[Disclaimer: I do not own Inu Yasha or any of the characters related to him in fact, But, you knew that already, right?…]

Inu Yasha has finally killed Naraku, and acquired the final shards of the Shikon Jewel. But when the power of the jewel releases a frightening and terrible force, Inu Yasha is forced to confront what he truly desires in life.

What It Takes To Be Whole

Chapter 1: The Jewel

Inu Yasha stared into his reflection. A glimmer of rose-masked eyes shone back with greed and satisfaction. The shikon jewel was finally whole, and it, along with Naraku's blood, rested between his fingertips.

"It's beautiful," a gentle whisper echoed in the midst of the fiery, scorched battlegrounds. Kagome stood next to Inu Yasha, clutching her wound-riddled body.

"It's finally mine," Inu Yasha looked into Kagome's faint eyes and let Tetsusaiga fall helplessly into Naraku's blood. "Thank you, Kagome," Kagome forced a weak smile despite the unbearable pain. Softly she began to cry, although whether it was tears of pain or of joy, she'd never tell, and nor did Inu Yasha ask.

"Let's go home," she said. Another crystal tear caressed her cheek, losing its grace to a mix of blood and dirt. "Please. I can't stay here anymore." A cold wind blew the smoldering trees, lashing at the lifeless bodies that littered the ground. Among them, Naraku's blood lapped at Inu Yasha's feet. As much as he tried not to care, he was disgusted. The blood was cold, it was black.

"Hmph…" he muttered arrogantly. While he bent down to pick up Tetsusaiga, Kagome began to walk away, her silent sobs mimicking the echoes from the whistling wind. The battles for the sacred jewel shards had wrought nothing but tragedy.

"But I have the jewel…" Inu Yasha's victory was only a victory because of those words, but they were not Kagome's. To her, it was a sacrifice; nothing but a loss.

Everyone was dead.

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The real world gave little comfort to Kagome, and although Inu Yasha rested soundly atop the tree in the courtyard, she could not sleep. Her heart ached with guilt; and pain; and anguish. For the second time that night she began to cry again, underneath the shadow of a full moon.

"Kagome," a faint call sighed to her from behind her bedroom door. It was Inu Yasha.

"Come in," she replied, wiping away her tears. He slid the door open and closed it behind him. He seemed confused after looking at Kagome's tear stained face.

"Have you been crying again?" he asked boldly.

"How can you not cry?"

"What? Are you still upset about Sango, Shippo and the others?" Kagome threw the blanket over her head and ignored his negligence.

"Ohh man.." he whimpered. "Look Kagome, Naraku is dead. It's what they would have wanted. They were willing to risk their lives and they fought, and died, for what they believed in." Kagome stirred a little under the covers of her bed, and slowly revealed her face. She lunged in into Inu Yasha's arms and cried more.

"I miss them so much," she said through her tears. Inu Yasha pushed her away, avoiding the gaze of her heartbroken eyes.

"Yea, whatever," he said hastily. "I'm going to bed." And with that, Kagome was alone again, with only a chaste moonlight to fill her emptiness. Anger quickly filled the void, and she marched out of the house furiously, tears streaming from her. But when she got there, Inu Yasha was nowhere to be found. She ran to the well and cursed at the sky as it began to rain heavily. The door had been left open, and Kagome wasted no time diving in head first, anxious to reach the past. Her mind strayed from thought, and a bright light overwhelmed her. She was blind and deaf to all around her when finally, colours began to form and the ancient scenery of Feudal Japan appeared in front of her like it had done so many times before.

Inu Yasha was calmly standing far from the well, unaware that a distraught Kagome had appeared behind him.

"Inu Yasha!" she screamed. "What is wrong with you?!" Inu Yasha did not move, and that infuriated her even more so. She began to run toward him, when something happened to force her heart to sink. Inu Yasha fell limply toward the ground; lifeless. As angry as she was, her anger was replaced by the fear. She reached Inu Yasha quickly, dust stirred into the air from her sprinting. She shook him rapidly, and flipped him onto his back.

"INU YASHA!!" she screamed in panic. "NO, NO, NO, NO!" she repeated chaotically, blinded from her tears. "I can't lose you too! Please!" Kagome was lost. She had no idea what was wrong yet she felt that she was losing him. Her cries calmed when she noticed that his hand was clenching something, so tight that it his knuckles were white with strain. She slowly moved herself to open it, carefully with anticipation.

All of a sudden, Inu Yasha swiftly released a piercing scream. Kagome fell back from the sudden shock of the shriek. Energy began to blast violently from his body and tore him into the air. Kagome's eyes reflected her terror from the ferocity of Inu Yasha's frenzied actions. His body was pulsating with waves of power, as the wind began to blow sadistically. It felt as if the entire earth shook from Inu Yasha.

"Inu Yasha!!" she yelled to him. His eyes were completely white as if the blood had drained from his body. Kagome ran below him and screamed out his name again, hoping for some kind of response. She jumped aside quickly avoiding a shower of liquid that fell from the sky. No, it fell from Inu Yasha. Kagome covered her face to shield herself, and discovered to her horror that is was blood.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" Inu Yasha let out another cry, and the blood fell harder, thicker and faster. His body began to sear and split through the center. His hand broke open, and the resonating Shikon Jewel hovered above him. The cherry aura grew stronger, bathing everything in its power. And then nothing. Silence, and a dense shade was all that existed. Inu Yasha nowhere in sight, Kagome confused and deserted; it was as if time itself ceased to exist.

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When Kagome awoke, she was lying face down in the grass. The cool breeze was refreshing from the hot noon sun. She quickly tried to stand up, but slipped and landed again in the grass. Her body was covered in a hot crimson liquid, and she screamed horridly from the sight. She looked around frantically, hoping that Inu Yasha would somewhere be in sight. All she could see was Tetsusaiga, that stood pierced in the ground ahead of her. She looked behind it and… it was Inu Yasha! But something was… different, she could feel it. She wearily stood up, carefully watching her footing amongst his blood. She steadily walked toward him and when she finally knelt beside his bloody body she realized what was different. His silver hair was now black, like he was when he was a human. Kagome felt his pulse and knowing he was alive, thankfully she rejoiced. She sighed with relief, but it wouldn't last long. Another Inu Yasha laid not far from where she sat. What the hell was going on?!

Thanx for reading! Hahaha, wait till next time to see what just the heck has happened! Want a preview? Inu Yasha's attempt to become full demon failed, because something prevented it. And the Jewel has embedded itself within both of them. Half the power, half the Inu Yasha, No explanation; YET! Please review and tell me what you think. Thanx a bunch.