Moonlight leaked through gaps in the clouds, spreading a layer of silver-white frost over the Sacred Tree's massive canopy.
The great fire in the village was still burning, but it had already died down a great deal.
The surviving villagers had gathered inside the large house at the end of the village, too afraid to come out.
Now and then, someone poked their head out, glanced this way, then quickly shrank back like a startled rabbit.
Inuyasha sat on the roots of the Sacred Tree, his back against the tree that had imprisoned him for decades.
His hands rested on his knees, bits of bark and dried blood still lodged beneath his claws.
His golden eyes stared at Chiyo, waiting for an answer.
Why save me?
Chiyo stood before him, moonlight shining from behind and stretching his shadow long, all the way to Inuyasha's feet.
Kagome stood slightly behind Chiyo's side, one hand gripping the corner of his clothing.
Her gaze moved back and forth between Chiyo and Inuyasha, and an indescribable feeling stirred in her heart.
This Inuyasha.
Silver-white long hair, with two furry ears on top of his head.
He looked exactly like the Inuyasha she knew.
But his eyes were different.
The Inuyasha she knew had light in his eyes, warmth, and a stubbornness that refused to be beaten down no matter what happened.
But the one before her.
The light in his eyes had gone out.
Like a lamp blown out by the wind, leaving only ash and residual warmth behind.
Kagome's fingers tightened, clutching a crease into Chiyo's clothes.
She was thinking.
Why had Chiyo saved him?
Was it because, in Chiyo's world, he was Chiyo's son?
Or was it for some other reason?
Kagome did not know.
But she knew that whatever Chiyo did,