now…' -

- "It's just a question of practice" – said Miko cheerfully as she responded to Inuyasha's shoot – "Anyway, we should just relax and play today. Let's stop worrying about trainings, and fights, and all that!" -

- "You're right in that, Miko!" – said Gabriela with a smile, though she sounded very similar to her brother. The next instant, Inuyasha responded to Miko's shoot and ended getting a point for the boys.

They continued playing and laughing for a while, and the game ended when the boys scored three points, while the girls ended with two. The girls congratulated them for their win, and after having taken a little refreshment Miko and Gabriela took out from their Dragtemns, they decided to begin playing hide-and-seek.

On the other hand, Gerardo and Kouin were absorbed in a conversation that compared the structure of Dragonia's universe with that of Earth's.

- "And as you can see, our universe is formed from the duality of the waves and particles emitted by Kiockse, or the Nucleus of Chaos" – explained Kouin as he showed him a diagram made from luminous lines – "These waves and particles formed for the first time in what we know as the Song of Origin, and their flow throughout the universe dictates the rhythm of the melodies of everything that exists on the universe, which is what we know as the Grand Melody" -

- "Hmm, I see" – nodded Gerardo with a smile – "Dragonia's universe sounds pretty musical from the terminology they use over there" -

- "That's right" – smiled Kouin – "Dragonians give a great importance to the music and songs in their society, as it is the most powerful form they have for using their magic, and it also is what links them directly to the world and its creator Wills" –

- "Got it. On the other hand, my universe is much more technical: its origin was an explosion called the Big Bang, and all the explanations are given directly with no poetic or metaphoric shades. And as far as I see, these waves and particles are also what make up Dragonia's planet, correct?" -

- "Yes, but only a part of the infinite wave and particles kinds Kiockse created" – explained Kouin – "In total, only 18 types of these waves and particles exist in Dragonia: six that give form to the elements and the wills controlling them, three that have no wills of their own but are controlled by the wills of the six previous ones, three that come from external entities, one that is bestowed by Kiockse as a fusion of all the previous ones, two that are created by the same force as Tenebross and me, and three that permeate the entire universe and are known as the Elements of Creation" -

- "In other words, each element has a corresponding wave or particle" – commented Gerardo – "But if the Nucleus of Chaos is the one creating and maintaining everything, what is what creates and maintains the "inexistence"?" -

- "That would be the Nucleus of Nothingness" – said Kouin in a bitter voice – "And I can't tell you its name for now, as it is part of what I'm going to explain once your friends have regained their memories" -

- "Okay, I understand" – said Gerardo – "And going back to our conversation… well, my universe has a theoretically infinite number of particles and waves with all kinds of longitudes and frequencies, but they aren't organized in the same way as the Dragonian universe. Rather, they are named depending of their size, their electric polarity and their function in the context of the microcosmos. By the way, what difference is there when it comes to power and efficiency when the Dragonians chant their spells or weave them into a song?" -

- "It is very simple" – explained Kouin – "When you chant, the power of a spell is regular if it uses Common Dragonian. However, when you chant using Ceremonial Dragonian, the power gets multiplied by a factor of ten due to that language allowing the sending denser waves of feelings and communicating directly with the Nuclei without them needing to reinterpret these emotions from other languages or dialects. And if you add a song to the execution of a spell, the power triples because melodies and rhythmic patterns allow transmitting a greater quantity of and more complex emotions in an instant compared to just saying the words without any sort of accompaniment. Another difference is the speed: singing is more complicated because you must craft the song and the lyrics for it, and Ceremonial Dragonian is more complex and slow to pronounce than Common Dragonian" -

- "Hmm, I see. That world and everything on it is quite interesting" – said Gerardo enthusiastically.

- "The science from your world sounds very interesting too" – laughed Kouin – "I guess it sounds boring to you because you are used to it!" -

- "Yes, it's something like that" – laughed Gerardo – "I might not be a specialist on quantum mechanics or physics, and get terrified by mathematics, but the way my universe works is something that has always interested me. That's why I've studied on it ever since I was a kid, reading books of all kinds" -

- "Hehe, you're really good material for Investigator and Scholar" – said Kouin while he made the lights he drew vanish – "Actually, I wouldn't be surprised about you getting a royal scholarship to study those careers if you lived there" -

- "Let me guess, one is for theoretical research while the other puts these theories to practice?" – asked Gerardo. Kouin nodded in response – "Hmm, it really sounds like something I'd like to do for a living" -

- "You're really similar to a person I knew from that world" – said Kouin with some nostalgia – "Even though we were enemies, we used to meet up every now and then to exchange information about the researches we made" –

- "I guess it's because you were on Tenebross' side. But didn't you try using these meetings to try to spy on each other?" – asked Gerardo surprised.

- "No, as we made a truce expressly for that and agreed to not attack or spy each other during these meetings" – said Kouin in a serious voice – "Additionally, we both used special spells so neither Tenebross' demons or his friends could try spying on us" –

- "But why don't you use any of that here?" – asked Gerardo puzzled – "As I've always had the unpleasant feeling we're being watched" –

- "That's because that spell doesn't work in this world due to waveform interferences" – said Kouin in a bitter voice – "Besides, Naraku uses a kind of espionage that has principles I don't understand in full yet, and thus I haven't been able to counter it effectively" -

- "Hmm, I think you mean Kanna's mirror with that" – said Gerardo thoughtfully – "And what happened to that person?" –

- "…He's dead…" – said Kouin saddened – "Unfortunately, he fell in a trap Tenebross laid for him, and this caused him to get corrupted with the power of Shadows. Due to this, he ended up killing his own friends, girlfriend and sister, and when he regained his senses and saw the atrocity he was forced to commit, he couldn't bear the pain and stabbed himself with his own sword… and I had the horror of bearing witness to that, as Tenebross showed it to all his demons as he celebrated his victory…" -

- "My God… how horrible…" – said Gerardo as his gaze dropped to the floor, horrified from Kouin's story.

- "I know… it was really terrible…" – said Kouin saddened – "I know we were enemies and we were destined to end up killing each other at some point, but I didn't wish for things to end the way they did…" -

- "Horrible and cruel deaths are going over the line, right?" – asked Gerardo.

- "Exactly. If I have to eliminate someone, I'd rather do it swiftly and in a way that doesn't cause them much suffering" – said Kouin. Gerardo noticed they seemed to share the same moral code – "Seeing my victims suffer only makes things much worse for me. And the face he had when he committed suicide it's something that still causes me nightmares… In fact, it even brings me to tears from the sadness and horror whenever I remember it…" -

He covered his face with his hands…

- "At least you've already switched sides, and you're gonna help us to avoid such horrible events from repeating" – said Gerardo putting a hand on his shoulder – "We'll do everything on our power to stop Tenebross. I swear that over my life" -

Meanwhile, Tenebross was infuriated: he had destroyed the few decorations that were in the hideout and had gotten so aggressive that Naraku had to enclose himself into a barrier to not get injured from all the blows and attacks he was releasing like mad.

- "DAMN KOUIN!" – shouted Tenebross like a madman – "HOW COULD YOU BETRAY ME LIKE THAT!? HOW!?" -

- "Hmm, I see that the betrayal of one of your creatures has affected you deeply" – said Naraku to mock him – "If one of mine had done it, I would already have killed it for its disobedience" -

- "HE WASN'T JUST ANY OLD CREATURE!" – shouted Tenebross, releasing an indescribable hatred with each syllable – "THAT DAMN TRAITOR! I DID SO MUCH FOR HIM, AND THIS IS HOW HE PAYS ME BACK!?" -

- "Hmph, and you have no power over him" – said Naraku to mock him again.

Tenebross shot him a large shadow beam from the mirror, which didn't get to make contact with Naraku due to the barrier. Tenebross himself knew it was useless, but he needed something to vent his rage.

- "You should control that temper of yours" – laughed Naraku – "At this rate, you will end up killing yourself" –

- "Close that filthy mouth!" – roared Tenebross – "And about what you said, no. He was the only one of my demons over which I have no power, but I'll settle the score with him once I meet him again" –

- "In any case, we should move" – suggested Naraku – "That traitor must have told them where we are by now" -

- "You are a cowardly imbecile" – said Tenebross – "We'll wait for them here and face them directly. I want to personally slay them…" –

- "As you wish, but it's very possible you will end regretting that decision later" – said Naraku with a false smile.

A few hours later, when the dusk began setting in, Kagome, Inuyasha, Miko, Yasha, Gabriela and Shippou had gotten tired of playing and decided to go back to Kaede's hut with the others. Once there, they were surprised to see Gerardo practicing with his sword and Kouin looking at the setting sun with melancholy.

- "Gerar!" – said Gabriela to her brother as they ran to him – "We're back!" –

- "Ah, welcome back!" – said Gerardo as he stopped practicing and put away his sword and shield – "Did you have a nice day?" -

- "Yeah, a lot!" – said Kagome – "Gaby-nee taught us a game called volleyball, and told us about your latest journey!" –

- "Yeah!" – said Inuyasha excited – "About how ya went into a volcano, defeated a monster in a cave filled with lava, heat, and other things!" –

- "Eheheh, yeah, but it was pretty hard too…" – said Gerardo a bit embarrassed – "If it wasn't by Miroku and Sango, we'd surely couldn't have done that" -

- "Hehe, right" – said Yasha laughing at Gerardo's face – "Anyway, I think Kaede-obaasan should be back by now, so we should go greet her" –

The others agreed and entered the hut together. Once there, Kaede greeted them.

- "Hi, everyone!" – said Kaede with a smile – "Did you have a nice afternoon?" –

- "Lots!" – said Kagome cheerfully – "But I was wondering why you didn't call us for our lessons, Kaede-obaasan" –

- "I decided it would be better to shake up things a little and give you a free day" – said Kaede as she laughed – "Anyway, we'll start making dinner in a bit" -

- "Okay then, what should we do meanwhile?" – asked Yasha – "I don't think we can do much now it's getting dark" –

- "You can't be serious, Yasha!" – said Miko – "At the least we could go see the setting sun, and how the first stars show up!" -

- "We really don't have anything else to do" – said Inuyasha crossing his arms – "So let's go see them!" –

- "But before that, wouldn't you like to hear a story?" – asked Gerardo remembering he had that pending from the time they went to Ryuusei. He also thought: – 'Too bad neither Rin nor Kikyou are here to hear it…' -

- "Yay! Yeah!" – said Kagome excited to know what kind of stories he was going to tell them.

- "But I wonder what kind of story that's going to be" – said Inuyasha walking to Gerardo – "Gaby-nee already told us about yer latest journey" -

- "Oh, I know. But there's another story I want to tell you, as it's one from the place we came from" – said Gerardo smiling at Inuyasha, and then he winked to the others.

- "It'll be interesting to hear it then" – said Kaede understanding what that gesture meant.

- "Okay, let's hear it!" – said Yasha as he and the other children sat down around him.

- "Okay then, let me begin" – said Gerardo as he cleared up his throat – "A long time ago, in a faraway land in which fairies inhabited the forests and the dragons flew through the skies, there was a small kingdom" –

- "This kingdom was governed by a gentle and beautiful queen, and a strong and wise king. However, the peaceful days they enjoyed came to an end when a great and evil ice demon appeared and covered with its cold mantle the entire kingdom. The strongest and most courageous knights and warriors of the kingdom fought against this evil threat during many days and nights but they could do nothing against it" –

- "However, when everything seemed lost, a great and beautiful golden dragon descended from the skies and faced the demon. Both fought during many days and nights, and in the end, the demon was defeated and the kingdom saved. However, the dragon disappeared shortly later, and everyone found out the queen had fallen into a sleep from which no one could wake her up" -

- "The king fell in a great sadness over this, and had to raise his little son, the prince, who was just a baby when the demon appeared, making him believe that his mother had died shortly after his birth. The years passed, and the kingdom returned to its former peace. Many years later, when the prince's tenth birthday came, he discovered his father going to a forbidden tower, and brimming with curiosity, he followed him" –

- "Once there, he saw his mother for the first time, still trapped in that endless sleep, but before his father could explain what was happening, the castle was attacked by an evil wizard that came to steal the king's crown. The wizard put the king to sleep with his magic, and while the prince fought to keep the wizard from stealing the crown, he couldn't do anything" -

- "The next morning, the prince departed for the wizard's castle to recover his father's crown, and on the road, a little witch that lived in a nearby forest and a brave knight wearing a white armor joined him. Together, they managed to defeat the evil wizard and his servants, and recover the crown" –

- "Shortly later, the king explained him everything that happened to his mother ten years ago, and gave him his permission to search for a way to revive his mother. So the prince and his friends began a long journey that took them to deep caves, to a ghost ship, a deserted island, a city floating in the skies and even to the world of the dead to bring back his mother's soul. Even the evil wizard decided to help them, moved by their noble mission, and accompanied them on this endeavor despite still hating the prince and his father" –

- "However, these attempts to free the queen's soul ended up bringing back the ice demon to life, so after crying a lot in regret over it, the prince regained his courage, and accompanied by his friends, he ventured into the cold northern lands, discovering his mother was actually the dragon that saved the kingdom ten years ago, revealing his own hidden powers, and defeating the ice demon for once and all. After these hard battles, the prince and his mother embraced each other for the first time, the entire kingdom celebrated the return of their queen, and peace and harmony returned to the land. And everyone lived happily ever after" -

As soon as Gerardo finished telling the story, which was accompanied by voice tone changes, hand gestures and changes in his face's expressions, everyone present there applauded him.

- "It was a very pretty story, Gerar-nii!" – said Kagome.

- "I wanted to hear another of yer stories since a while ago!" – said Inuyasha.

- "You weren't joking when you said it was like a fairytale!" – said Yasha.

- "So this was the story you wanted to tell us!" – said Shippou.

- "It was great!" – said Miko – "I've wanted to hear a fairytale like that ever since we came here!" –

- "Yeah, but the stories mom and grandpa told us were nothing like this one" – laughed Kagome – "These were things like the princess that was born in a bamboo and returned to the moon, or the lovers that meet amongst the stars" –

- "And talking about that, what do you say about going to watch the stars now?" – suggested Yasha to keep the conversation from heading into dangerous territory.

- "Okay! It hafta be dark enough to see 'em by now!" – said Inuyasha as he saw how Kaede was revolving the pot she had over the hearth to make the stew they would have for dinner.

- "Just don't get too far away from the hut, understood?" – said Kaede with a bit of seriousness in her voice.

- "Okay!" – said all the kids, and they left the hut as they cheerfully talked between themselves about the story.

- "So this was the story you wanted to tell us that time. Wasn't it, Gerardo-kun?" – asked Kaede with a smile as she continued revolving the pot.

- "Yes, the one and the same" – said Gerardo with some sadness in his face – "Actually; I was thinking I was a little saddened that neither Rin nor Kikyou could listen to it" -

- "Anyway, my sister has never been a fan of such stories" – said Kaede to not make him worry – "And it was a good idea that you told it to keep them entertained for a while" -

- "Yeah, it's because I thought that just playing music wouldn't be enough this time, and I don't think they would understand any of the books Kagome and I brought with us" – said Gerardo.

At that moment, Sango and Miroku came in. It looked like they had been enjoying themselves wherever they had been.

- "Good evening to both" – said Gerardo with a smile – "Looks like you had a nice day" –

- "Something like that," – said Sango – "We were actually going through the skies around to see if we could find anything strange, but there wasn't anything" -

- "Weren't you going to use today to rest?" – asked Gerardo a bit puzzled.

- "Well, our little flight could have been taken as a rest in itself" – said Miroku with a smile – "There are times in which the best way to relax is simply flying between the clouds and meditating in the stillness of the heights" -

-"Whatever you say…" – sighed Gerardo. As soon as dinner was ready, they called the children and told them to come eat. After they finished eating and cleaning, they went to sleep.

During that night, Kagome had a strange dream: she was floating all alone in a dark void, and in front of her there was another girl identical to her. She was curled up and was crying endlessly…

- "Hi!" – greeted Kagome to the girl as she floated to her with a worried face – "What happened? Why are you crying?" –

- "Because…" – sobbed the girl while making a lot of effort: she seemed to have been crying for quite a while because her voice sounded dry and cracked – "Because… my sister hates me… the person I love loves someone else instead… and all my friends and family are dead…" –

- "Huh?" – said Kagome puzzled – "Really? Are you sure about that?" -

- "Yeah…" – said the girl still sobbing – "I saw all that… and I couldn't do anything to stop all that from happening…" –

She then began crying much more loudly. Kagome just took one of her hands, made her float to her height and embraced her to try consoling her.

- "There, there" – said she as she softly patted the girl's back – "I'm sure that was just a nightmare. A bad dream" -

- "But… but…" – said the girl, even though her sobs were softer now. Kagome separated a bit from her and looked at her face: it was as if she were looking at herself in a mirror.

- "All these bad things couldn't have happened at the same time just like that, right?" – said Kagome gently as she smiled. She then let her go and extended her hand to her – "That's why it must be only a nightmare. Come now, let's go see them. I'm sure they're all okay!" –

- "Yeah… maybe… no, I'm sure you're right…" – said the girl as she took Kagome's hand and used it to raise herself up – "Thank you… Kagome…" –

- "Huh?" – said Kagome confused upon seeing how the girl knew her name – "How do you know me?" –

- "That isn't important…" – said the other girl as she wiped away the tears she had on her face and showed her a sincere smile. She then began shining intensely – "Thank you for saving me… from all that pain…" -

She then vanished.

On the other hand, Inuyasha was having a similar dream in which he was floating in the middle of the darkness, and met face to face with a boy identical to him. For a moment he thought he was Yasha, but the boy didn't respond when he called him by that name, and simply continued looking at his hands as he cried with a horrified face.

- "I killed them… I killed them…" – repeated he to himself as he continued looking at his hands.

- "Come, what's up?" – asked Inuyasha irritated as he looked at the other boy acting like a zombie – "Stop actin' like an idiot and get up!" -

The other boy instantly reacted and straightened himself up at once.

- "Who're ya callin' an idiot, stupid!?" – shouted the other boy – "Ya don't know anythin' about what's like losing everyone ya love for havin' killed them with yer own hands!" -

Inuyasha then punched him on the face:

- "Don't come with these idiocies to me!" – roared he – "I had enough with losin' my mother to have someone like ya excusin' himself about being an idiot! And besides, how're ya so sure they're really dead and it wasn't just a bad dream!?" -

The other boy then opened fully his eyes, as if he had realized something, and turned to look at the darkness…

- "A bad dream… yeah… it musta been that…" – said he as he began laughing, but not like a lunatic: it was a laugh filled with joy and relief – "Yeah, I think yer right…" –

- "Of course I am!" – said Inuyasha putting his hands on his hips and smiling satisfied – "And ya should go back to your friends. I'm sure they miss ya a lot"-

- "Yeah, I guess I should thank ya… see ya later" – said he as he vanished in a flash of light.

As soon as their counterparts disappeared in their dreams, Kagome and Inuyasha woke up at the same time, and after looking around confused, they looked at each other.

- "Kagome? Did sumthin' happen?" – asked Inuyasha worried upon noticing he and she were the only ones that were still awake: it was still dark outside, and the others were still fast asleep.

- "Yeah, I just had a very weird dream…" – said Kagome remembering what she saw before waking up – "I saw a girl that looked like me, and she was crying because she saw some horrible things…" –

- "I dreamed something like that too…" – said Inuyasha weirded out – "A boy that looked the same as me was kneelin' on the ground, crying and looking at his hands…" -

- "Huh? Really?" – asked Kagome – "And what did you do?" –

- "The only thing that came to my head," – said Inuyasha shrugging his shoulders – "Makin' him angry to get him outta that funk and hit him to make him react" -

- "Don't you think that was a bit extreme?" – asked Kagome as she covered her mouth with both hands – "As for me, I hugged the girl and consoled her" –

- "It's 'coz yer too gentle, Kagome" – said Inuyasha blushing – "Remember I'm not very tactful when it comes to other people" -

- "It's okay, don't worry" – said Kagome laughing upon seeing the embarrassed face Inuyasha put – "But it's so weird we both had dreams so similar… what could they mean?" –

- "We better ask Gerar-nii, Miroku-sama and Kaede-obaasan tomorrow" – suggested Inuyasha smiling – "I'm sure they will know what that's all about" -

- "Okay" – said Kagome to then tuck herself on the futon over which she had been sitting – "Good night, Inuyasha" –

- "You too, Kagome" – said Inuyasha as he tucked into his futon, and after a while, both went back to sleeping soundly.

Next morning, after breakfast, Inuyasha and Kagome walked to Kaede, Miroku and Gerardo, all of which were doing some chores: Kaede was picking up the bowls they had used to eat while Gerardo was preparing the baggage he thought Gabriela and he were going to use shortly, and Miroku was cleaning his shakujou. Gabriela, Miko and Yasha were talking a bit about their special powers, while Sango was busy checking her Hiraikotsu and other slayer weapons.

- "Gerar-nii, Miroku-sama, Kaede-obaasan" – said Kagome as she timidly walked in front of them – "There's something Inuyasha and I wanna ask you" -

- "Hmm, what is it?" – asked Gerardo as he took away his eyes from the items he was checking in his Dragtemn to look at both children.

- "It's 'coz we had a very weird dream last night…" – said Inuyasha tilting his head.

- "Hmm, what kind of dream was it?" – asked Miroku a bit intrigued. Then, both Inuyasha and Kagome told them everything they saw last night.

- "I see," – said Kaede thoughtfully after they finished telling them about the dream – "It really sounds like an unusual dream" –

- "Hmm, I think it has to do with your powers" – said Miroku deep in thought, and it was then that the three noticed the medallions both were wearing had their jewels shining brightly again: they were ready.

- "With our powers?" – asked Inuyasha leaning his head to the side.

- "Yes," – said Kaede with a smile – "As you have them partially sealed by the medallions you're wearing right now. Do you see the position in which they are?" –

- "Huh? This?" – asked Kagome as she took it out from the collar of her kosode and checked it, noticing then it had a needle pointing to the "Seal" position. Inuyasha noticed it right after she did.

- "That's right" – said Gerardo with a smile – "Try putting them in the "Unseal" position. That will break the seal" –

- "Okay, Gerar-nii!" – said Inuyasha as he and Kagome smiled. Both then changed the dials of their respective medallions to the "Unseal" position. Their eyes blinked for an instant, and their smiles changed into sad faces right as their medallions changed position by themselves to "Separation".

- "Maybe we're asking this too often," – said Gabriela as she, Miko and Yasha walked to them. They noticed what was happening when Inuyasha and Kagome began talking about the dreams – "But are you okay?" -

- "Yeah, we are" – said Kagome with a little smile on her face –"It's just that I feel a bit weird after having spent a day with our memories sealed and having met ourselves like that in our dreams. Not to mention I'm still somewhat shaken up from what we saw in that horrible mirror..." –

- "I still can't believe I fell so easily for an illusion as that…" – said Inuyasha angry with himself.

- "Well, it's not like it was your fault" – said Miroku in an understanding tone – "According to what Kouin told us, it's impossible to not fall for these nightmares" -

- "And now your friends have gotten their memories unsealed, it's a good time for me to explain everything" – said Kouin as he stepped in and put himself at the center of the hut for everyone to hear and see him – "You all know me as "Kouin", but that is only the name I took on upon reaching this world: in Dragonia my name was Yallusyert, and when I was still a dragonian, my name was Feltes Lysfelt" –

- "What do you mean by "when I was a dragonian"?" – inquired Gerardo.

- "To put it on your terms, it'd be "when I was human" if you said it. Currently, I'm no more than a creature that keeps existing due to a corrupted version of the essence of the Nucleus of Light, or in other words, of Illyusea" – explained Kouin.

- "Then, you're not just any old monster like the other ones we beat?" – asked Yasha surprised.

- "That's correct: the other five demons Tenebross created were just corrupted essences of each of the elements to which he gave form" – explained Kouin saddened – "When I was still a dragonian, I used to work with Tenebross, and we were best friends" -

- "Tenebross was also a dragonian!?" – asked Gabriela shocked from hearing such an evil being could have been a dragonian, or in other words, Dragonia's version of humans. The others looked at each other from this revelation.

- "Yes: his original name was Tenebross Lusyabrirt, and back in the time, he was considered one of the greatest Investigators Dragonia had the pride of having borne" – said Kouin in a regretful voice – "Initially, his researches were focused on improving the lives of all those who lived in Dragonia, and thanks to him, the theories behind many of the items the Dragonians enjoy today, such as the Dragtemns or the Seirei Crystals, were established" –

He then pointed to the crystals Gabriela and Gerardo wore on their necks, as well as the wristwatches they were all wearing.

- "But if he used to be such a good person, what made him become such an evil being?" – asked Kaede astonished.

- "I'm just about to reach that part," – said Kouin as he made gestures with the hand indicating everyone to be patient – "During several years, Tenebross and I worked together in the Royal Research Institute, making these theories and many other things to improve the lives of the Dragonians. However, all these years of happiness and peace came to a terrible ending when King Krelios Pyraze Drackma assumed the throne. Krelios ended up being a true tyrant, and under his despotic administration, he led wars to force all other lands in Dragonia to relinquish their autonomy and get them under his rule, centered in the Old Royal Capital Seleila. In fact, he was also who instated the cruel policies of enslaving those that were born without the gift of using magic, and treating those that were born capable of handling the element of Darkness as if they were animals" -

Kouin breathed in for a moment to then continue his narration.

- "Now well, back then, Krelios hired Tenebross and me to research and develop artifacts, but these ended up being completely the opposite to the reason we became Investigator and Scholar: he ordered us to develop weapons, torture devices and extermination tools, all to eliminate those that opposed him" – said he as his gaze sunk down to the wooden floor.

- "Definitively… that was Dragonia's Dark Ages…" – said Gerardo lowering his gaze horrified, hearing how the beautiful world he saw in dreams and of which the Dragon Gods had given him glimpses was a true hell at one point. The others were also horrified in similar ways.

- "I guess that must have affected you both quite badly, correct?" – asked Miroku in a polite but serious tone.

- "Yes, it did," – said Kouin showing a face of deep sadness and disappointment – "We both suffered greatly from having to create these horrendous artifacts, and we had no other choice because they were holding our families hostage: if we disobeyed them, they would have killed us all" –

- "Damned bastards…" – said Inuyasha under his breath.

- "Finally, when we made the most terrible of our inventions: the Mirror of Shades," – everyone trembled when Kouin mentioned that diabolical artifact – "Tenebross finally couldn't continue handling it, and he broke down crying why the world had to be such a terrible place, and why the people had to be such a group of damned beasts… I tried to go and comfort him, but then… we were enshrouded by a black aura… and it talked to us…" –

- "It?" – asked Shippou confused.

- "Yes… the one we thought only existed in myth and legend… the being we were always told to be wary of, because it wanted to destroy everything… the incarnation of the Nothingness… Caellicauts…" – said Kouin in a low voice.

Even though they had never heard that name before, everyone felt shivers going down their spines and trembled when Kouin pronounced it.

- "That is the name… of the Nucleus of Nothingness?" – asked Gerardo scared, to which Kouin nodded with a serious expression on his face.

- "What happened then?" – asked Sango. She and the others were expectant to hear the rest of the story.

- "Well… Caellicauts told us it had sympathized with our feelings of sadness and despair, and it wanted to help us… it told that in exchange for serving as vessels to its will, he would give us the power we needed to change the world as we pleased, even being able to depose the king and restore peace to Dragonia" – said Kouin.

- "And what… did you do?" – asked Kagome having a feeling she knew how this all ended.

- "I refused, as I said I would never follow anyone who wasn't Tenebross. However, Tenebross accepted and gave up his body and soul to Caellicauts, transforming into the cruel and merciless creature you all know. However, that was all for naught" – said Kouin saddened – "As the king was killed shortly later: the Priestess of the Dragon at the time, Lilia Illyusa Drackma, who also was his first daughter, was horribly disappointed and saddened by her father's actions. She had finally reached the point in which it became unforgivable to her due to discovering everything her father did, and using her powers, she requested the Dragon Gods to put an end to this nightmare. The Dragon Gods were also furious upon seeing the mock Krelios had made of their world, and so they decided to show the dragonians the consequences of disregarding the laws under which we were all created: they caused a large earthquake that destroyed the old capital and several of the areas where Krelios had stationed his troops, and caused the loss of millions of lives" -

- "In other words… you sold your souls for nothing in the end…" – said Miko in a tone of pity.

- "Yes… and even worse, we ended up becoming a menace. Tenebross was fully taken over by Caellicauts' will, and we began spreading chaos, destruction and ruin throughout Dragonia, and that's when the Dragon Gods decided to intervene. They fought fiercely against us in the highest mountain in the planet, and even though I was felled shortly after the battle began, they couldn't defeat Tenebross due to him being consumed by a more powerful will than them all together. Therefore, they decided to seal him within a crystal and scatter its pieces about so no one could resurrect him. However, they couldn't avoid me storing his soul within a mirror to keep him from being sealed completely. That makes me responsible of all this disaster, and I'm very sorry about it…" –

- "Anyway, why didja abandon Tenebross and wanna join us?" – asked Inuyasha strongly suspecting Kouin after hearing the story.

- "As you all heard, I served Tenebross faithfully for many years, to the point of even being the responsible of his return to Dragonia and his coming to this world. However, when Caellicauts took possession of his body and soul, we made the solemn oath of never using the Mirror of Shades against anyone, no matter what happened" – said Kouin gritting his teeth – "However, he broke that oath when he used that cursed mirror against you. When I saw what he did, and the horrendous way in which he killed those that opposed him in Dragonia, I noticed how low he had stooped, and decided to rebel against him and help you. This isn't just to defeat him, but also to atone for the great sins I have committed" -

- "I see… You really have a great burden on your shoulders" – said Gerardo in an understanding tone – "But what happened to your families? After all, they were part of the reason you had to create the cursed mirror that made Tenebross fall for Caellicauts' temptations" -

- "They fortunately survived, and could relocate to Soleila together with the other refugees from the disaster" – sighed Kouin – "However, Tenebross and I were considered as dead from that time on, and it's no surprise: the people we were before that transformation indeed died at that moment. Despite that, I was very glad to know they were safe, even though we would have to eliminate them alongside the rest of Dragonia later on…" –

- "Talking about a hard existence…" – sighed Gabriela saddened.

- "And that aside, do you know the place where Naraku and Tenebross are hiding right now?" – asked Miroku to interrupt the depressing conversation, and to see if Kouin could give them any useful information.

- "But wouldn't that break the pact you had with the person you told me about yesterday?" – asked Gerardo shocked. The others were surprised to see him like that.

- "No, as that pact died with that person," – said Kouin in a tone that told him to calm down. He then turned to look at Miroku to answer the question he made – "About your question, Houshi-sama, I do know. In fact, I can even guide you there whenever you wish. However, I must warn you that should be prepared first, as it's very possible that you'll have to fight to death there, and once we get to that place, you won't be able to go back until you defeat him, if you can that is" –

- "Okay," – said Sango in a decided tone – "Give us a couple hours, and we'll get everything ready" –

- "Very well" – said Kouin upon seeing how they were all agreeing with the time Sango proposed.

Kagome and Inuyasha first used the medallions to join again with Miko and Yasha, and return to their normal ages; and they all then began getting ready.

They used this little time to give some last-minute adjustments to their weapons, plan out battle strategies, and finally to pray for their victory in their final battle while they asked their loved ones for strength.
While Kagome, Miko, Gerardo and Gabriela wanted to see their respective families a lot, they abstained from going to their homes, as it was highly likely they would end up getting worried about them getting wounded and wouldn't let them take part in this battle.

Gerardo also explained everyone about why he was so shocked, and the others understood when he told them about the truce between Kouin and Tenebross' former enemies, though Inuyasha was about to shout at him because he thought Gerardo would have ruined their chances to find Tenebross and Naraku.

Once they finished getting ready, they and Kouin went to the place where the Bone-Eater's Well was located, and there Kouin gave them a final warning:

- "Since you are ready, I want to ask you something: it's very possible this will be your final battle, and it's highly likely that you will be severely wounded or even die during it" – said he in a grave tone – "Even so, are you committed to go on?" –

- "We wouldn't be here if we weren't!" – said Kagome with a decided voice.

- "Right, onee-san!" – said Miko in the same tone.

- "Right, we haven't come this far to back out at the end" – said Gerardo as he closed his fist and put it over his chest.

- "Yeah! We'll beat these evil things and bring peace to our worlds!" – said Gabriela enthusiastically.

- "As a servant of Buddha, it's my duty to see these evil creatures receive the punishment they deserve" – said Miroku as he showed off his monk rank.

- "You're only saying that to hide your intentions" – said Shippou in a mocking voice.

- "You're wrong this time, Shippou" – said Sango in a serious voice – "I can feel he's being sincere this time. And I'm going to avenge my village here, too!" -

- "We're going! Right, nii-san?" – asked Yasha excitedly.

- "Yeah. It's time to settle the score with Naraku, and with that bastard Tenebross too…" – said he as he closed his hand tightly.

Kouin saw the determination brimming in them, and smiled:

- "I didn't expect any less from you. Maybe you really are the Seirei foretold in the Epitaph of Prophecy" – said he as he turned around and raised a hand.

- "Why did he call us spirits?" – asked Shippou confused. Gerardo just hit himself on the forehead from that failure of interpretation.

- "He said that word in Ceremonial Dragonian. "Seirei" means "Chosen One of the Elements" in that language" – explained he annoyed.

- "Then, we're the chosen ones?" – asked Kagome surprised.

- "I'm not really sure," – said Gerardo deep in thought – "As far as I know, the Seirei have much more power than the one Gabriela and me have exhibited so far. They are also allowed to carry the Elemental Nuclei within their bodies, but as you could see, we found the Elemental Nucleus of Water, but Iadlast didn't let us take it with us, and the Dragon Gods never mentioned anything on the matter either" –

But before they could say any other comments, they heard Kouin intoning a soft Dragonian chant:

- "Alt tok apreio iula purkan dat lusya paf gaivz kiesba mondour ika" –

At that point, a white-grayish light line appeared from the hand he raised, which began twisting until it formed a square of light of the size of a large door, which was filled completely by darkness once it was complete. Kouin then turned to the others.

- "The gateway is open. We can go in as soon as you wish, and I'll personally lead you to Tenebross' hideout" – said he with a serious face.

- "We're ready, so take us there at once!" – shouted Inuyasha.

The others just said "Yeah!" at the same time, so Kouin nodded in silence and led them into the darkness. For a little while, they didn't see anything but blackness, but after some seconds, they found themselves in a place that seemed like a large jail: it was a large chamber made from dark stone, though it was bright enough to allow a decent visibility.

Within this place, standing over an altar that seemed like a small tower with crenels, there were Naraku and Tenebross. Both smiled evilly upon seeing their visitors.

- "Well well, look at who just came" – said Tenebross narrowing his evil red eyes while looking at them with contempt – "The group of feudal idiots, the duo of inept pseudo-rei, and finally, the accursed traitor" -

- "Shut it, damn shadow!" – shouted Inuyasha enraged as he unsheathed Tessaiga. The others did the same thing with their weapons.

- "Lord Tenebross…! No… Tenebross…" – said Kouin as he looked directly at the eyes of his old boss as he unsheathed his weapons: a couple of long twin katanas – "You've gone too far! We swore we would never use that cursed mirror, and we have caused enough suffering and pain already! Stop now!" -

Kouin seemed to want to make Tenebross reconsider, given the long friendship they both shared before his evil transformation and that Kouin himself had faithfully maintained until shortly ago. However, Tenebross just laughed at him.

- "Mwahaha… you're a delusional stupid. You really think the perfect world can be attained without spilling any blood!? You really believe this rotten world and all others that exist have any possibility of salvation!? You're pathetic!" – said he as he laughed like a maniac.

- "Hmmhmm…" – laughed Naraku – "Looks like these words you said were in vain, light idiot" -

Kouin closed his hands more tightly around his katanas as he gritted his teeth. Everyone in the group was enraged upon listening to the things Naraku and Tenebross told him.

- "If anyone's a traitor here, that's you Tenebross" – said Gerardo pointing to him with his sword – "That's how you pay Feltes for all the loyalty he demonstrated you for so many years?" –

- "Right, and he even tried to make you recapacitate because he still appreciates you!" – said Kagome enraged as she aimed an arrow to him.

- "An idiot like ya doesn't deserve any friends!" – said Inuyasha pointing Tessaiga to him.

- "You're even more pathetic than Naraku!" – said Yasha enraged.

- "You're no different from all other evil beings!" – said Miko.

- "Betraying a friend's trust is the lowest of the lowest" – said Miroku.

- "As also is breaking an oath you both made!" – said Sango.

- "Yeah, Feltes betrayed because you broke your own promise!" – screamed Gabriela as she prepared a Light Arrow – "That's unforgivable!" –

- "You're really disgusting… and we'll make you pay for all that!" – finished Gerardo.

- "Close these filthy mouths!" – shouted Tenebross as he made shadow waves rise from the floor, so they had to jump to avoid them – "I won't tolerate any more idiocies from any of you! It's time to die!" -

Then, the head of his shadow came out from the mirror and began shooting shadow arrows from the roof. Gerardo blocked them with his shield for himself and Gabriela while Inuyasha did the same thing with his sword for Kagome. Kouin blocked and cut them with his sword, but the others had to avoid them to not get hit.

- "Mweheheh, nice way to begin a fight, eh? Inuyasha?" – said Naraku as he floated in front of him surrounded by his barrier, so nothing could hit him.

- "We'll see how ya like this!" – smirked Inuyasha as he changed his medallion to Special Separation, making Yasha appear with his own Tessaiga. Both used the Red Tessaiga at the same time, creating a blue energy wave that broke Naraku's barrier.

- "What the hell!?" – screamed Naraku shocked.

- "You're very wrong if you think we haven't gotten any stronger!" – said Yasha.

- "Damn impudent brat!" – said Naraku as he tried sending his tentacles to him, but at that point he received a barrage of attacks: a couple ofudas, Sango's Hiraikotsu, and a couple Sacred Arrows from Kagome and Miko. From the looks of it, they had the same idea as Inuyasha to split up in order to have more firepower.

- "What is it Naraku?" – said Miko in a teasing voice – "Don't you plan to summon your attachments today?" –

- "I don't need these idiots to get rid of you, brat!" – shouted him enraged.

Meanwhile, after they avoided the shadow arrow rain, Gerardo elementalized his sword with water power while Gabriela did the same thing to her bow so her arrows would come loaded with the powers of moon and light. Kouin didn't do the same because his corrupted light power would just heal Tenebross.

- "Tenebross… I hope you can someday forgive me for this…" – said he as he ran to Tenebross, leaving a gray trail behind. He then slashed him as swiftly as the shine of a thunderclap – "Lightning!" –

Tenebross couldn't react quickly enough to avoid the attack, and ended receiving the slash on his "body" while Kouin just whispered "Hyu!" during the execution of his attack. Tenebross began groaning in pain.

- "DAMN TRAITOR!" – screamed he as he tried using his Shadow Claw attack, which Kouin avoided as fast as he could. Then, he received a Water's Scar from Gerardo and a Light Arrow from Gabriela.

- "Don't even think you're the only ones fighting here!" – said Gerardo triumphantly after the water wave and the light arrow struck Tenebross – "We came here specifically to defeat you!" -

- "Damn elementals from hell…" – said Tenebross as he gritted his shadowy fangs.

Back to Inuyasha and the others, apparently things weren't going as well as at the beginning: Naraku had stopped playing around and began fighting seriously, demonstrated by the fact he began releasing the thousands of youkai that formed his body to attack from all directions and not leave any escape chances to his enemies.

Miroku, Sango, Yasha and Inuyasha had their hands full cutting the youkai in pieces with their weapons, while Kagome and Miko had to alternate between firing arrows off and placing barriers to have even a chance of staying alive. Not even the Kaze no Kizu could help them in this case because the more youkai they killed, the more Naraku released.

- "I guess I'll have to speed things up a little" – said Miroku as he put his hand over the rosary sealing his cursed hand, and turned to look at Sango – "Forgive me, Sango, but I'd rather do this than let us get killed" -

- "What?" – said Sango confused as she cut off the heads from two youkai with her wakizashi and threw her Hiraikotsu through the air to destroy several others. However, her face changed to a terrified expression and paled upon seeing what Miroku was planning – "Houshi-sama, no!" -

At that moment, Miroku removed the rosary and pointed his cursed hand to Naraku:

- "Kazaana!" –

- "You're an imbecile, monk!" – said Naraku with a demented smile as he threw a saimyoushou hive into the air and the bugs it contained started swarming in Miroku's direction. Miroku managed to absorb most of the youkai surrounding the group, as well as many others, but he also absorbed many of the saimyoushou by doing this, which forced him to close off the hole.

- "Miroku, don't be stupid!" – shouted Inuyasha as he ran to him to check his condition and grabbed him by his cursed hand, while the others continued defending themselves from the few remaining youkai. However, Naraku decided to stop attacking them to savor their despair from the idea of losing Miroku.

As for him, Miroku had fallen to his knees, his face was covered in sweat and his skin began turning pale: apparently he had absorbed a lot of poison and didn't have much time remaining. Sango hugged him and began crying over his shoulder.

- "No… Houshi-sama… you shouldn't have done that…" – said Sango saddened.

- "Damn it!" – said Inuyasha as he ran to face Naraku again.

- "That happened because of your own idiocy!" – said Naraku as he sneered at him – "And all because you're scared you'll kill everyone with your techniques, Inuyasha!" –

Inuyasha noticed at that moment what he was talking about, as Yasha also did when they looked at each other in the eye: they had committed the same mistake Gerardo did during the battle against Douin of not using all their abilities to the max, and thanks to that, Miroku was now about to die.

- "Nii-san…" – said Yasha worried – "We gotta finish this fast, or Miroku-sama's gonna…" –

- "Don't dare finish that sentence!" – shouted Inuyasha, even though he was thinking the same thing as Yasha.

But then, Miko had an idea:

- "Ah! Why don't we call Gerar-nii or Gaby-nee to heal him?" – said her while she clapped her hands once – "I'm sure their powers could remove the poison from him, at least to the point of keeping him alive!" -

- "They're busy fighting Tenebross" – said Shippou as he pointed at them: at that moment, Gerardo and Gabriela were holding swords of light colored after their elements to attack Tenebross, while Kouin seemed to be using some kind of magic to make himself faster – "But if you want, I could go and tell them" -

- "Please, Shippou-chan!" – said Kagome as she prepared another arrow and aimed at Naraku, which was now receiving furious blasts of the combined Kongousouha of Inuyasha and Yasha. Shippou nodded and ran off to the other side of the battlefield.

- "I'll try to keep him alive…" – said Miko as she concentrated and put her small hands over Miroku's body, making a pink and blue glow appear over him – "I can make the poison take longer to affect him, but I can't slow it down forever… I hope they hurry…" –

- 'Maybe… you could be an even better miko than myself, sis...' – thought Kagome proudly as she saw how much Miko was focusing to keep Miroku alive.

Back with the others, Gerardo, Gabriela and Kouin had fallen back after giving Tenebross a few slashes, but the battle was beginning to leave its marks on them: Gerardo had several cuts and scratches on his hands and face, while the sleeves of his kimono were tattered; Gabriela's clothes were covered in dirt and the lower part of her sleeves and hakama were damaged and torn, as well as she having a few bruises and cuts. On the other hand, Kouin was beginning to show signs of fatigue: it was clear that his speed increase technique wasn't to be used over a long time period. They all were panting.

It was then that Shippou came running to them.

- "Gerardo! Gabu!" – said he with a voice volume that resounded throughout the entire chamber – "Miroku's dying! We need someone to heal him!" –

- "What!?" – asked Gabriela horrified.

- "How did that happen!?" – asked Gerardo shocked.

- "He had to use his Kazaana to free us from the countless youkai Naraku got out, but…" – said the little kitsune, which seemed very disturbed by the situation – "But he also absorbed many of the saimyoushous Naraku prepared for him…" -

His eyes filled with tears, but their chat had to be interrupted because Tenebross made several horrible black hands come out from the floor and they had to move away to avoid getting dragged into the shadows by them.

- "Damn!" – said Gerardo – "Trying to send us to the Yomiji or something!?" –

- "Possibly" – laughed Tenebross evilly – "But in any case, I won't let you heal that third-rate monk!" -

Gerardo turned to the others and looked at them seriously.

- "I know we're busy with Tenebross, but we can't just abandon a companion in need. Are you okay with going to help him?" – asked he.

Gabriela and Kouin agreed, and they and Shippou began running in the direction the others were at, though they had to do it avoiding the shadow blasts Tenebross was shooting them. He wasn't letting them get away so easily.

Inuyasha and the others seemed to have the situation controlled, and the fight with Naraku was more or less even now, as the thousands of youkai he released weren't around anymore, and they had cut off a good part of the bones and tentacles he used to attack them.

However, they weren't in a very good shape either: their clothes showed the damaged they had been receiving, and they had wounds in all the parts of their bodies that were exposed.

- "We've come to help!" – announced Gabriela as they arrived.

- "At last, some good news!" – shouted Inuyasha as he avoided the energy blasts Naraku sent him. At that point, Gabriela ran to Miroku and began singing. Miko stopped trying to keep him alive at that point.

- "Ist Altyyaok ShuxuaraRa Illyusea Phaph Zyoskz Biousakatse Ical, Ist Altyyaok ShuxuaraRa Phaph Kluceia Biousakatse... Healing Light!" – as Gabriela sang, her hands covered in a soft pearly white shine, and she began moving them over Miroku's body, who was beginning to have difficulties breathing. Slowly, his breathing returned to its normal rate and his face regained its color. However, as she was finishing, Tenebross shot a shadow arrow at her…

- "Gaby!" – shouted Gerardo as he summoned his dragon armor and flew off at full speed to block the arrow with his shield, which he did in the last second – "That was close… damned treacherous shadow…" -

He was furious due to what Tenebross tried to do, and the others were also indignated. Luckily, Miroku was out of danger now, so Sango got him away from the battlefield to then go back to the fray, while Gabriela also summoned her armor. Needless to say, she was enraged too from that attack.

- "This is a battlefield!" – shouted Tenebross as he laughed from their faces – "There are no laws or rules here, as the only important thing is exterminating enemies!" -

- "Don't come to me with the combat pragmatist logic now!" – shouted Gerardo furious – "I'll make you pay for that!" -

At his side, Kouin was also showing an expression of great rage and disgust, and some green marks appeared over his face. He then joined the blades of his two katanas and said a single word: - "ZielarZa!" –

Both blades then began vibrating like a tuning fork after being struck. However, the vibration increased in intensity with every passing second, and when they were vibrating strong enough to even make Kouin's own arms shake; he held them aloft and aimed at Tenebross:

- "Thundering Sword! I'll bestow eternal rest upon you!" – he said as he separated the blades of his sword with an X-shaped movement, forming a shockwave that caused great damage to Tenebross and cracked the mirror where he was sealed.

Tenebross let out a horrible scream of pain, which took everyone by surprise, and which Naraku tried to use to his advantage to try and kill Kagome and Miko with an energy beam. However, Kouin noticed this and ran to the place where Naraku was aiming at, to get both girls out of harm's way.

- "Thanks… Ah!" – said Kagome, but she had to raise a barrier immediately so Tenebross wouldn't hit them with his shadow claws.

From the looks of it, their battle, which so far had been divided in two parts, had become a single one. Naraku had lost several of the abominations forming him, while Tenebross had gotten quite wounded from the attacks Gerardo, Gabriela and Kouin landed on him.

However, Inuyasha, Gerardo and the others weren't very well either: aside of the strikes and wounds they sustained, exhaustion began also creeping on them.

- 'We're going to lose if this keeps up' – thought Gerardo bitterly upon seeing the state his companions and he himself were.

At that moment, Kouin rushed in to attack both villains at the same time: he stabbed the air in front of him with one of his katanas, and then…

- "Hyuuu!" – shouted he as he ran at an impressive speed, disappearing from sight and appearing behind Naraku and Tenebross.

- "Shattering Slash!" – said he, and the next instant, a triad of stabs and slashes fell over them: apparently he attacked them at such a speed not even Gabriela could follow with her eyes.

This gave the others a chance: Gerardo began casting his Healing Rain spell, while Gabriela began singing her Healing Light song to replenish everyone's energies. Obviously, Miroku was still weak from the poison, so he had to stay away with Shippou.

- "You're now paying for breaking our oath, Tenebross" – said Kouin in a severe tone upon seeing how the others had recovered after the spell and the song were complete – "I don't think you'll be able to defeat us at this rate, but just in case… can you even follow my pace? Godspeed!" -

He then disappeared from their eyes, but unfortunately Naraku and Tenebross had already anticipated to this: when he reappeared, he did so in the middle of two energy beams both villains had prepared for him.

- "No!" – shouted Kouin, but at that moment, Gerardo and Gabriela flew to his side while Inuyasha and Yasha showed up riding on Kirara.

Both brothers found the point to cut the energy beams to counterattack both villains, while Kagome and Miko prepared two Sacred Arrows filled with their spiritual power to the brim, and Gerardo and Gabriela casted the best spells they had prepared for the occasion.

- "Ist Ikuak, HalkeizaRa ThafzAael Beteat Uasfryat Dea Iadlast Iens! Tsunami!" – said Gerardo.

- "Ist Ochsmere, Filaria Dea Zosph Phiala Phiaphz Lay Illyusea oli Lay Saetsulia Iens! Twilight Arrow!" – said Gabriela.

- "Go!" – said Kagome.

- "Fly off!" – said Miko.

Three arrows whizzed through the air: two purple and one with a color similar to that of sunset, which purged the evil aura of both villains and struck Tenebross, causing a small orange explosion. They were then followed by the water wave and the backflowing energy waves used by Gerardo, Yasha and Inuyasha.

This left Naraku kneeling on the ground, knocked out cold and rendered motionless, so Gerardo took advantage of this to shoot him a water beam to then snap his fingers, freezing him over: he was left encased in an ice prison that only left his head free. Tenebross, however, floated again: he still wasn't done for.

- "Damned cretins… you really think something as pathetic as this will finish me off?" – said Tenebross in a confident voice, but at that moment, Kouin rushed him with his katanas in front.

- "Twin Slash!" – shouted he energetically. When he got to Tenebross, he cut him deeply in an X-shape where his torso would be.

He then turned around and rushed him again as the green marks appeared again over his face, leaving behind a trail of transparent crystal that ended up encasing Tenebross.

- "Delusory Destroyer! Follow the Yaoulma…" – said he as he slashed the air once, which destroyed the crystal encasing and wounded Tenebross so severely that it broke his mirror, and made his shadowy form collapse over the room's floor.

- "At long last… this is over…" – said Kouin relieved as he sheathed his katanas. Everyone was surprised… it was over… their journey had really come to an end… and they were victorious…

Everyone gathered and began celebrating their great victory, congratulating each other, hugging and laughing upon seeing how all their efforts bore fruits.

However, they turned their back to Tenebross and didn't notice the evil being was preparing an attack: he materialized a shadow arrow, and aimed it at Gerardo and Gabriela…

- "Die, you bastards!" – shouted he as the arrow was shot, and even though they heard the thundering scream, none of them both managed to move in time to get out of the arrow's way. Everyone in the group was looking at the scene horrified… until Kouin jumped on the arrow's way and received it in behalf of them…

- "FELTES!" – shouted everyone as they ran to see what happened. Kouin fell, but before he hit the ground, Gerardo caught him and tried to keep his head higher than the rest of his body.

- "No! This can't be!" – said Miko horrified and saddened.

- "Tenebross… damn bastard from hell!" – screamed Inuyasha as he punched the floor enraged upon hearing how Tenebross was laughing at them.

- "No… he can't die now… no…" – said Yasha as his eyes began filling with tears. Sango was doing everything she could to contain her own sadness, while Miroku went to them walking with great difficulty, and hugged her with the little strength he had. Shippou was bawling his eyes out.

Gerardo and Gabriela were with Kouin, having dismissed their armors and using the most powerful healing songs they knew, but they had no result. Kagome and Miko tried helping them, the latter with tears on her eyes, but it was useless: the arrow was cursed and it produced wounds that couldn't be healed. Kouin was doomed…

- "Damn, no! Restorative Water! Restorative Water!" – shouted Gerardo in rage and despair, with his eyes filled with tears as he did everything he could to keep Kouin from dying. Gabriela was at his side putting all her feelings into her Healing Light song, while Miko and Kagome were focusing all their spiritual power in keeping him alive.

- "Don't die, please!" – said Gabriela upon seeing her song wasn't having any effect.

- "This can't end like this!" – shouted Miko at the brink of despair. The next moment, Kagome stopped using her powers and gave up… there was nothing they could do…

- "No, Feltes!" – said Gerardo as he and Gabriela grabbed one of his hands. Kouin opened his eyes slightly, and gently smiled at them:

- "Agh… Gerardo… Gabriela… Kagome… Miko…" – said he with the little strength he could muster – "I'm glad… I could have met you all… it was great… I could have friends like you… even if it was for such a short time…" -

- "O-of course we are!" – said Yasha running to him – "And we'll continue being so! Please, you have to live!" –

- "Y-yeah… you have to get well…" – said Miko as she sobbed.

- "Please, you gotta go on…" – said Gabriela as she prepared to sing her Healing Light once more. However, Kouin raised a hand to stop her.

- "It's okay… this is my punishment… my atonement for all the sins I have committed…" – said Kouin in a satisfied voice – "Now I can… go back to the eternal cycle… of our mother… Dragonia… and meet again with them…" -

- "NO! It's still too early for that! Stay with us! We need you here!" – shouted Gerardo, who had already lost control over his emotions and his tears began overflowing from his eyes.

- "Thanks…. For considering me… as a friend… it was good to have someone that could believe on me after so many years…" – he then turned to see Miko and Yasha once more – "Again… please forgive me… for all the suffering I caused you… I hope your lives will be happy from now on…. I entrust you all… the happiness and well-being… of my world…" –

He then closed his eyes and stopped breathing… The hand Gabriela and Gerardo were grabbing of him went limp and fell to the ground…

- "No… no… no… NOOOO!" – shouted Gerardo as he began crying while Gabriela and the other children began crying at full intensity.

Gabriela and Gerardo hugged each other, as also did Miko and Kagome, while Yasha hugged Inuyasha, who turned his head in a way that his hair covered his eyes to not show anyone he was crying. Miroku and Sango couldn't do anything but contain their tears.

Kouin, or better said, Feltes' body turned into a bunch of light sparks, and after shining brightly, shot off into the roof to leave the chamber.

Gerardo fell to the floor, but after a few instants crying while hugging his sister, he raised his gaze to Tenebross, and glared at him filled with hatred:

- "You… YOU! How could have you killed him!?" – said he as he stood up again with his sword and shield on hand.

- "That was your fault and your sister's, imbecile!" – said Tenebross as he laughed – "If you died, he wouldn't have needed to leave for the other world!" –

- "Damn bastard! Aaaaaarrrrrgh!" – said Gerardo as he raised his sword and ran to Tenebross screaming like crazy. However, Tenebross repelled him with a shadow wave, making him fall backwards to where the others were, getting himself badly wounded with the stone floor.

- "Gerar!" – shouted Gabriela as she ran to him. The others did the same, filled with surprise and horror, while Gabriela hurried to heal his wounds.

- "But don't worry," – said Tenebross as he continued laughing. He then made levitate a small black crystal piece: a Fragment of Shadows, in front of him – "As you will now join that damn traitor!" -

(End of Chapter)

 

(Ending: Come)