InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Halves ❯ Reversion ( Chapter 22 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Halves

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Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha and I do not make money from writing this story.

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A/N: I'm sure you'd like nothing more than to torture me endlessly for my prolonged absence, but I apologize. It's been hectic (as usual), but at least now I'm back with a new chapter for you. And it's quite in the spirit of Halloween, too. So what can I say? Happy Halloween and enjoy the read. Oh, and trick or treat!(meaning, gimme some reviews, please, or I'll come hunt you down*insert evil laughter*)

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There were chunks of ripped flesh everywhere and it stunk of blood. Gore. Pain flashed through his mind before he remembered he couldn't feel it. There was only the knowledge that if he were alive he'd surely be dying of sheer agony alone. Sharp teeth bit off his fingernails slowly, but then he realized that was only part of his imagination, as well. He had no nails here. There was no flesh, no eyes - therefore no sight - no voice. He couldn't talk, couldn't breathe; it was a wonder he could think. That was the only thing he could do, anymore, but thinking brought him such anguish that if he had a body he'd be squirming helplessly on the cold ground.

But there was no ground here, either.

There was only free space, what modern day scientists would call vacuum. He was specifically aware of everything that had ever happened in time and he could see into the future, but it would serve as no help should he ever somehow escape this disastrous wormhole. All of a sudden he found himself burdened with all the problems of the world, as if the weight of the universe had been thrown on his shoulders. He had no shoulders, though.

Naraku knew for certain from his previous unmentionable experience with death that the moment he stepped into the living world again each part of this extensive knowledge would disperse. Everything would be forgotten - everything except the recollection of his torment and the plans he'd diligently make.

So he ignored the tears and screams and chanting, mourning cries that pierced his soul and focused on the hatred that had him still wrapped in its soothing embrace. He let that feed his will to live on, if that was what you could call it. The absence of a body made it hard for him to concentrate, but he had to make do on what he currently possessed. Which were his awareness and memories.

Somewhere, sometime in this world someone was building an atomic bomb and for a short second he wished he could use that knowledge to his advantage, but the unfairness of it fading once alive taunted him bitterly.

If only he could see, if only he could taste. The first time he'd been dead had not been this hard - he'd been less aware that he owned no material body; he'd simply let himself enveloped by hatred and imagination - he'd envisioned himself killing his enemies, torturing them until they were gone, but now he could hardly do that. He didn't want to, either. No more blindness, no more stupidity. If he ever got out, he'd be the one to laugh in the end.

Hideous, one-eyed creatures crawled their way up to his legs, but this time, even though he knew it was pure random imagination he let it unfold, because he could draw advantages from it. One of the countless creatures was salivating, dark liquid trickling down its face, forming a puddle on the nonexistent ground and crawling right through it while creeping closer. The viscous liquid stretched itself everywhere - it was sure to haunt Naraku's mind for a long time in the future - but the imagery of the monster moving made him act. Squinting in absolute rage, Naraku thought about penetrating the creature's mind. Thoughts and memories were everything he possessed at the moment and he was going to use them thoroughly. On the spot he was bombarded with a mass of nothingness that nearly made him cower away in fear. The heaviness of the monster's mind was spirit-crushing, but if he sorted through what could be considered thoughts, he could see that the creature was in the same situation as he was, only it had chosen a different path. It wanted to rebel, to seek its way out of its personal nightmare.

This, being dead like this, lingering in a void world where you could do nothing but suffer, this was anyone's private Hell.

The lack of hands to squeeze the pathetic being's throat was maddening, but Naraku used his superior mind power to subdue it. In a matter of seconds (that could be considered ages from a normal human's point of view) the creature became static, as hard as a statue. It had lost the will to do anything and was now lost. The only one with the power to decide upon its future was Naraku, who didn't plan on ever making it move again. As far as he was concerned, the crawling monster would always remain frozen like that, because he had no intention of commanding it to move.

And it had been fun. For the first time in lifetimes, Naraku felt entertained. What was left of his mind jumped around in excitement when he realized he could do this over and over.

All of a sudden, the knowledge that he would never again be scared of monsters that would otherwise strip his soul skinless and graze it with pointed spines moved his entire will.

But - as if the universe had witnessed his relief - the tables were turned and he was facing a cold fire, one that scorched and froze at the same time, and if he had veins, the blood inside them would become stony and then fall apart. He was alone in his attempt to win and this time there was no one to manipulate.

Now what?

Naraku shuddered, the flash that had pierced his mind unexpectedly chilling him to the core. He didn't want to remember the stingy flames, the slaps of the icy tongue-shaped fire that had encircled him and devoured him completely. He hadn't been the same afterwards, and his appetite for foreign souls had increased tenfold. The more he'd toyed with others, the more he'd suffered, and in the end it had become a vicious circle he hadn't been able to break away from. But it had strengthened him, too, and now he had more desire for blood than ever. He wanted Inuyasha's blood, Inu no Taishou's blood, even Sesshomaru's blood. Kikyou's blood. But more than anything, he wanted Kagome's blood. He wanted to feed on her happiness, to devour her soul, taste her joy, kill her slowly. Everything had started with her.

Even if Inuyasha had sent him in the land of the dead, Kagome was the one responsible for everything. The silver-haired hanyou had done it out of revenge, revenge for his beloved. The one he'd once betrayed himself.

Pfft. How utterly pathetic.

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For a sole moment Inuyasha panicked. The unfamiliarity struck him as odd, but then he became used to it. The voice was soothing in a strange way, and he… welcomed it, eventually. It told him nice things, like what to do in some situations when Kagome was feeling down and reminiscing. It gave good advice, gained his trust and his full cooperation. As far as he could tell, the voice was part of his subconscious, trying to get him to never walk on a wrong path again.

`Apologize,' it demanded. Inuyasha scowled when he remembered the most recent argument. The children had been fairly demanding lately, and he'd decided to take a break from the activity of parenting just for a couple days. Kagome had wanted to hear nothing about it and had just about ordered him to come help her with Ken while she was soothing Takehiko. Shortly - of course - Ken had started whining, as well. They were little devils, the two, and they'd long ago realized their parents would do anything for their happiness, so with short bouts of crying they could solve just about anything.

Inuyasha could nearly hear the tiny thoughts going on inside twin brains.

`Mama, I want food.'

`Papa, come rock me.'

Ugh, disgusting. Inuyasha refused to be controlled like that, and by his own sons, no less. And so he'd not-so-gently told Kagome to take care of them herself if she refused to let the maids to that and he'd left her there. It hadn't exactly been the wisest course of action, but he'd been annoyed.

Now - with the help of the voice - he realized that maybe he'd overreacted. A lot.

So he did as suggested. Opening the door slowly, he crawled next to the futon where she slept. Instead of feeling disappointed that she was not awake so he could carry his apology through, Inuyasha felt a sense of peace he'd lost for a while. He was a husband again, and his wife was the most beautiful, most forgiving in the entire world. She'd given birth to his sons, two little, twin faces of perfection. He wouldn't trade his family for the world and Kagome ought to know that. There was no one else between them now - no Kikyou, no Naraku. Nothing separated them, so why did he always put his foot inside his mouth and said the wrong thing? Why did he always choose to do the stupidest thing ever?

Why was he always such an idiot?

Slowly, Kagome's eyelids stirred and she opened them with difficulty.

“Inuyasha?” Seemingly timidly, Kagome blinked and let her eyes show her confusion.

“I'm sorry. I'm sorry I acted like such an ass yesterday; it wasn't my intention. I guess I'm not really father material.”

Kagome read the uncertainty in his eyes and smiled. “It's all right. It's hard at the beginning, I know. It's awkward for me, too, you know? We just have to get used to it. But you're a wonderful father, Inuyasha.” She leaned into his touch when he caressed the side of her neck tenderly, his fingers setting her skin afire. “Besides,” she spoke with a somewhat strangled voice, “I don't want our children to grow up with some assigned caretakers and feel closer to them.”

He nodded in understanding, realizing she was right.

`See? I told you,' the voice said slowly, almost smugly. Inuyasha rolled his eyes, but admitted to himself - and the foreign owner of voice - that he owed them one, yet again.

`You're right,' Inuyasha replied.

It was always right.

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Kagome had been acting odd lately. The way she looked at the children, her unexpected fits of anger, the way her eyes sparkled in the dark. He didn't know what to do. And while that same voice was trying to help, it kept confusing Inuyasha further.

`I don't know what to say; something suspicious is happening,' it whispered, as if defeated.

What could it be?

“Kagome? Are you feeling all right?”

Tired, Kagome nodded. “Take the children, Inuyasha. I'm not in the mood for caring for them today.”

His brows furrowed instinctively and he studied her pale cheeks, the way her fists clenched and unclenched next to her hips, as if she was concealing pure rage. He blinked in confusion when he thought to have seen her eyes flash red for a second.

`What the Hell?'

He hurried to take the kids away from her, for the first time in his life feeling apprehension about being around his wife. The feeling didn't sit well with him, but he supposed he couldn't help it. It was a normal reaction to her guarded persona. Whatever was happening to Kagome, he wanted to be there for her, but what if that ended in him getting hurt? It would be bad, because he'd willingly lie down and take a lethal blow from her, but he worried about Ken and Takehiko. His children had to come first in his eyes nowadays. Even if he loved Kagome on a higher, instinctual level than he loved anyone else - if it came down to admitting it - Inuyasha would rather endanger her than endangering the twins.

`Maybe she's… possessed,' the voice threw in its two cents, making Inuyasha stop in his attempt to take the sleeping children to the caretakers.

No. It couldn't be. Not his Kagome.

He would put her `under close observation' before assuming such a ridiculous thing. Mentally she was more powerful than that, he knew for sure. If there was a person who could resist possession, that was Kagome. Inuyasha had no doubt. He didn't. There was no way.

But then, why did he keep telling himself that?

If he was honest with himself, he was beginning to doubt her. It wasn't the only time she'd acted weirdly. There had been more and more unrepressed fury and strange behavior. She'd even said things that sounded strangely not-her in his ears.

He didn't know what to do.

He'd asked Miroku for advice, but he'd merely suggested he take caution with her. It could be the result of a remained of ugly memories, he'd said. It could be the stress of motherhood - there was a number of factors and Inuyasha was seriously inclining towards believing him. Yes, that had to be it. Stress and anger (at Naraku, most likely) and… red eyes? How did those fit into the equation? No, perhaps those had been his imagination.

They had to.

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Naraku had never had this much fun. Forming a bond of sorts with the hanyou had been piece of cake and now it was even easier to plant the seeds of doubt inside his mind. It was so easy to create a mental image of Kagome's red eyes; next, he would change her appearance a little, as if to mirror `the possessor's'. There would be no doubt that she was possessed then.

Everything was so very simple. He wondered at the effortlessness with which he had penetrated Inuyasha's barriers, but he supposed it was to be expected. The hanyou had been in a completely easygoing mood due to his newfound happiness and it had been that much easier to form a bond with him.

Abi-Hime couldn't know this exhilaration he was feeling - it was something utterly satisfying: to know how your enemy would fall at your hands; and epicly, no less.

All it took was just a couple of weeks of showing Inuyasha the worst images about his wife; he'd fall into his trap for sure.

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He was absolutely scared shitless. So many things were abnormal - he'd even spoken with his father, who had advised him the same as Miroku. But he couldn't stand still and wait for Kagome to calm down; there was just no fucking way. Lately, his vision of her had twisted into something ugly, something he couldn't love as much as he wanted to, as if the remainder of the love he'd felt for her was slowly but steadily trickling away.

But he still held the same feelings for his sons. They were the center of his universe now. Kagome was mistreating them and Inuyasha feared the worst.

`She's not who she used to be,' the voice told him sympathetically, as if suffering along with him, as if understanding his plight.

“Inuyasha, what's wrong with you?” she asked testily, with much more hostility than she would have, on other occasions. It felt as if he hadn't seen her gentle side in ages. He hadn't felt her tender caress in lifetimes. It had previously hurt so damn much, but he'd lost the connection with her soul; it barely mattered now. Now, the only thing he wanted was to understand why she was acting like this, why she was always aggressive, why he'd seen her eyes turn crimson numerous times.

`She's possessed.'

For once, he agreed with the floating voice. He agreed wholeheartedly, because there was no other explanation. He'd confronted her about it countless times - he'd lost track - and as a result, she was now wary of him. She refused to touch him, to look at him if unnecessary. Of course she'd denied everything - who would admit they were possessed? As a matter of fact, who would know they were possessed?

He'd even taken her to a priest - against her will, naturally - to perform some purifying shit on her, but it hadn't worked. She'd complained to his father and Inu no Taishou had yelled in his face, but he couldn't understand, he couldn't see.

How could he, when he didn't know Kagome? Everyone thought she was still plain, normal Kagome - even Sango, who'd become her best friend - but what did they know? They didn't understand how different she'd become, how he even feared to leave her alone with their children, for Kami's sake! She looked at them with such hatred, such hurt seeping through her gaze, as if the innocent twins had been the ones guilty of a lifetime of suffering.

But today was going to be different. She would have to see everything from his point of view and he would cure her. He'd lure away her demons and make her come back to normal. If he didn't do this for them, he'd do it for their children.

`It's too late,' the voice warned.

`I know,' Inuyasha replied bitterly, but it was still worth a shot.

He'd asked a miko to seal the room Kagome was in after he got in, himself, without her knowing of the presence of the Hime inside.

Now he'd make her see.

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Kagome's lips trembled, a sign that her body was going to betray her emotions soon enough. To say she was scared would be accurate, but she didn't want to think about it. Inuyasha had acted awfully strange lately. As a matter of fact, she didn't know what to do or say, anymore. He refused to let her close to her children, at times, looking like a mad man. She'd gone to anyone she could think of, including his father and Masami-Hime, yet they'd all told her the same thing. To be married was stressful at first, and surely Inuyasha had his issues.

He thought she was possessed. That much was obvious, but why everyone thought nothing of it was a mystery. Maybe they considered Inuyasha wasn't all that serious? But to her, it couldn't get more serious.

And now… he'd…. sealed her in her own room. What did he have in mind? What was he going to do to her?

For the first time in her life, Kagome feared her husband. Her heart went up her throat, her pulse going crazy. She didn't know what to do, couldn't breathe - it was as if her blood had stopped entirely. His eyes held such hostility and she didn't know how to deal with him. Maybe the best approach was gentleness?

“Inuyasha, honey, I don't-”

“Shut up,” he warned, eyes narrowed methodically. “I know what you're trying to do, but it won't work.”

“No,” Kagome yelled suddenly, having had enough. “Now you shut up. For once in your life Inuyasha, shut up!”

He was stunned. `Good,' Kagome thought with satisfaction.

“What's the matter with you? You've acted so strange for the past month. I don't understand. What's that about me being possessed? And now you… seal me in a room? What the Hell, Inuyasha?” she cursed.

“What's wrong with me, bitch? I'll tell you what's wrong!” He spat out, his features turning into something unrecognizable, something that made Kagome's mind freeze instantly, her fear spiking dangerously. “I see you fall away from me, I witness you look at our children as if they were murderers,” he said, ignoring the way her eyes went wide, “and you ask me what's wrong? How am I supposed to know when you decide to turn violent and harm them? With the amount of power you have, how am I supposed to know you're not going to kill us all?” he roared, snarling at her, his fangs peeking out.

Kagome took a few steps behind, suddenly terrified. This was not Inuyasha. He was… he acted like a monster. But she wasn't going to let herself bullied.

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`Show her. Make her see,' the voice goaded.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Inuyasha knew he was not going to make an offensive move until Kagome initiated it, and he was secretly waiting for that to happen. He was waiting for any sign that would confirm his longtime suspicions, knowing it would appear soon.

“What's wrong with me, bitch? I'll tell you what's wrong!” he bellowed, confused for a second by the way the scent of fear reached his nose, but he supposed it was a natural bodily reaction, even if she was, indeed, possessed. He had to be cautious around her - she could purify him at any time.

He poured an entire month of frustration and despair into his words, sincerity and anger lacing them faithfully. “I see you fall away from me, I witness you look at our children as if they were monsters, and you're asking me what's wrong?” It was preposterous in his eyes. “How am I supposed to know when you decide to turn violent and harm them? With the amount of power you have, how am I supposed to know you're not going to kill us all?” He felt torn, bitterness pulling at his wits, making him lose his sight, until everything was twisted, a sour version of reality. Kagome was not the beautiful woman he knew her to be, but a monstrous vision with red eyes and her general features - what other proof did she have?

He brought her a mirror and narrowed his eyes, his heart clenching in a myriad of emotions - he feared her, he was concerned for the future of his children and anyone else, he was angry at her, he felt betrayed.

`She betrayed you. Look at her. She told you you were going to spend forever together, just the two of you. Now there's a third person involved, and she lets it be there. She allows it to linger, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike, can't you see? She'll harm your children, she'll kill you remorselessly. Kagome is not who she used to be, Inuyasha. This woman?' The voice snorted. `Look at her.'

Inuyasha did as told, biting his lower lips as Kagome appeared to be trying to find anything wrong with her face in the mirror.

“Can you see now, bitch? Do you see what I'm talking about?”

The forged innocent confusion that appeared in her large orbs exasperated him.

`She's faking. Of course she can see, but you won't be able to make her say the truth. She won't. This is not Kagome, Inuyasha. What you have before you, this is some demon.'

For a while, Inuyasha didn't want to believe the voice; he was hesitant, but even he couldn't deny how reasonable everything it said sounded.

`So much time of being possessed, her soul has been eaten away. That's why no priest or no one else can find anything wrong with her - because this demon has taken all of her and has created the perfect illusion. Can't you see? Don't be blind, Inuyasha. Don't let her kill you all. Because don't doubt it: this is her ultimate goal.'

Gulping almost loudly, Inuyasha frowned in fury, grabbing his wife's wrist and staring her down.

“You have your chance to explain.”

Immediately, her face reddened with what appeared to be unadulterated rage as she pulled her hand away from her husband's grip violently.

“You have no right! How dare you?”

She slapped him hard across the face, making him turn his head to the side from the impact. “How dare you, Inuyasha?!”

There.

`You have proof,' the voice declared gravely.

“Who do you think you are to talk to me like that?” Kagome demanded harshly, her expression not gentle at all.

`See? She thinks she's important. She's self-centered. Your Kagome was never like that. This is not Kagome.'

Inuyasha had to agree.

“Look at me!”

He did and she had the works: red eyes, subtle shadowed wrinkles everywhere that turned her face into a nightmarish vision of Hell, snarling mouth with chapped lips. Inuyasha shivered in cold terror, realizing this had gotten out of hand. Kagome was living proof of a woman possessed.

`There is no chance to get her back. Inuyasha, you've lost her, but don't lose your family as well,' the voice pleaded desperately, its soothing voice making Inuyasha even more anguished.

The hanyou's soul was mourning, dying along with Kagome's humanity as her face changed shape more and more in front of him.

`Don't lose your children. Think of Ken and Takehiko. They need a father. They need a life. She's going to kill them.'

`Kill them…' Inuyasha thought in horror, his eyes opened widely. He couldn't allow that to happen. If necessary, he would have to…

`You have to kill her, Inuyasha,' the voice stated with a finality that surprisingly didn't appall the hanyou.

Yes, he decided. He would do that. He would do just that, for his kids. Ken and Takehiko deserved better.

Determined, he advanced towards her, noting how she constantly took steps behind her until reaching the wall. Her face was a sick apparition of utter hatred - she hated him. She abhorred him and would probably purify him if he didn't act fast. Not even breathing in the meantime, Inuyasha's clawed hand darted to clutch her dainty neck, holding it in an iron grip.

Her eyes were terror-filled and he reveled in the expression.

`See? The demon is scared of you. It's thinking of a plan. Crush its neck. Cease its existence and free your children from its grasp.'

Unblinking, Inuyasha nodded in absolute agreement.

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Kagome's eyes opened as wide as they went when she felt Inuyasha's hand wrap around her neck to squeeze it lifeless. She knew his intention was true to his warning. He did intend to kill her, and if she didn't do anything to appease him now she would be gone.

A lifetime of memories flashed before her eyes - her mother, her brother, grandfather, Kikyou, Sango, Miroku, Ken and Takehiko - the light of her eyes - and Inuyasha. Everything they'd gone through, his betrayal, his love, his repentance. He'd wanted to atone for his sins, but in what way was this a display of his deep regret?

She couldn't speak. She was doomed. If only she could at least tell him that she loved him, that he didn't have to do this, that they could solve whatever was wrong.

Out of the blue, his iris was covered with the darkest black, making her bones tremble with fear. She'd been right. This wasn't him. It wasn't her Inuyasha. Somehow, he was the one possessed. He had been manipulated into thinking she was possessed, when in fact he was the victim of such an act.

Trying to get air inside her chest, Kagome struggled to form words, scratching his hand, pulling at his wrists, dangling her legs desperately where they floated above the floor. In that moment she saw her death flash before her eyes, but she knew, she felt it - that even if he killed her, in the afterlife she'd still forgive him. She'd love him just as much.

So she focused on sending him this message.

I love you, Inuyasha.

Thank you, Inuyasha.

Don't forget, Inuyasha. Don't forget me. Us.

I love you.

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Naraku was bluffing.

He knew that Inuyasha was still reluctant to go all the way with killing his wife, but he also knew that there was only little persuading he had to do until his will would break.

`Don't forget her hatred,' he reminded the hanyou, almost laughing. It was so funny to watch Inuyasha grab Kagome's neck, to feel as if he was there, as if he was the one choking her to death. The satisfaction was even greater than if he had been her killer. To have Inuyasha kill Kagome was such a sweet game, such a perfect ruse.

Abi-Hime sat at his side without breathing. He didn't mind her presence. As a matter of fact, he felt like a conqueror, as if he had the world in his the palm of his hand, including the power of the undead woman.

Kagome's innocent expression didn't put him on the alert. Surely Inuyasha would carry through with this, despite what Naraku would convince him to be a counterfeit vision born out of the miko's attempt to trick the hanyou.

`Kill her. She wants to kill you.'

It went on like this.

Kill her.

Kill the demon.

`Inuyasha, kill her.'

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`Inuyasha, kill her.'

Inuyasha simply snapped. Her eyes, the innocent, doe-like expression, his Kagome. The one he knew and loved. The one who resided deep within his soul. Her perfect eyes, her watery eyes where he'd put so many tears before, they were crying for him, not because of him this time. He could read her expression, her mind.

She was no longer the monster with wrinkly features and red eyes, no longer a nightmare, no longer possessed. She was simply his wife, the woman he loved, his half…

…and he was strangling her.

Letting her neck go and staring at his own hand as if it had strangled him instead, Inuyasha stepped back a few times, horrified at his own reaction. He didn't have time to hate himself, though, because Kagome latched herself onto him as if he were her lifeline. She jumped in his arms and he hurried to steady her as she wrapped her legs around his hips. He was powerless to her charms. Even if he intended to, he couldn't stop her lenient kiss and her forgiveness moved him to the bones. They were two strangers then and a miracle was floating above them, thickening the air with its viscous weight.

Her aggressive tongue against his raised the hairs on his hands and strong legs that were supporting two hungry bodies. Kagome didn't let her husband ponder on what he'd almost done, didn't let him say a word as she dominated the kiss, letting her lips stroke his with the kind of ardor that could overwhelm even the strongest of souls. Her hands touched him everywhere, knowing him again, making him feel again. Soon his upper body was bare to her starving gaze and she scratched his chest while biting the side of his neck fervently. He groaned at the maddening contact, growled like menacing dog.

“I love you,” she whispered between kisses, feeling his heart race under her fingertips, as if she held complete control over it. “I love you and I forgive you,” Kagome said next, relishing the look of pure gratitude that flooded his wet orbs.

“I'll always forgive you…”

He was the one kissing her then and she suddenly felt the cold wall against her naked back - when had she lost her clothes? Inuyasha was the one cupping her breast as if it were a treasure, stroking her nipples as if they were meant to be worshiped, kissing away her tears of joy, adoring her. He loved this woman, wanted nothing else than to belong to her forever. He was hers, he was meant for her.

He was her half in every way possible; it couldn't get deeper than that.

“I love you,” he said in return, biting her nipple and enjoying the feel of her arched body pushing against his own as he entered her gently. The wall was ablaze along with them. It felt as if the whole room had melted and turned into a pleasurable goo that enveloped them in warmth.

They destroyed each other in an ancient dance of bodies and souls and then reconstructed barriers of love around one another's hearts, vowing to keep them safe, to keep them up at all costs.

They were meant for each other and Inuyasha knew that as he thrust deep inside her, watching the different expressions crossing her face, loving the way she moaned his name in utter satisfaction. A wave of promised pleasure approached them with blinding speed and they were both robbed of their senses as inconceivable heights pulled them upwards, stretching their bodies and minds and making them shake with the power of an erupting volcano. They were whirlwinds lost in their rage, twisting together, interlacing their bodies and fusing their souls.

For that mere second in time when they simultaneously reached their climaxes, both hanyou and miko felt something as familiar as it was foreign.

Unity.

Looking at each other amid clouds of foggy, remaining pleasure, their eyes saw right through the other's. Gasping, Kagome realized what Inuyasha already knew.

They were Halves once again.