InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Sublimation ❯ Part Three: Sublimation of the Heart ( Chapter 3 )

AN: Well, I said “come hell or high water” I would post this chapter by this weekend. (lol) While I remained true to my word, I think next time I will phrase that a little differently. That promise was put to the test!! I want to take this short minute to express my absolute deep and heartfelt gratitude to some of you out there. I received an incredible amount of love and concern from several readers who knew that I lived in the middle of all the flooding that's been going on in Washington.

 

We were extremely fortunate where several of our neighbors and friends were not. We were evacuated and there were hours where we prayed and perspired…heavily, but other than a wet carpet, some ruined upholstery and a new wading pool in the basement, for the most part, we are safe and relatively dry. So thank you so much for your concerns and well wishes. It touched my heart that so many of you were so thoughtful! And although I think some of you were more concerned about my computer then me personally, I knew I wasn't far behind in your thoughts. (lol)

 

So here it is, come hell or high water, the last part of Sublimation. I hope the ending met up with everyone's expectations! I can't wait to hear what you think! Thank you so much for your reviews and a super special thanks to catbaker. Without her, there would have been no story to read. She is my muse, my beta and first and foremost, a very cherished friend. (who was extremely worried for my hard drive…lol. Don't worry, I've back up all my files and they are at a much safer and higher location!)

 

Enjoy and regards ~ clnv

 

* * *

 

Part Three: Sublimation of the Heart

 

* * *

 

Sometimes the heart sees what is invisible to the eye.

 

- H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

 

* * *

 

Inuyasha sat immobile, just as he had for last several hours and watched as the sun slowly sank over the tops of the trees. His heart twisted as he remembered how much Kagome always enjoyed the sunsets in this era. Lately, it had seemed that the only peace she found was when she watched the evening fade to darkness.

 

Once, long ago, when they had still watched the vibrant display together, she had confessed to him that when she was in her own time, she often passed through the well in the evenings just to watch the world's shift to twilight. He almost smiled as he recalled how she would point out the perfect blend of colors and gasp in delight as a ray of receding sunshine sparkled against an adjacent cloud. He enjoyed the contentment he felt on those occasions and the peaceful radiance of her aura and scent. Kagome may not have realized it, but Inuyasha had cherished those times with her the most and had mentally filed every detail away in his subconscious for later recollections.

 

Regret washed through him as he thought about how he had stopped accompanying Kagome during her evening ritual. It had been a small moment they had once shared together; a space in time that had been theirs and theirs alone and he had let it slip right through his fingers. He couldn't help it. Every sunset after Kikyou had been killed brought back the familiar feelings of failure and guilt. The once treasured activity became a waking nightmare; one he was forced to relive day after day. It had just become too much for his fragile heart to bear. He hated that he was no longer was able to share those moments with Kagome because of the stain of Kikyou's memory. His former love had already taken so much from the young miko.

 

Will Kagome ever see another sunset? He sighed at the question and left it unanswered in his mind. The young woman was trapped in a living nightmare created by Naraku and there was nothing they could do to help her. How could he fight when the battlefield lay beyond his reach? A deep and vicious growl rose from the pit of his stomach as his thoughts turned toward their most hated enemy. This was what he despised most about that despicable bastard. He never came out and fought face to face. Instead, he constantly used these manipulative and deceitful tactics. This was why Naraku's attacks were the most devastating. Regardless of the outcome, the pain remained long after the battle had been won or lost.

 

“How are you doing, Inuyasha?”

 

The hanyou focused on his surroundings once more as Miroku's voice filtered through his troubled thoughts. He merely grunted, never removing his eyes from the kaleidoscope of colors that danced across the horizon. Kagome momentarily tensed in his grasp before she released a shuddering breath and relaxed. It had been this way for the past several hours and the story told by her scent scared the hell out of him.

 

Sighing softly, Miroku settled himself next to his unusually quiet friend. They were all suffering greatly from the news that Kagome was battling Naraku on her own; that she was in a place where they could not help her. It had been frightening to learn that Naraku had captured her mind without their knowledge and was now subjecting her consciousness to unimaginable horrors.

 

“If you'd like to rest awhile, I could -”

 

“She's giving up, Miroku,” Inuyasha said quietly as though he hadn't heard the houshi speak to begin with. “With every hour, she gives in just a little more.”

 

Miroku swallowed hard at this newest revelation and shook his head lightly in denial. “Inuyasha, I'm sure that -”

 

“She's exhausted. And whatever that fucking bastard is doing to her…” Inuyasha's voice trailed off as he turned his head in defeat. “…it's working.”

 

Involuntary tears sprang to Miroku's eyes as he shifted his gaze to the unconscious miko. “She's strong,” he protested mostly to himself. “She's always been a fighter. Even when I thought she couldn't take anymore, Kagome-sama has always proven that she won't give up.”

 

Inuyasha snorted slightly. “Yeah, but everyone has a breaking point.” He closed his eyes. “There comes a time when the battle is no longer worth what you are willing to sacrifice for it; when it's just easier to give in.”

 

The words hung heavily in the space between them and the silence that followed was thick with dread and sorrow. When would it end? How many sacrifices needed to be made before the cost became too great? Though neither said a word, each knew what the other was thinking. Both of their thoughts had turned toward their endless quest to restore the Shikon no Tama and destroy Naraku.

 

So much death, destruction and sorrow had followed the journey of the jewel long before their small group had ever become involved. Even in their short time together, they had suffered greatly for their goal. The Shikon no Tama had stolen something important from all them; taken something from each of them that they could never hope to regain. And all for what? No one knew how to destroy the jewel once it was whole. Could it be possible, despite all of their efforts and sacrifices that they would fail? That the Shikon no Tama would find its way into another's possession and begin the cycle of horror once more?

 

Kikyou's life was lost because of the damned thing, Inuyasha thought bitterly. Even though I couldn't save her, I continued to fight. A small breath ghosted over his skin, eliciting an involuntary shiver from the disheartened hanyou. Am I really willing to go on if I lose Kagome as well?

 

“Get some rest, Inuyasha,” Miroku pleaded, breaking the silence as he stood slowly. “Kagome-sama wouldn't want you to make yourself sick with worry.”

 

“If I were the one on the ground right now, Kagome wouldn't leave my side.” Inuyasha tightened his hold on the sleeping miko and shook his head. “I won't leave until…” he choked on his words and the truth that lay hidden just below the surface. “I won't leave.”

 

He didn't hear Miroku's departure, just as he was deaf to the group's soft cries of despair or the gentle sounds of their slumber. His entire focus was on the girl in his arms. Every beat of his heart called to her and every breath he took was a whispered prayer for her return. It was killing him to know that she was losing the will to fight - to live. With every passing minute, Inuyasha felt his despair for Kagome grow red with anger until he was nearly blind with rage.

 

“How could you do this to me?” he growled softly to the unconscious miko as he closed his eyes against the white-hot blaze of fury threatening to consume him. “After everything that we've been through, you're going to take the easy way out now!?” Clenching his fists tightly, he locked his jaw and resisted the urge to lash out. “You fucking coward -” his guttural voice sliced through the twilight, “-you're not going to leave me like this. Fight, damn it! Fight -!!”

 

Color exploded behind his closed lids and he nearly leapt to his feet in shock. Remembering the delicate cargo in his possession, he managed to avoid sending Kagome crashing to the ground, but just barely. His heart pounded furiously within him as he blinked rapidly and searched the surrounding area.

 

What the hell-?

 

For just a brief moment, he had seen…he had seen…something.

 

“Inuyasha-sama?”

 

He heard Myouga call for him but his attention was solely on the girl in his arms. In his brief vision he had been in human form, dressed strangely and talking to Kagome…but not where she was now. She was in a bed…and… He nearly groaned with frustration. It had been vaguely familiar, but he couldn't quite place what exactly he had witnessed. Before the hanyou realized what was going on, the image had disappeared.

 

“Inuyasha-sama! You're bleeding!”

 

Startled from his thoughts, Inuyasha turned his eyes toward his tightly clenched fist and was surprised to see several small drops of blood trickling from between his fingers. With a loud crack of his knuckles, he opened his hand to reveal the tiny Shikon fragment he had stolen from the invisible youkai. The shard was covered in his blood and pulsed in time with his racing heart, glowing an eerie purple in the fading twilight.

 

“I…” Inuyasha shook his head slightly as he closed his eyes once more. “I must have cut my hand when I-!!”

 

“I care about you, Kagome.” He watched as she shuddered slightly in his grasp, her arms unconsciously tightening around him. He could almost feel her tentative touch and the warmth of her breath on his skin. “Since the first time I saw you, I knew that you were special.”

 

Inuyasha watched with morbid curiosity as his human self held Kagome close as though she were the most precious thing in the world. To his utter shock, she melted against him in complete trust, giving herself to his counterpart as easily as she would have him. It wasn't until the bastard's hand began a slow path down her back that he snapped back to life. He didn't care who it was - even if it was some crazy part of himself - no one touched Kagome…

 

“Inuyasha! Inuyasha!”

 

“Damn it!” Inuyasha hissed as his eyes snapped open. To his surprise, he was on his side staring up at the concerned faces of his companions. “What-?”

 

“You lost consciousness!” Myouga squeaked frantically. “When I couldn't rouse you, I went immediately for help!”

 

“I saw her,” he whispered, pushing himself upright unsteadily. “I - Where's Kagome!?”

 

Miroku quickly knelt in the hanyou's line of sight with Kagome tucked securely in his embrace. “I have her, Inuyasha,” he soothed. “Tell us what you saw.”

 

“I saw myself and Kagome,” Inuyasha said as he shook his head in disbelief. “She was in a place that I recognize but I don't remember what it's called in her world. And I - I mean, he was holding her.”

 

“Who was holding her?” Sango's face twisted in confusion.

 

“Me!” Inuyasha wiped a hand wearily over his face. “I mean he looked like me when I'm in my human form.”

 

Sango and Miroku glanced at one another before lowering their eyes to the ground.

 

“I know what I saw!” the hanyou insisted. He stood and relieved Miroku of his cargo. “I saw her.” Ignoring the others, Inuyasha concentrated on soothing his agitated nerves by inhaling Kagome's familiar scent.

 

Clearing his throat, Miroku offered a small shrug. “I suppose it's possible,” he offered. “Inuyasha has always been able to sense when Kagome-sama has been in trouble.”

 

“True,” Sango added, “there is no denying that a connection exists between them.”

 

“Hm…” The three turned their eyes toward Inuyasha's shoulder where Myouga sat. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully as his eyes focused on some distant point behind them. “Could it really be possible?” he thought aloud. “I've heard of such instances but I never thought that it could work with so little effort…”

 

“What could work?” Inuyasha demanded. “What are you talking about?”

 

Shaking his head, Myouga stood. “We know that Naraku is attacking Kagome-sama in her mind, correct?” The others nodded in agreement. “Well, perhaps he is using Kagome-sama's connection with the Shikon no Tama to project into her mind.”

 

Sango's brows came together as she considered the possibility. “You mean like what Tsubaki did?”

 

“In a way,” Myouga said, “but instead of using Kagome-sama's blood, he used his own. Instead of controlling her physical form, he's manipulating her sense of reality, making her believe that what she is experiencing is real.”

 

Inuyasha growled softly in frustration. “What does that have to do with what I saw?” he asked impatiently.

 

Rubbing his chin once more, Myouga turned thoughtful eyes toward the hanyou. “The first time you saw something, what were you thinking about?”

 

Inuyasha frowned as he searched his memory. He had been holding Kagome and he was angry - so very angry that she giving in. He had shouted and then - “I was mad,” Inuyasha admitted, “with Kagome, with myself.” Closing his eyes, he sighed. “The rage just consumed me and then I saw a flash of light.”

 

“You cut yourself on the Shikon fragment.” Myouga pointed toward his injured hand. “I think that when your blood touched the fragment, you linked yourself to the delusion that Naraku created within Kagome-sama's mind.”

 

“But I knew it wasn't real and -”

 

“Unlike Kagome-sama, you and Naraku must be able to come and go freely because it is your blood that holds the magic,” Myouga interrupted. “I don't know exactly how it works but it must have something to do with your blood, the fragment and the connection that you have with her.”

 

Inuyasha opened his hand and stared curiously at the tiny shard in his palm. “So I can go into her head and save her?”

 

“Perhaps,” Myouga said warily, “but you must be careful, Inuyasha-sama! There is no telling how powerful this magic is or how unstable Kagome-sama's mind may become with so much interference.”

 

“He's right,” Miroku added. “This false reality could seem as real to you as our world. If you get hurt, perhaps your body will react like Kagome-sama's and you'll suffer physical injuries.”

 

Sango looked worried. “Not to mention that you don't know if your demonic powers would work in this alternate world.”

 

“We have to do something.”

 

The others jumped slightly as Shippou's voice caught them by surprise. He stood next to Kirara and rubbed the sleep from his eyes sadly. “Naraku wants her Shikon shard and if he convinces her that she doesn't need it - that she doesn't need us - she'll give it to him and then he'll kill her.” His voice wavered as he fought to contain his tears. “We have to convince her that we still need her.”

 

Inuyasha swallowed hard and closed his eyes. Kagome had been fighting Naraku on her own for several days and was clearly exhausted. Even if he could enter her mind, how could he convince her to find the strength to beat Naraku's magic? How could he make her understand how much they needed her - how much he needed her? He had spent the better part of three years denying his feelings for her, both publicly and within the confines of his own closely-guarded heart. Was he finally ready to open up in that way? Was it possible that he could allow another behind his defenses so soon?

 

He opened his eyes as Kagome shifted lightly and sighed. Tightening his hold, he stared into her face as though he were seeking reassurances in her slackened features. He wished she was conscious. Though he never told her, Inuyasha always depended on Kagome's gentle guidance to influence his decisions. Naïve and a little immature at times, the young miko was still wise and intelligent in her own way and on more then one occasion, she had prevented him from making a terrible error.

 

Was he really willing to lose her now because he was too much of a coward to tell her the truth?

 

“Myouga,” he finally said in a voice full of conviction, “tell me what I need to do.”

 

* * *

 

 

“What is the surprise?” Kagome asked hesitantly as Inuyasha pushed her down the hall in a wheelchair. She couldn't stop herself from squirming impatiently in the padded seat. It was the first time since the beginning of this ordeal that she had felt at all comfortable. Inuyasha's presence had always had that effect on her.

 

Chuckling lightly, the handsome doctor leaned down slightly and planted a small kiss to the crown of her hair. “If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise,” he chided lightly.

 

Kagome continued her nervous fidgeting. “But I hate surprises.”

 

“Don't get too worked up.” The wheelchair came to a gentle halt as Inuyasha moved to the front and knelt before her. Her tired heart warmed at the look of concern on his handsome face. “You're still badly injured and I don't want you to put anymore stress on your body.”

 

Kagome blushed as Inuyasha took her hand and placed a tender kiss on her abraded knuckles. Oh, how she loved this gentle and affectionate side of him. It was definitely something she could get used to seeing. She knew that hanyou Inuyasha cared about her, but it was nice that this Inuyasha was so open and honest about it. She hated guessing what he was feeling under all that brooding intensity. “I'll be careful,” she said breathlessly. “I promise.”

 

“That's my girl,” he chuckled again, kissing her fingers one last time before placing her hands in her lap and standing. “It's good to see you so alert and pleasant today, Kagome.” The wheelchair began its gentle glide forward once more. “Usually, you are terribly distraught and upset when you return from your `episodes'. You hurt yourself and others and we are forced to restrain you until you slip back into your delusions.”

 

Closing her eyes, Kagome tried to block out his words. With every passing hour it grew harder and harder to maintain the will to fight and convince herself that she wasn't crazy. Everything just made so much sense. She had never believed in youkai or hanyou until the day she fell through the well. Why had she so readily accepted the concept of time travel and magical beings? Could she really just have fallen ill from the stress? Losing her father had been hard but she had coped by diverting all her energy to her schoolwork. She would be the best student. She would go to the best high school. She would make her family proud again. Had she really cracked under the strain?

 

“Here we are.”

 

Opening her eyes, Kagome held her breath as her eyes swept her surroundings and a warm breeze caressed her skin. A beautiful garden stretched out before her, complete with a small stream and an old well. The fragrance of the blooming roses was heavenly in the glow of the setting sun and for the first time in this strange reality, Kagome felt completely at peace. She always loved the beauty of the sunset. Blinking rapidly to disperse her tears, she curled her hands in her lap and fought the urge to cry. Her nervous gaze landed upon Naraku as he sat comfortably on a bench and to her surprise, he graced her with a warm smile.

 

“How are you doing today, Higurashi-san?” he asked pleasantly as he sipped a cup of steaming tea. “You are looking well.”

 

“Thank you,” she mumbled, lowering her eyes. She found that she simply didn't have the energy to argue with him.

 

Inuyasha pushed her toward a bed of fragrant lilies and turned her chair to face Naraku. “She is doing very well,” he answered and took a seat beside her on another bench. “Higurashi-san is lucid and calm today. It's a pleasant change.”

 

“I'm so glad!” Naraku replied, looking genuinely happy. “I have prayed for this day for many years, Higurashi-san. It would give me so much pleasure to release you from this hospital. You are such a bright young woman and I know you would do well in whatever endeavor you chose to pursue.” Turning toward Inuyasha, the doctor grinned. “Did you set up the surprise?”

 

Nodding, Inuyasha grinned as well. “They are on their way here as we speak.”

 

Chewing her bottom lip nervously, Kagome switched her gaze from one doctor to the other. “Who?” she squeaked.

 

A soft noise drew their attention and Kagome turned toward the entrance to the gardens. Her lips curved into an involuntary smile as her mother's tearful visage entered her line of sight followed by her brother and grandfather. She knew she had missed them, but nothing could prepare her for the way she would feel upon seeing them again. It had been so long since she had seen them last. So very, very long!

 

“Kagome?” her mother squeaked, before launching herself into her daughter's outstretched arms. “By the gods, Kagome, is it really you!?”

 

“I'm here, Mama,” Kagome answered, biting the inside of her cheek to keep from sobbing openly. “How have you been?”

 

Shaking her head, her mother gently traced her features with a trembling hand and smiled through her flowing tears. “How have I been?” she echoed with a chuckle. “That doesn't matter, Kagome. How have you been? Oh, we've missed you so much!”

 

Unbidden, the tears welled in Kagome's eyes. “I've missed you as well.” She smiled at her brother and grandfather. “I've missed all of you.”

 

“Dr. Naraku says you are getting better, Nee-chan,” Souta said softly. “He says you could be coming home soon.” The hopeful shine in his eyes nearly broke her heart all over again.

 

“Soon, Souta,” she said with a nod. “One way or another, I'll be coming home soon.”

 

“That's good to hear,” her grandfather piped in. “I'm getting tired of making up acceptable excuses for your absences.” He folded his arms and cut her a fierce glare. “If this keeps up, I'll just have to tell everyone you've gone stark, raving mad!”

 

“Jii-chan!!” her mother exclaimed with exasperation, standing swiftly to glower at him. “Please!”

 

Kagome couldn't help herself and laughed uproariously. Oh, how she had missed her family! “Thank you,” she said to Inuyasha as she wiped tears of mirth from her face. “Thank you so much for arranging this.”

 

He grinned in response and nodded once more toward the garden entrance. “Do you think that is all I arranged?” he asked, smiling at her curious expression.

 

Kagome's jaw nearly dropped into her lap as Sango entered followed by Miroku and…Kohaku!? The elation she had felt at being reunited with her family vanished as the terrible memories accosted her once more. “Kohaku-kun…” Kagome murmured as her eyes filled with fresh tears. Placing her arms on the side of the wheelchair, she tried to push herself to her feet. There was no way he could be here. She had watched him die! Struggling to breathe, Kagome desperately tried to extract herself from the chair and reach the young boy. She had to prove to herself that he really existed.

 

“Kagome, no!” Inuyasha's delight turned to concern at the sudden change in her mood. Moving swiftly to her side, he desperately tried to restrain her. “You mustn't overexert yourself!”

 

A gasp escaped her lips as she felt a small hand grasp her own. “Kagome-san,” Kohaku begged softly. “Please do not harm yourself further.”

 

The young girl froze, her eyes full of tears as she studied the face of the taiji-ya boy. “It's not possible,” she choked. “You died. I watched as Naraku pulled the fragment from your neck.” Tears spilled down her cheeks and rained on their clutched fingers. “I watched you t-take your l-last breath!”

 

Wiping tears from her own eyes, Sango fell to her knees beside the hysterical girl. “No, Kagome-chan,” she said with a wavering voice, “Kohaku is fine. He never died, never suffered such horrors. You hold yourself responsible for something that never happened!”

 

A small movement caught her eye and she squinted through her tears as another figure stepped into the garden. When she recognized the blurred person, she released another sharp gasp of disbelief. “K-Kikyou?” Now she knew she was crazy. This could not be happening!

 

“No, Kagome-san,” the young woman blushed, “my name is Tsuki. I was your roommate when you first arrived.”

 

Furiously rubbing her eyes, Kagome frowned. “No, I-”

 

“I was here because I abused drugs,” the Kikyou-look-alike continued. “I was so terrible to you in the beginning because of the withdrawals. I'm not surprised you didn't like me.”

 

Kagome whimpered softly. This was too much. “You d-died too,” she choked. “I watched your body crumble away…”

 

“My old self is dead,” Tsuki admitted shyly. “Naraku-san helped me to leave my old life behind. I am a new person, Kagome-san. He contacted me and asked that I come to show you that you can get better. You can become a new person too.” Tsuki smiled. “There is a beautiful world full of wonderful experiences out there just waiting for you.”

 

Releasing her hand, Kohaku stood and moved to his sister's side. “You don't have to feel guilty anymore,” he said. “You don't have to be afraid to live again.”

 

Kagome buried her face in her hands and sobbed brokenly. Could it really be true? Could everything she had experienced - everything she remembered - in the last three years truly be only a delusion; a chemical imbalance brought forth from a repressed sense of guilt? Oh, the cruel irony of it all! Had she really risked three years of her life for a lie? Had she even risked her life at all? She hated the doubt that now plagued her fragile heart.

 

“Listen to me, Higurashi-san,” she felt Naraku kneel by her side and place a comforting hand upon her shoulder, “it's okay to be angry with him. It's okay to hate him. When you finally understand the root of your pain, your delusions will fade away.”

 

Still shaking from her sobs, Kagome lifted her head. “What are you talking about?” she whimpered. She knew what he was about to say but everything inside of her hoped that she was wrong. It was too soon. She wasn't ready to deal with this! Naraku couldn't even know this!! Curling her hands into fists, she stared up at the doctor with both fear and a silent challenge burning in her eyes. “Who?”

 

“Your father.”

 

Kagome froze. No. This wasn't happening. And yet, it had to be real! She had never spoken to anyone in the Sengoku Jidai about her father. NO! This was just a dream; a break from reality. Was it possible to have a complete breakdown while already suffering from a complete breakdown!?

 

“No, no -”

 

“He killed himself and left your family to suffer from the shame and the dishonor,” Naraku pressed on. “It's okay to hate him! You love him but you hate what he did to you and your family!”

 

Kagome clutched the sides of the wheelchair with white-knuckled strength as her most hated enemy exposed the deepest confines of her broken heart. It wasn't possible! She had never even told her family how she felt about her father!

 

“After his death, you plunged yourself into your studies,” he continued, “you forced yourself to become the very best at everything; to regain the honor for your family that your father so carelessly threw away. You hated him for being so weak. You worked hard to become someone that your family could be proud of.”

 

“Stop,” Kagome whispered, her throat tightening with every poisoned word that spilled from his lips. She felt rather than actually saw her mother's tears and the sorrow in the air was nearly suffocating. “Stop.”

 

“You became the top student in your class, worked hard to get into the best school in Japan and still you felt like a failure. You still felt unworthy of your mother's undying love.” The doctor moved to kneel directly in front of her, forcing her to look into his burning eyes. “You wanted to become something more; someone important, so you developed this fairytale about the Shikon no Tama and a magical place filled with magical beings.”

 

“Please stop -”

 

“In your desperation, you created an entire world, Higurashi-san. A world in terrible danger; a world that only you could save. It was a place you felt cherished and loved. It was a place where you could bring your fantasies to life and give faces to your anger and your inner demons.”

 

“Please just stop!!” Kagome shrieked as she launched herself from her chair with the full intent of attacking her nemesis. Naraku looked startled as he leapt from harm's way and Inuyasha rushed to her side as she collapsed brokenly into the grass.

 

Pulling the sobbing girl to his chest, Inuyasha threaded his hands soothingly into her hair and gave the doctor a pleading look. “Enough, please,” he said softly. “You may have pushed her too far.”

 

Naraku wasn't listening as he stared at the defeated girl on the ground. He had finally broken her. He had felt the moment her fragile sanity had snapped like a whip upon his skin. Carefully, as not to expose his true intent, Naraku basked in her choked cries and whimpers. He was so close now. Only a little more and the completed Shikon no Tama would be his forever.

 

“You are upset because it makes perfect sense,” he said in a much more soothing tone. “Just look, Higurashi-san. Use your newly-opened eyes and look again at the world around you.”

 

Kagome clutched the front of Inuyasha's lab coat with a desperation unlike anything she had ever felt before. For the first time since she had fallen down the well, she doubted her motivations and her very sanity. On many occasions in the past, she had fallen victim to various illusions and tricks but she had always been able to spot the inconsistencies of those worlds. Never before had an illusion's logic made such perfect sense. She was a smart girl and her brain worked over the doctor's words tirelessly, finding no fault in his brilliant analysis.

 

She could only come to one, horrifying and logical conclusion: she was certifiably insane.

 

But didn't it stand to reason that the crazy didn't know they were crazy? Then again, hadn't she thought for three years that this illusion of the Sengoku Jidai were real? If that were case, then perhaps she hadn't always known she was crazy. Her head began to throb as she closed her eyes in frustration.

 

“Look around, Kagome,” she heard Inuyasha breathe lightly into her ear. “Look around and tell me what you see.” His arms tightened around her as he gave her both his comfort and his strength. “I will be right here by your side.”

 

Grasping one of his large hands in her own, it took more strength than Kagome knew she possessed to open her eyes and glance warily at her surroundings. Tears gathered on her lashes as she watched Sango continuingly slap Miroku's hands away from her curves. At the same time, Kohaku giggled madly and cheered the lecherous monk on in his hopeless endeavor. Tsuki stood to the side, talking quietly with Kagura, both looking alive and at peace; an expression that had never graced the features of either Kikyou or the wind witch in the past.

 

And then there was her family; her wonderful, beautiful family that had loved and supported her throughout this entire ordeal. The family she hadn't seen in nearly six months. She had missed them all so much! Mama was just as beautiful as she remembered and smelled of flowers and spices from the kitchen. Souta had grown rapidly since she had seen him last and had become quite a handsome young man. He would break many hearts soon if he hadn't already. And Jii-chan was…Jii-chan; constant and ever-steady Jii-chan.

 

“Why do you continue to torture yourself?” Naraku's voice drifted through her thoughts. “Your family loves and misses you very much. Kohaku, Tsuki and Kagura are all alive.” His voice softened. “Why would you want to go back to a world with so much pain and death? There is a new life waiting here for you, Higurashi-san, if only you would release yourself from the crushing bounds of your delusions.”

 

Tears cascaded down her cheeks as she closed her eyes and leaned against Inuyasha's broad chest. As much as she tried to deny it, Kagome wanted this world with every fiber of her soul. It was frightening that she was ill and in a hospital but in this reality no one had died. Here, Miroku was mentally ill, but his life wasn't in constant danger from kazaana. Sango never lost Kohaku and should she ever feel the desire, she and Miroku would be free to be together without the fear of his cursed hand. Countless of innocent lives hadn't been sacrificed because of her carelessness with the Shikon no Tama and she didn't have to live with the constant guilt of things she had done years ago.

 

She wouldn't have to choose between two worlds.

 

She no longer had to live in Kikyou's shadow.

 

She no longer had to fear Naraku.

 

It was a world where she could have everything she had ever wanted. It was a world where she could have her hanyou's entire heart. It didn't matter that he wasn't hanyou in this reality. All that mattered was that he was his same, handsome and caring self.

 

Inuyasha lifted her into his arms and stood. “I'm taking her back to her room to rest,” he said to Naraku. “I think this has been enough for one day.”

 

Naraku nodded and gave her a small smile. “Think about what I said, Higurashi-san,” he murmured soothingly. “This life can be yours if you would just release yourself from your delusions. You have the power to save yourself.”

 

Whimpering, Kagome buried her face into Inuyasha's shoulder. She breathed a small sigh of relief when she felt him move. “I'm sorry,” she whispered, biting her lip to hold back her racking sobs.

 

Without missing a step, Inuyasha glanced down at the girl in his arms and graced her with a soft smile. “Sorry for what?”

 

“For being such a burden,” she replied. Though she was sure she had exhausted her well of tears, more managed to spill down her cheeks. “Since I have known you, in whatever life you've existed in, I've always been a burden.”

 

“Don't say that!” he hissed angrily and paused, tightening his hold on her body and staring intently into her wide eyes. “You have never been, nor will you ever be a burden to me, Kagome.”

 

Blushing fiercely, she lowered her face to hide behind the lank curtain of her hair. Her heart ached with sorrow and disappointment when she felt him gently bend and place her feet upon the ground. He hates me too, she thought sadly. No matter what life it is, I never can seem to do right by Inuyasha. I don't deserve him in either reality. Lifting her head to apologize, she was more than shocked to be met with a warm set of lips.

 

Her eyes widened as she felt him gently nip at her abused bottom lip, begging silently for a response, but all she could do was remain frozen in astonishment. Kagome had always thought she would melt into a puddle of wanton goo if Inuyasha ever embraced her like this. Now, however, faced with the reality of the situation, she felt completely inadequate and out of place. With a Herculean effort, she pulled away and stumbled back a few paces with her fingers to her moistened lips.

 

“What's the matter?” he asked breathlessly, dropping his hands to his side. “Did I frighten you?” His eyes burned with a mixture of fear, concern and smoldering passion. The intensity of his gaze was nearly frightening.

 

Trembling, Kagome remained rooted to the spot, her fingers gently probing her tender flesh. “You-you kissed me,” she whispered. Licking her lips slightly, her knees nearly buckled beneath her weight. Kami, she could still taste him.

 

“I…I'm sorry, Higurashi-san,” Inuyasha stammered with a blush. “I've wanted to do that since the moment I first laid eyes on you.”

“Really?” Her eyes locked with his and she involuntarily found herself wanting to drown the in depths of his heated gaze. How did he always have this affect on her? “But, why me?”

 

Taking a chance, the doctor moved forward and pulled Kagome to his chest. His fingers tangled in her hair and tilted her face to look up at his. “Why not you?” he breathed heavily, his gaze moving from her eyes to her lips. “You are the most beautiful woman - both inside and out - that I have ever known.”

 

Chuckling, Kagome tried to shake her head but found she was nearly immobile in his grasp. “How can you say that with a straight face?” she scoffed. “In your world, I'm crazy.”

 

“In our world,” he corrected. The backs of his fingers trailed lightly down her damp cheek. “And you're not crazy, just a little lost right now.” Inuyasha cupped her chin and gently traced the seam of her lips with his thumb. “I would do anything, Kagome; I would give anything to be the one to bring you back from your self-imposed dungeon.”

 

Frightened by the hunger that shone through in his impossibly dark eyes, Kagome squeezed her own shut and tried to close her aching heart. She was weary of fighting as her mind wanted nothing more than to accept its fallacies and move on. “You can't,” she choked. Her protests were growing weaker by the minute. “You aren't real. You're just part of whatever illusion I'm trapped in.”

 

“You don't believe that and you know it,” Inuyasha whispered in her ear. She shivered as he tenderly tucked a stray tendril of hair back in place and tickled her throat with his scalding breath. “You are doing what you always do when faced with an emotionally challenging decision.”

 

“And what is that?”

 

“You pretend it isn't real.” She felt his lips ghost over her collar and she nearly melted on the spot. “You think you don't deserve this and so you pretend that I am an enemy. It makes it easier to reject me.”

 

Kagome's eyes flew open. “I-”

 

“Listen to me, Kagome,” Inuyasha sighed and pulled back to gaze deeply into her eyes. “You are a beautiful and wonderful woman. Any man would be lucky to be the one to share in your life.” With a finger under her chin, he tilted her face up further. “Why do you insist on punishing your heart when all that you desire is right in front of you?”

 

She opened her mouth to protest but changed her mind and relented with a soft sigh. “I don't know,” she admitted.

 

“At least you are being honest now,” he chuckled, cupping her cheek and wiping away her tears with a soft touch. His own eyes watered as he stared into hers and for a moment, Kagome thought he had never looked more devastatingly handsome. “If you were to get better, we could be together.” His other hand came up to cup her other cheek as well and he cradled her face as gently as if he were holding the most precious china. “I want more than just a doctor/patient relationship. I want to give you everything you've ever wanted and the love you felt you've never deserved. I want to hold you in my arms for the rest of my life and wake up every morning in the glow of your sunny smile.”

 

Her eyes watered yet again as the words she had longed to hear for three long years finally passed his lips. It didn't matter that hanyou Inuyasha would never say such things. Why did this have to be an illusion? Was it so difficult to believe that Inuyasha could actually love her? Why did part of her want to return to the world where he constantly hurt her and his heart forever belonged to another?

 

“Dr. Naraku says there is a way for you to get better,” Inuyasha's voice broke into her thoughts. “That you could verbally release yourself from your delusions and perform the first step to getting well again.”

 

Swallowing hard, Kagome gave a small nod against everything that screamed against it inside of her. “If I relinquish my responsibility to the Shikon no Tama,” she said shakily, “if I gave it up of my own free will, it would extract itself from my heart.”

 

Inuyasha kissed her forehead tenderly. “There is no Shikon no Tama, Kagome,” he soothed. “But if saying the actual words will help you get passed the delusion of a cursed jewel then perhaps that is it a wise decision to help you move on.”

 

Kagome's heart clenched painfully as though the shard itself were rebelling at the idea. Hanging her head, she closed her eyes and fought a fierce internal war. What if it really was all in her head? What if it all really was just a delusion? The more she thought about what had happened over the past three years, the more Naraku's words filtered through those thoughts and made such perfect sense. Her `adventures' had started on her fifteenth birthday, the one year anniversary of her father's death. Could she truly free herself by simply giving up?

 

As if reading her mind, Inuyasha tilted her chin to stare into her eyes once more. “You aren't giving up,” he stressed, tenderly tracing her bruised jaw. “It takes incredible courage to admit you have a problem and to face it head on.” His eyes sparkled with unshed tears. “I know you have that courage, Kagome. I know you do.”

 

“I'm scared,” she admitted, biting her lip.

 

“I know,” he answered. “But I'll always be here for you. I will never leave your side.” He bent low until his lips hovered just above hers. “I will protect you with my life and I will love you until the day that life is taken from me.”

 

Kagome's eyes slid closed as his lips touched hers once more. The tiny part of her brain that still resisted fell silent as he nibbled gently on her lower lip. Tired of fighting, tired of being alone, tired of living a life for everyone but herself, Kagome gave in to the desires of her heart and tangled her hand into the hair at the nape of his neck. Parting her lips, she deepened the kiss, pulling him harder against her even as she slipped a seeking tongue through his small gasp of delight. His immediately found and tangled with hers as he wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her against him.

 

Ignoring the need for breath, Kagome moved her mouth over his, drinking from him as though she were dying of thirst. She had waiting three years to do this - to feel this - and she was determined to make every last second count. She was unaware that he had moved forward until she felt the cool tile wall at her back. Instinctively, she wrapped her legs around his waist, tangled her hands in his silky hair and held on for dear life.

 

He groaned against her lips before moving up her jaw and settling on the point directly above her pulse. Kagome's head nearly slammed back into the wall as her eyes rolled to the back of her head and the heat of his breath washed over her sensitized skin. “Inuyasha,” she whimpered breathlessly, panting as he continued his sensual assault on the curve of her throat. “We can't…not here…” Even as the words left her lips her hands forced themselves through the lapels of his shirt and viciously parted the fabric to expose his smooth skin for her exploration.

 

Breathing raggedly, Inuyasha nipped an ear before moving his lips down her neck once more. One hand left the curve of her hip and slipped beneath the hem of the hospital scrub to brush gently against the fluttering skin of her belly. Kagome almost fainted at the sensations that washed over her body at such a simple touch and with renewed vigor she growled softly, leaning forward to drink a line of sweat from his collarbone.

 

“Kagome,” he groaned once more. Shaking his head in an attempt to clear his thoughts, Inuyasha carefully lowered her to the ground and took one shaky step back. “Please, forgive me -”

 

“No,” she whimpered softly, unwilling to believe that he could back out now. He couldn't! Her fragile heart would surely shatter to a million pieces if he said those damning words now! Snagging the sleeve of his coat, her eyes begged him to accept her. “Don't tell me that you regret it. Don't tell me that we can't do this.”

 

Chuckling, Inuyasha swept her into his arms. He ignored her surprised squeak and hurried down the darkened corridor in the direction of her room. “It isn't that,” he whispered as she curled into his chest. “I just don't think we should do this here or now.”

 

Kagome took in his mussed hair, red face and missing buttons with a bright blush. What was the matter with her? Three years of pent-up sexual frustration and she nearly tried to eat the guy in the middle of a hospital hallway? “I don't know what came over me,” she said, lowering her eyes in humiliation.

 

“Don't be ashamed,” he chided softly, nudging her cheek with his nose. “I don't regret it and I am pleased you feel as strongly for me as I do you. Once you are well again, Kagome, I promise to make you mine in every way.”

 

Tears sprang to her eyes at his declaration even as a blush painted her cheeks. “You really mean that?” she asked as he entered her room and laid her gently upon her bed.

 

“With all my heart,” he said softly, watching as she slipped beneath the sheets and settled against her pillow. Pulling the blanket to her chin, he leaned down to kiss her softly. He reaffirmed his promise with the gentle glide of tongue, teeth and lips before moving to kiss her forehead. “I love you so much, Higurashi-san. You get some rest and we'll talk more in the morning.” Smiling softly, he left the room and closed the door behind him.

 

Giggling into the dark, Kagome's heart felt lighter than it had in years. “He loves me,” she whispered to the shadows, rolling the words around her tongue before releasing them to the night. “Inuyasha loves me. Me!!” Feeling overwhelmingly exhausted from her emotionally straining day, she rolled to her side and snuggled contentedly into the mattress.

 

Within minutes, her breathing had evened out and she was fast asleep. Kagome had been so consumed by her joy that she had failed to notice the faint outline pressed tightly into the corner of her room. Rising to its full height, the shadow growled low and disappeared from sight.

 

* * *

 

“Inuyasha!”

 

“Is he all right!?”

 

“Inuyasha! Are you awake!?”

 

With a loud groan, the hanyou rolled to his side and pressed one clawed hand into the grass. “Quit yelling!” he barked as he vigorously shook his head and blinked to clear the vision from his eyes. As long as he lived, he knew he would never forget the sight of Kagome tangled in another man's arms; kissing him with more passion and fire then she had ever shown him…

 

“What happened?” Myouga asked as he hopped madly in the dirt. “Inuyasha-sama!? Did you see, Kagome-sama?”

 

“Yeah, I saw her all right,” the hanyou hissed, startling his companions to silence. “And I think it's safe to say that she's a lost cause! I think she's perfectly happy in her fucking illusions!” Standing, he snarled viciously as he leapt away, “I think we should leave her right where she is!!”

 

The others watched as he disappeared into the trees, too stunned to even go after him. What could he have possibly seen that would make him turn his back on the one person that meant the most to him?

 

“Kagome's going to die, isn't she?” Shippou sobbed as he slumped brokenly against Kirara. “We're going to lose her.”

 

“Don't say that,” Miroku snapped. Whatever had happened, he planned to get to the bottom of it. Naraku was a master at twisting reality until it became so distorted it was unrecognizable. The houshi was sure that whatever Inuyasha had seen, it was not as it truly was. The trick was to get the hanyou to realize his mistake without breaking his pride.

 

“Go, Houshi-sama,” Sango whispered through her tears. “He'll listen to you.”

 

Gracing the group with a small smile, Miroku nodded and followed after the distraught hanyou.

 

* * *

 

 

A thunderous crash rang through the night air as another ancient timber was felled by the murderous claws of a furious hanyou. Staring out at his handiwork, all Inuyasha could hear was his youkai blood pounding furiously at his temples as his eyes bled red and his claws lengthened. How could she? He had been so worried, so frightened for her only to discover that she was just fine in her little alternate reality. Inuyasha hadn't felt this betrayed since the day Kikyou had put an arrow in his heart.

 

Snarling, he spun and another massive tree surrendered to his strength. He wanted to maim, kill…do anything that would wipe the vision of Kagome clinging to that man from his mind. He couldn't identify what bothered him more: the sight of Kagome, her eyes closed and her legs wrapped firmly around the male's waist as she kissed him with all the fervor she'd kept from him or the sound of her beautiful voice as she had gasped his name at the pinnacle of her pleasure. Closing his eyes, he growled as he imagined Kagome in the throes of passion. He knew it was a sight he would never forget for as long as he lived. She had looked so beautiful it had broken his heart.

 

“The forest weeps from your cruel mistreatment of its timber, Inuyasha,” Miroku said softly, drawing the hanyou's crimson stare in his direction.

 

Cracking his knuckles, Inuyasha growled menacingly at the object of unwelcome interruption. “Go away,” he snapped in a voice both feral and wild.

 

“Not until we discuss what happened when you were in Kagome-sama's mind.” Though he was nervous about Inuyasha's near transformation, he stood his ground. Kagome's life might very well depend on the outcome of this conversation.

 

The volume of the hanyou's growls increased and his eyes darkened with rage. “There is nothing to `discuss',” he bit out bitterly. His fangs were lengthening by the minute and though he realized he was losing control, he could no longer find the strength to care. Kagome's betrayal had cut him deep and all that was left was to give in to his baser instincts and shield his broken heart for the rest of eternity. First Kikyou and now Kagome… He would never trust another.

 

“Listen to yourself, Inuyasha!” Miroku pleaded, leaning his weight wearily on his shakujou. “Whatever it is that you saw, Naraku is behind it! Did you stop to think that maybe it wasn't as it appeared!?”

 

Faster than Miroku could follow, Inuyasha was upon him. In the blink of an eye, the hanyou had the houshi pinned by his throat against the broken trunk of a large mahogany tree. “You don't know what I saw!” Inuyasha roared, squeezing the fragile neck that was trapped beneath his claws. “She was kissing him! She was clinging to him like a…a…whore!!”

 

Gurgling, Miroku grasped Inuyasha's wrist and tried to reopen his airways but the hanyou was completely oblivious to his struggles.

 

“Naraku wasn't controlling her,” the hanyou spat. “Everything she was doing to him was all of her own free will! And trust me when I say she didn't look like she was suffering too much at that bastard's hands!” He suddenly noticed the houshi's desperate expression and dropped the choking man to the ground. Lowering his head in shame, Inuyasha felt his youkai recede as the weight of his actions pushed down upon his shoulders. He had let his rage consume him and Miroku had almost paid a terrible price.

 

“Are you…d-daft!?” Miroku gasped, clutching his injured throat. He fought the urge to cringe in fear when Inuyasha turned his smoldering gaze back to him. “This is Naraku we're talking about! Have you forgotten how he operates?”

 

“Naraku wasn't controlling -”

 

“Naraku needs Kagome-sama to give up her Shikon fragment of her own free will,” Miroku interrupted. His anger was painfully obvious in his tone as he rubbed his neck and glared at the hanyou. “Wouldn't it be safe to assume that he is trying to make her feel comfortable and safe in this different reality he has her trapped in!?”

 

Inuyasha snorted. “Yeah, she looked pretty comfortable to me.”

 

Glowering at the dense hanyou, Miroku shakily rose his feet and retrieved his shakujou from the grass. “You said before that you saw yourself holding Kagome-sama in your vision. While it wasn't you, even you said he looked much like you do in your human form.”

 

Turning his head, Inuyasha tried to ignore the houshi's logic. “So?”

 

“So doesn't it stand to reason that Kagome-sama could perhaps think that this `human' Inuyasha is really you?”

 

“No,” Inuyasha scoffed. “Why would she do such things with me?” He suddenly had to leap away as Miroku's shakujou sliced through the air directly where he had just been standing. “Oi! What the hell was that for!?”

 

“Fifty-some years later and you're still making the same stupid mistakes,” Miroku growled. “You've already fallen victim to him once before because you couldn't see past a stupid illusion! Now you will lose Kagome-sama because you are blinded once more.”

 

“What are you talking about -?”

 

“Think!” the houshi hissed. He had always defended the hanyou when the others had called him dense. Now, however, he was forced to reconsider their previous claims. Miroku had thoroughly had it with idiocy his companion was currently displaying. Perhaps Inuyasha had no interest in saving Kagome's life, but he sure as hell wasn't going to just sit back and leave her in the clutches of their most hated enemy! “Naraku must be showing Kagome-sama a world where she can be happy. A world where she doesn't need to be burdened with the responsibilities of the Shikon no Tama and a world where all her desires can come true.” He paused as his intense gaze burned into Inuyasha's. “He must be showing her a world where she can finally be loved by you.”

 

Breathing hard, Inuyasha took a small step back. “Why would she desire that?”

 

Miroku scoffed and transferred his shakujou from one hand to the other. “If you truly do not know by now that Kagome-sama is deeply devoted to you, then you are more thick-headed then even I realized.” His eyes darkened as a wave of sorrow washed over his heart. “It seems that your stubbornness has finally reaped dire consequences, my friend. Your fear of loving Kagome-sama is going to be the very thing that destroys her.”

 

“Listen here, Monk -”

 

“No, you listen, Inuyasha.” Miroku's eyes hardened into twin obsidian stones. “If Naraku convinces Kagome-sama that she would be happier there, in her delusion, then here with us, he will gain the complete Shikon no Tama and she will surely die.”

 

Inuyasha swallowed the sudden lump of guilt and trepidation that rose in his throat.

 

“But if you can get past your insecurities and your irrational fear of falling in love again, then perhaps you can save her…and yourself.” He closed his eyes and moved his free hand to a prayer pose in front of his face. “I fear for her safety, Inuyasha. For the first time since I've joined the two of you, I actually fear that you will not do the right thing.” Turning with a swish of purple robes, Miroku left the quiet hanyou to his troubled thoughts.

 

Inuyasha watched him go until he was no longer visible against the dark horizon. His heart ached terribly and his claws twitched with the urge to destroy more of the forest. Instead, he sighed and slumped to the ground. Miroku was right. He had spent the last three years pushing Kagome away and shielding himself against any affection she sent in his direction. Was it any wonder she lost herself to a world where someone would finally show her all the love she truly deserved?

 

“Kagome,” he muttered dejectedly, burying his face in his trembling hands. “Now that you've had a taste of what it's like to be cherished, how am I ever going to convinced you to return to me?”

 

* * *

 

“Master?”

 

Naraku closed his eyes and allowed a victorious smile to lift his lips. After all the time and effort spent planning and executing such a complex scheme, it was almost regrettable to see it end. So much had been discovered from the mind of the young miko! He could hardly wait until she was merely a broken shell and he could use her unexplored knowledge for his own, twisted plans. His eyes burned bright in the darkness of the room, reflected from the light of the mirror as he turned toward the emotionless child seated before him. “Kanna,” his voice was soft and musical, “it is time.”

 

“Yes, Master.”

 

* * *

 

Kirara snuffed softly and curled her transformed body around the weeping figures of her companions. Sango and Shippou clutched one another, both comforting and drawing strength from their combined embrace. Myouga gave in to his own sorrow and wept bitterly from the perch of Sango's shoulder as Miroku leaned against the fire-cat and prayed frantically for his lost friend.

 

“Let us continue to hope,” he whispered without conviction to the deaf ears of his companions.

 

* * *

 

Kagome stirred and opened her eyes as a strange sensation tickled across her wrist. Glancing down, she cracked a wide smile at the figure seated on her bed who was currently branding a fiery path up her arm.

 

“I was wondering when Sleeping Beauty would finally awaken,” Inuyasha murmured as he placed another lingering kiss upon her flushed skin.

 

Blushing furiously, Kagome said, “I believe it was the kiss of true love that finally revived the lost princess.”

 

“Ah, so it was.” Inuyasha grinned before swooping down to claim her lips in a heart stopping kiss. Both were breathless when he finally pulled away. “I hope that was sufficient.”

 

Sighing, Kagome felt like melting into the mattress. “That was more than adequate, my prince.”

 

Chuckling softly, Inuyasha helped her to sit up and placed a clean set of scrubs by her side. “It's time for you to get dressed,” he said. “Dr. Naraku says you have a very big day ahead of you.”

 

Though she tried to hide her apprehension, Inuyasha noticed the slight tremor of her hands as she quickly pulled on her clean clothes. “I don't know, Inuyasha,” Kagome confessed as she lowered her eyes. “This has all happened so fast. Maybe I'm not ready to -”

 

“Trust me, Kagome, you're more than ready,” he interrupted with a quick peck on her cheek. “And though you say this has happened fast, you must remember that in this reality, it's been three years.” His eyes gleamed with a sudden lascivious light. “Kami, Kagome, it's been three long and lonely years.”

 

Blushing furiously, Kagome lightly punched his arm. “Lecher,” she teased. Her heart suddenly ached as she recalled another affectionate pervert. Miroku's face danced in her memories and she swallowed hard against the lump that had suddenly formed in her throat. He isn't real, she reminded herself firmly. You're never going to get better if you keep thinking about all of them as being real! You'll never have Inuyasha if you don't pull yourself together!

 

“Is something wrong?”

 

Kagome turned her head and smiled at the concern she could see brimming in his beautiful brown eyes. She was still a little unused to this side of Inuyasha, but it was something she could definitely learn to enjoy. This was the side of him that she had fallen so deeply for: his protective and tender nature. Although it was always there in hanyou Inuyasha, it was often overshadowed by his rough words and indifferent attitude.

 

“Kagome?” His frowned deepened.

 

“No,” she answered. “I'm just thinking.”

 

A relieved smile brightened his face. “You'll have plenty of time for that later,” he said, taking her hand and placing it in the crook of his elbow. “Let me take you to see the doctor now.”

 

Nodding, Kagome took a step forward and nearly stumbled as a flash of silver and red skirted just to the side of her peripheral vision. Her heart began to pound as her thoughts strayed to a certain stubborn hanyou. It seemed that real or not, he was impossible to put completely from her mind. No, she told herself. This is just my cruel imagination trying to confuse me! If I give in, I'll never get this done! I have to be strong!

 

She felt Dr. Inuyasha tug her hand and she reluctantly followed him down the long and suddenly gloomy corridor. Though the sun shone brightly outside the massive building, the interior seemed to capture the darkness and cast shadows within its confines. Her eyes skirted from one object to another as she slowly walked at her doctor's side.

 

“Kagome…”

 

Turning at the sound of her name, she nearly choked at the vision that met her wide eyes. Inuyasha - hanyou Inuyasha - stood just to her right, dressed exactly as she remembered with an expression she had never before seen upon his face. He actually looked scared and lost; almost as if he were torn and confused. Never before had he appeared so vulnerable.

 

“Inu…Inuyasha?” she whimpered, involuntarily tightening her hold on the arm in her grasp.

 

“What is it?” Dr. Inuyasha asked, pausing to look in the direction that held her intense interest.

 

He can't see him!? Panicking slightly, she blinked several times and tried to make the red-clothed hanyou disappear. Or appear. She didn't care which one as long as it proved that she wasn't crazy. “Don't you see him? It's you…hanyou you. It's Inuyasha from the Sengoku Jidai…”

 

“That apparition isn't real,” the doctor coaxed, laying his hand on top of hers. “Just close your eyes and he'll go away.”

 

“I won't,” hanyou Inuyasha replied, placing one clawed hand upon Tetsusaiga. “I'm not an illusion and I'm not just something you can wish away, Kagome. I'm more real than that bastard you're clinging to and I've come to bring you home.”

 

“But…I -” Kagome stammered as she stared between the two men. Both stared back, pleading with their eyes to be the one she truly saw. How could this be happening? Now that she was so close to obtaining everything she wanted, how could her mind be so cruel as to do this to her now!? Was she never going to find peace!?

 

“Kagome, listen to me,” hanyou Inuyasha spoke. “I know that you're confused and scared but you have to believe what I'm about to tell you.” He took a deep breath, his eyes begging her to understand; to trust him. “Remember that arrow that the archer youkai shot you with? Naraku poisoned you. It helped him forge a connection to your mind so he could twist reality and make you believe you were crazy.”

 

“No,” Kagome whispered, her knees shaking slightly. “No, no, please no -”

 

“You aren't crazy!! Everything that you've been through in the past few days has been nothing but a very life-like illusion; a product of your own imagination.” He swallowed hard, forcing himself to stare at her troubled expression. “All this time you've been unconscious. The others have been worried sick over you.”

 

Kagome paled, her jaw dropping a bit in disbelief. The doctor cringed as he felt her go rigid beneath his touch. “What is happening?” he demanded, placing his hands on her shoulders and turning her to face him. “What do you see?”

 

“Inuyasha…” she whispered as tears spilled down her cheeks. Though he became blurred by her tears, the hanyou remained real and painfully visible. “Oh, kami, I see Inuyasha.”

 

“You only think you do,” the doctor encouraged. “You have the strength to stop your delusions. Just will him away and he will vanish.”

 

Growling softly as the doctor lightly touched Kagome's cheek, Inuyasha tightened his grip on Tetsusaiga's hilt and valiantly fought the urge to rip her away from his human counterpart. If he gave in to his anger, he could lose Kagome forever. “Naraku is after the shard in your heart!” he shouted desperately. “He's trying to make you believe that we are all fake so he can steal it from you!”

 

Kagome's eyes slid toward him but her face remained blank. He shivered at her dead expression and searched for something to say; someway to reach her. His eyes darkened and his voice dropped as his pain clearly shone through. “That deceptive bastard has given you what you've desired in the hope that you will choose this false reality and give in. I know you can still fight him, Kagome. You just have to believe me. You have to believe!”

 

“I don't want to,” Kagome finally spoke, moving away from the two Inuyashas. “Do you hear me!? I don't want to! I'm tired of fighting and sacrificing so we can wake up and do it all over again! I'm tired of watching the people I care about die around me and being too helpless to do anything about it!!” She choked on a sob as her knees nearly buckled beneath her. If it hadn't been for Dr. Inuyasha's quick reflexes, she would have collapsed at his feet. She slumped into him as he offered his support and strength.

 

“Kagome -” Inuyasha growled.

 

“Don't you understand!? I'm so tired,” she said brokenly. “I'm so tired of being afraid.” Her tears pattered softly to the ground. “I'm so tired of being alone.”

 

His heart broke at the sorrow that he heard in her voice. Everything that Miroku had said had turned out to be true after all. Inuyasha had pushed Kagome so far away that he had pretty much abandoned her and left her to fend for herself. Over the years he had successfully kept her safe from bodily harm, but it really didn't matter much anymore. What good was a healthy body if the spirit had suffered and died? It seemed that Inuyasha had overlooked something important and vital when it came to Kagome: he had failed to protect her heart.

 

Guilt curdled his stomach and seized his lungs, suffocating him under its wave of cruelty. He had never realized how much he had isolated her until now and it was too late to try and fix his mistakes. How had he not seen what he was doing to her? Was he so self-absorbed that she had literally been withering away right under his nose? Kagome was a young mortal woman; a miko. Even if she was without a title, it was in her nature to give of herself and love unconditionally. She needed love and affection in return. Her very soul depended on it. By keeping her completely out of his heart and away from her family, Inuyasha had been leading her toward a slow and painful death. Only the sheer size of her loving heart had kept her alive this long.

 

“What is going on here?”

 

The three turned to see Naraku making his way down the long corridor. Feudal Inuyasha instantly tensed. “You bastard,” he growled, tightening his hold on Tetsusaiga's hilt with white-knuckled fury. His rage mounted as their enemy looked straight at him and gave him the smallest of malevolent sneers. Even though the villain was playing along with this masquerade, Inuyasha knew that Naraku could see him.

 

“It's Higurashi-san,” Dr. Inuyasha said urgently, his concern evident in both his voice and his expression. “I'm afraid she's suffering from another episode.”

 

Turning his attention to the distraught young woman, Naraku's brow wrinkled as he searched her wide, tear-filled eyes. “Should I call for Nurse Kagura?”

 

“No,” faux-Inuyasha shook his head. “This episode is different. She can see an apparition but she is lucid and aware.”

 

Naraku nodded, studying the trembling patient. “Higurashi-san, you must listen carefully to what I'm about to tell you.” He waited until she shifted her eyes to focus on his face. “This is the first step in your recovery. Though you are suffering from a delusion, you are aware of the real world. Your brain is starting to recognize and differentiate between fantasy and reality.”

 

“You…you really can't see him?' she asked shakily.

 

“No, Higurashi-san,” he shook his head, “there is no one there.”

 

Inuyasha drew Tetsusaiga and growled at the fake doctor. “You bastard!!” he shouted. “You're lying! I know you can see me!!”

 

Kagome stared in wide-eyed silence as Inuyasha's weapon transformed in front of her. “Tetsusaiga,” she whispered as tears trickled down her cheeks. Her head hurt terribly, but it was nothing compared to the ache that swelled within her weary heart.

 

Having heard her defeated utterance, Dr. Inuyasha turned her in his arms and forced her to look into his eyes. “Kagome,” he pleaded, “this is your subconscious's last effort to hold on to its delusions.” He gently traced her jaw. “The life you've always dreamed of is right in front of you. All you have to do is want it.”

 

“No!!” Kagome flinched as hanyou Inuyasha's shout tore through the air. Her eyes slid toward him as she struggled to separate the two in her mind. “Kagome, I know that your life with us isn't easy, but it is real! We are real. The Shikon no Tama is real!” The tip of Tetsusaiga hit the ground as his voice dropped to a low growl. “It's true that lives have been lost and we've all suffered from our mission, but we can't give up. You can't give up!”

 

Her knees shook at the beseeching expression upon Inuyasha's face. He had never looked at her like this before. Never…

 

“This is how Naraku works. He uses people's feelings, he twists reality.” Inuyasha looked away and his own voice wavered slightly. “He defeated Kikyou by making us betray each other so long ago. Don't let him fool you too.”

 

“I'm not Kik-”

 

“I know, Kagome.” His eyes found hers once more and the earnest look on his face stole her breath. “It's not about that. This is about you.” He lifted one clawed hand as though he wished nothing more than to touch her. “This is about you and how much we need you. How much I still need you.”

 

Her breath left her in a whoosh and she nearly felt dizzy from the sudden rush. Although she had waited so long to hear those precious words, she had still been unprepared for the effect it would have upon her. Perhaps she really was crazy. There was no way that Inuyasha had just told her how much he needed her. In front of other people, no less. The only occasions that Inuyasha ever really opened up was when they were both in danger or he was human. A fierce headache bloomed behind her eyes.

 

Fuming, Naraku clenched his fists and struggled to keep silent. If he argued with the hanyou's words, he would reveal that he could see Inuyasha and the illusion would be broken. He just needed to hold out a bit longer. The foolish miko was swiftly cracking under the emotional strain. It wouldn't be long before he could make his final move and be rid of them both for good.

 

“Kagome -”

 

“Stop it! Just stop it!” she shrieked, ripping herself from the doctor's grasp. Shaking her head wildly, she pressed her fists to her forehead and backed away from the twin Inuyashas. “Just both of you shut up for a minute and let me think!”

 

Naraku stepped forward slowly and placed a gentle hand upon her shoulder. “Higurashi-san,” he called lightly.

 

She tensed under his touch before finally giving in to her emotional turmoil. Sobbing loudly, she shocked herself and all those around her by turning to Naraku for comfort. “Make it stop,” Kagome pleaded pitifully. “Shake me, drug me…kill me if you have to, but just make it stop!” Her voice shook with the force of her sorrow. “I just don't want to deal with it anymore. I just want it to be over!”

 

Hanyou Inuyasha wanted to die as he listened to Kagome beg their most hated enemy for relief. She wanted Naraku to end it all. How had come to this? She had been suffering for so long and Inuyasha had been too blind and selfish to notice. Never had he imagined that Kagome was so conflicted and it hurt him terribly to know that she had carried such a tremendous amount of sorrow alone.

 

Biting her lip, Kagome's eyes widened in horror as the doctor Naraku placed a jeweled dagger in her trembling hand. “What -?”

 

“What do you see?” Naraku asked.

 

Blinking through her tears, she stared down at the wickedly gleaming weapon in her hand. “I see…I see a knife.”

 

“There is nothing in your hand.”

 

She felt the slight sting on her flesh as she closed her fist tightly around the shiny metal. She was truly mad. It felt like there was an actual weapon in her grasp. Her concept of reality was so shattered she couldn't make heads or tails of anything anymore.

 

“What you are seeing is what your subconscious mind is allowing you to see.” Naraku's voice penetrated her thoughts and she lifted her eyes to study his expression. “You want to get well, Higurashi-san, so your mind is supplying you with the means to help rid you of these troublesome delusions.”

 

Shivering, her eyes found the knife once more. “How?”

 

Resisting the urge to grin, Naraku took a small step back and folded his arms. “You have to destroy your illusion,” he explained. “Slaying the illusion with an imaginary weapon is a symbolic gesture of ridding oneself of their delusions. It is the first true step toward your recovery.”

 

Hanyou Inuyasha paled as the situation grew clear. Though it wasn't an arrow, it was an age old story for the unlucky hanyou. Kagome was being made to kill him with her own hand; something that would surely destroy not only him, but her as well. What hurt him the most was that he could do nothing to spare her from this terrible choice. Attacking Naraku or even the fake Inuyasha would be fruitless as none of them could be wounded within Kagome's illusion. The only person that could suffer true physical pain was Kagome herself and Inuyasha knew without a doubt that he could never do anything that would hurt her. He would have to pray that she would find the truth before it was too late. He wasn't sure if she could harm him in her delusion, but this wasn't the way he wanted to find out.

 

“I…I have to…kill him?” she stammered in disbelief. Could she even do it? Kagome was unsure she had the heart to hurt him, even if he was merely an illusion.

 

“You wouldn't be killing anyone,” Naraku soothed. “He is merely a product of your overactive imagination. It is more of a symbolic gesture.”

 

Kagome remained rooted in place, her chest heaving with the effort to draw air into her starving lungs. Her blood beat at her temples in time to her racing heart as she tightly gripped the knife and waged a war within herself. How could she choose? And if she did choose, how could she be sure that she made the right decision?

 

Opening her eyes, she saw both men. In that instant, she suddenly understood Inuyasha's conflicted emotions whenever it came to Kikyou. One of her Inuyashas wasn't real and she couldn't have them both. Having to choose between them was killing her inside and she held a new appreciation for the hanyou's struggle these last few years. Unless he isn't real, she suddenly thought. Unless the love triangle I've been placed in is of my own making.

 

Her gaze slid toward her hanyou and she chewed her lip as she studied his ragged appearance. Though as handsome as ever, he appeared a bit exhausted and strained. The bright brilliance of his amber eyes was dimmed and his shoulders sagged as though they held the weight of the very world. The brazen and loud mouthed hero she had grown to love was gone and in his place was a broken and defeated hanyou.

 

What kind of life was waiting for her if she chose to go back? More death? More sorrow? A place where she was crippled with guilt and bent under the weight of her responsibilities. A world where Sango and Miroku couldn't be together because of his wretched curse and where she could never have Inuyasha's love because of his devotion to the dead. Kagome closed her eyes. A world where she felt that in either era, she didn't truly belong.

 

Opening her eyes, tears trickled down her cheeks as Dr. Inuyasha graced her with a devastating smile. Blushing, her lips tingled as she recalled the feeling of his mouth upon hers. It had been nothing short of a dream come true. Though she was ill, she could get better and then she and Inuyasha could be happy together. There was no Shikon no Tama here; no deaths associated with it and therefore, no reason for her to feel guilty. Miroku wasn't in danger, Sango's family was still intact and she knew without a doubt that she could be content here.

 

“Inuyasha.”

 

The two men blinked at the sound of their name.

 

“Do you love me?”

 

“Of course I do,” the doctor replied without hesitation. “I've loved you for a long time, Kagome, and if you let me, I will love you until the day I die.”

 

Her hopeful gaze turned toward the hanyou but he found himself unable to speak. The moment of truth had come and everything that Miroku had warned him about echoed relentlessly within his mind. Desperate, Inuyasha opened his mouth but his voice refused to sound. Say it, he shouted at himself, burying his claws within the flesh of his palms. Tell her or you will lose her! His heart pounded wildly and his stomach churned as the silence between them grew into an impassive abyss. Drawing a ragged breath, his eyes widened in realization. Even now, when she needs me the most, I let her down. How can I ask her to come back when I can't even say what is in my heart?

 

“Make your decision, Higurashi-san,” Naraku insisted, his voice cutting through the thick silence. Once she kills the hanyou, the shard will extract itself and I will have the complete Shikon no Tama!!

 

The hand that held the knife dropped harmlessly to her side as she lowered her head and slowly shuffled to the doctor Inuyasha. The hanyou's heart sank and his eyes watered as he witnessed her final decision. I've lost her, he berated himself. I was a coward and now I've lost her. Determined to do right in his final moments, he sheathed Tetsusaiga. His foolishness had destroyed Kagome and he would stand still and accept his `death' if that was what she desired. It was the least he could do.

 

“Kagome,” the doctor murmured as she came into his arms.

 

With tears trickling down her cheeks, she pulled his head down to meet her lips. “I love you,” she breathed against his sensitive skin, causing the handsome doctor to shiver in delight. “I've loved you for so long.”

 

“And I love you,” he whispered, drawing her tightly against his chest. Threading one hand into her silky hair, he gently stroked her back and tried to calm her down. His brow wrinkled with concern as her body shook with the force of her sobs. “Kagome, what is the mat -!?”

 

“I wanted it to be you,” she cried in grief as she pulled away from his embrace. “Oh kami, I wanted so badly for it to be you!”

 

Dropping his jaw in disbelief, he stared down at the hilt of the dagger protruding from his chest. A crimson stain blossomed on the front of his lab coat and swiftly grew until blood dripped from the jewel encrusted handle. Wracked with pain, the doctor gasped and fell to his knees, clutching the weapon with both of his gore-stained hands. “Ka…gome,” he gurgled through a mouthful of blood.

 

“I'm sorry,” she sobbed, dropping to her knees before him. Cradling his face gently between her hands, she leaned forward to place a tender kiss upon his forehead. “I'm so sorry…”

 

“I…would have…loved you,” he gasped. Shuddering for the last time, Inuyasha went limp in her embrace and she sobbed in agony as she gently nestled his head and rocked rhythmically to a nameless tune. “I'm sorry. I'm so sorry,” she chanted as she showered his blank features with her tears of misery. She was so lost in her sorrow that she didn't notice Naraku's sudden disappearance nor felt the hanyou's presence as he crouched down beside her.

 

To say he had been stunned would have been an understatement. It had been eerie watching her plunge the dagger into the chest of his counterpart; almost as if he had been witnessing his own death. While he was relieved she had chosen correctly, he couldn't help the ache in his heart at the absolute misery that radiated from the little miko.

 

“Kagome,” Inuyasha said softly, his chest clenching painfully at the dead look in her beautiful eyes. He hated that expression. It was as if a piece of her had perished right along with the fake doctor. “Let's go.”

 

“Leave me alone,” she answered, stroking the doctor's dark hair lovingly. She paused to wipe a smear of blood from his cheek. “Just…just let me mourn him for awhile.”

 

“Kagome -”

 

“I said leave!” Her eyes flashed as she practically snarled her response. “Damn it! I killed him with my own hands! Is it too much to ask for a moment to honor his memory!?” Turning away, she presented him with her back and continued her gentle rocking.

 

Stunned, Inuyasha stood and stared down at her bent form. He didn't have the heart to bring up the fact that the person she held so lovingly in her arms was only her imagination. Fake or not, the Inuyasha that had died had by far been the better of the two men. “How will you find your way back?” he asked softly.

 

“I'll find it,” she replied, closing her eyes. Nodding his acceptance, he stood and willed himself back to reality. As his corporeal form faded from view, he barely caught her strangled whisper, “I always do.”

 

* * *

 

“Inuyasha? Inuyasha!”

 

The hanyou growled and shook his head as his conscious mind fought to break through to the surface. It took so much energy to travel back and forth between realities. He could only imagine how taxing it had been for Naraku to maintain the illusion for so long.

 

“Well?” Shippou asked impatiently. “What happened?”

 

Unable to meet their questioning gaze, Inuyasha shifted his eyes to the motionless form of the young woman lying beside him. “She's fine,” he answered cryptically.

 

“Fine?” Sango repeated in disbelief. “After all that, you just come back and tell us she's fine? Why isn't she waking up? What happened!?”

 

Ignoring the others, Inuyasha rose shakily to his feet. He needed to get away. Somewhere high; where he could make sense of his conflicting emotions. Without so much as a glance in Kagome's direction, he turned and made his way toward a nearby stream. Perhaps a cool drink might soothe his nerves. If nothing else, he could clean himself up after he relieved his stomach of its contents.

 

“Inuyasha? Inuyasha!” His friends' voices blended into one as he continued his slow, shuffling walk toward the bank of the stream.

 

“What happened to you!?” Miroku asked, stepping in front of him to block his forward progression. “Why won't you talk to us?”

 

“Leave me alone,” he answered grumpily. Kami! What would it take to get a little time to himself?

 

“Not until you tell us what happened?”

 

“I hurt her, okay!” he shouted in response, clenching his hands into tight and bloody fists. “I tried to help her and protect her, but in the end I did what I always end up doing: I hurt her.”

 

The others stilled. “You hurt her?” Sango questioned.

 

“Not physically,” Inuyasha sighed. “Then again, maybe physically. I don't know anymore.”

 

They were interrupted by Shippou's tearful cry. “She's gone!” he sobbed, rushing into Sango's outstretched arms. “She woke up and just took off! When I tried to follow her, I ran into a barrier!”

 

Inuyasha nodded and wiped a hand over his weary features. “I'll go,” he said softly. “It should be me.” To his surprise, the others didn't protest but merely watched as he made his way toward the misty surface of the warding. His heart twisted in turmoil as he approached Kagome's barrier and hoped with every fiber in his being that it would allow him to pass through. It didn't shine with purity and light like it normally did, but rather resembled a dull and smoky haze. Was it a reflection of her mood? Or perhaps her powers were responding to her own inner turmoil.

 

With a deep breath, Inuyasha stepped through the barrier and was suddenly assaulted by the heavy scent of sorrow and fresh tears. Kagome was undeniably within the warding and she was most definitely upset.

 

It didn't take long to find her. She sat on a large, flat boulder with one foot dangling in the cool waters of the stream. Slowly, so as not to startle her, he made his way toward the shore and sat beside her on the rock's surface. A warm breeze brushed by them both, lightly ruffling their clothing and hair. Kagome's scent wafted past his nose and he resisted the urge to cringe at the utter sorrow that tainted her normally pleasant fragrance.

 

Mustering up all his hanyou courage, he turned toward her. “Kagome-” he began.

 

“Shh,” she interrupted, gesturing toward the brilliantly colored sky. “This is my favorite time of the day.”

 

Closing his jaw with an audible click, he nodded and stared out at the sunset. It was the first one he had shared with her in a very long time and the sudden urge to pull her into his arms startled him a bit. His hands twitched but he managed to keep his claws to himself.

 

“The mind is a strange thing,” she chuckled softly, breaking the silence. He watched as she brought one hand up to touch her swollen cheek. “Even though I never physically suffered from the accident, my mind believed I did and forced my body to respond.” She dropped her hand.

 

Inuyasha didn't say anything. It was difficult to even look at her. For the first time, he actually understood how Kagome had felt all these years. As the two of them sat and stared out at the beautiful sunset, Inuyasha couldn't help but wonder if she was there with him or if her mind was occupied by thoughts of the handsome doctor. Somehow, he felt as though he had been compared to an illusion and had come up terribly short. Did Kagome always feel as though she were second to Kikyou?

 

“I almost did it,” she continued, not looking at anything in particular. Inuyasha wasn't sure just who she was talking to but he felt obliged to listen. “I almost chose him. Even if Naraku would have killed me, I would have died knowing I was loved.”

 

He remained silent, hating himself for being unable to protest to her words.

 

“It would have been an insult, you know.” Kagome drew her knees to her chest and wound her arms around her legs. “Kikyou, Kohaku-kun and all the others that have sacrificed their lives; it would have been a great dishonor to them if I had given up.”

 

“I wish I could tell you that everything would be okay from now on,” Inuyasha said, finally breaking his silence. “But I would be lying. I don't know what the future brings.”

 

Nodding, Kagome closed her eyes and rested her head against her knees. “I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable with my question.”

 

Inuyasha, do you love me?

 

His chest tightened as he recalled the pleading expression that had graced her features. “I wish you could have found another way to prove that I was real,” he answered gruffly.

 

She chuckled softly. “I wish I hadn't needed to ask you anything,” she admitted. “I wish I could have just known.”

 

The full implication of her words rocked the hanyou and once more he was rendered speechless. It was true. He had shattered her faith in him so much that she could no longer be sure of what he truly felt. Hanging his head in defeat, Inuyasha suddenly wished that he had been the one that Kagome had plunged a dagger into. He certainly deserved it. Their trust, their friendship, even their connection had been thoroughly abused. It would take a long time to recover from this and become comfortable with each other once more.

 

“It's late,” Kagome said softly, lifting her head and opening her eyes. “I know the others must be worried sick.”

 

Nodding, Inuyasha stood and helped her to her feet. “Kagome,” he said softly, grasping her fingers in his own. “Wait.”

 

She paused to listen and he could feel the slight trembling of her hand.

 

“How did you know?” he asked, lifting his head. For some reason, it was absolutely vital for him to understand. “How did you know I was the real Inuyasha? I didn't say anything.” He wanted to lower his head and allow his bangs to shield his shamed expression from view but he forced himself to face her. It was the least he could do. “I-I couldn't say anything…”

 

Turning, she lifted her eyes to meet his gaze for the first time since she had awakened. His face heated at the sight of her tears and the intensity that burned within her dark brown eyes. A small smile tilted her lips as she stepped forward and placed a cool hand upon his warm cheek, gently tracing his features.

 

“I saw it in your eyes, Inuyasha,” she whispered as tears slid down her face. “Even though you couldn't say the words, you told me with your eyes.”

 

Covering her hand with his own, he graced her with a soft smile. There was still so much that he needed to work through; so much that he needed to overcome. But though his voiced often failed him and his guarded personality usually complicated matters, he hoped his eyes would continue to shine with sincerity and express what was truly in his heart.

 

Even though he wasn't ready to tell her that he loved her, Inuyasha now knew that Kagome would always read it in his eyes.

 

* * *

 

Thanks again for reading!

 

Until next time!