Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Inuyasha. Those are the property of one Rumiko Takahashi. I thank her whole-heartedly for giving us such an amazing manga/anime to read/watch.

One Heart – Chapter 8

Kagome sighed and left her bedroom. She wanted nothing more than to get some sleep, but had a feeling it was going to be a sleepless night. She quickly walked to the bathroom, turning suddenly when she heard a noise behind her.

Human Inu-Yasha was behind her on the stairs, with his youkai counterpart just coming through her bedroom door.

"I don't need an entourage just to brush my teeth, " she complained as she stepped into the bathroom and quickly closed the door.

Inu-Yasha's two halves glared at each other and took a place on either side of the door. Neither was willing to trust the other with Kagome, and waited impatiently while she got ready for bed. She opened the door, frowning when she saw the looks they were giving each other.

"Don't forget what Mama said, you two. I'm going to bed." She turned and walked quickly back upstairs to her bedroom. She shook her head as she heard the two Inu-Yasha's following her.

Human Inu-Yasha quickly took his place on the floor by Kagome's bed, smirking at Youkai Inu-Yasha as he went to the window and jumped silently to the tree branch.

"Now, do you think you two can get along tonight? I really mean it, I need to get some sleep," Kagome yawned as she slipped under her blanket.

Youkai Inu-Yasha growled softly. "You better keep your hands off Kagome. She's my woman!"

Human Inu-Yasha moved closer to the bed and smirked. "Actually, she's mine. Even her friends know."

Kagome buried her face in her pillow. Things were really getting out of hand and she had no idea what to do. If she couldn't get his two halves to get along now, how was she going to be able to get them to agree to become one again? That is, if there was even a way to bring them back together. She could feel tears pooling in her eyes and tried to fight them. What if she couldn't get her Inu-Yasha back?

She struggled to shut out the taunts and threats the two threw back and forth for a while. Eventually, though, exhaustion claimed her as she fell into a restless sleep.

Kagome woke to the sound of her alarm. She groaned as she reached to shut it off, feeling as though she hadn't slept at all. She glanced down at Human Inu-Yasha who was still sleeping on the floor by her bed. One look told her that Youkai Inu-Yasha was awake and watching her from his perch in the tree outside her window. He quickly jumped into the room when he saw that Kagome was awake.

"Damn it, would you watch where you're stepping, you idiot?" Human Inu-Yasha glared up at his other half, who had just stepped on him as he slept on the floor. The two continued to argue as Kagome took out a clean uniform and fled to the bathroom to get ready for school. She was looking forward to the relative peacefulness of the classroom. They're worse than the boys at school, she thought to herself as she pulled her top on over her head.

When she finished dressing she brushed her hair and headed to the kitchen. The two Inu-Yasha's were already there. Human Inu-Yasha was gulping down a bowl of instant ramen that her mother had made for him while his youkai counterpart sat glaring at him.

"Good morning, Mama," Kagome said as she kissed her mother's cheek.

Mama looked at her, a concerned expression on her face. "Honey, are you feeling all right? You look a little pale, and there are dark circles under your eyes." Mama reached out a hand and gently placed the back of it against Kagome's forehead.

"I'm okay, Mama. Just a little tired," she sighed as she looked from one Inu-Yasha to the other. No wonder she was tired. When she had finally been able to fall asleep she had dreamt about the two fighting, just as they had been while she was awake.

"If you're sure," Mama nodded and then gave a stern look to the two Inu-Yasha's. She was sure they were the cause of Kagome's condition. She would have to make them sleep elsewhere if they weren't allowing her daughter to rest.

The two Inu-Yasha's continued their bickering while Kagome tried to eat breakfast. For some reason, she really wasn't hungry, and the more she tried to force herself to eat, the worse things tasted to her. Her stomach started knotting up again, forcing her to drink her tea and leave the solid food behind. She didn't notice Human Inu-Yasha leave the room while she checked through her backpack. When she was sure she hadn't forgotten anything, she glanced at the clock.

"I'm going to be late for school," Kagome gasped, grabbing her heavy book bag and slinging it over her shoulder. She ran to the front door and slipped on her shoes before pushing open the door and practically running into Human Inu-Yasha, who stood outside waiting for her.

"What are you doing out here?" She glanced around, fearful that his counterpart would start arguing any moment.

"I'm walking you to school," he said blandly. She noticed that he had put back on the blue jeans from the day before, only now he wore a dark blue t-shirt. She stared at him for a moment, unable to keep from thinking that he had looked better in the red shirt. Then again, she was used to seeing him wearing red most of the time.

Kagome shook her head. "I don't need an escort. I can get to school by myself," she called over her shoulder, pleading with her eyes that he not follow her. He took several steps towards her before stopping, his hands fisting at his sides as he looked past her. Kagome was too busy looking behind her to notice until she ran straight into him.

Youkai Inu-Yasha stood in front of her. He glared at his other half, ignoring Kagome as he stepped forward.

"Please, don't do this!" she begged. She could feel the tension between the two, but had absolutely no idea what to do to stop them from fighting.

They both turned and looked at her. Kagome was shaking, her eyes tightly shut as she tried to calm the fear growing inside of her. More and more she was beginning to worry that this was the way things would be from now on. There was no rosary to control him. There was no reasoning with him when he was split into two such different personalities. How could she not have noticed the conflict before this? Was this what went on inside of him all the time? Youkai versus human. He had wanted to become a full youkai, even to the point where he had tried to steal the Shikon no tama. Then he met Kikyou and was given the chance to become full human with the aid of the jewel. Was his hanyou self caught in this battle of his two sides?

Kagome glanced from one to the other, silently wishing for a miracle that would bring them suddenly back to her one Inu-Yasha. She missed his arrogant yet gentle manner. She missed the way he made her feel. She longed for those wonderful pointed ears that were now missing from the top of his head.

She turned and began to run towards the school. She felt her breath catch in her throat as the realization set in that this could be the way things would be permanently. Surely there would be no way to bring his two halves back together if they fought each other this much. That was assuming there would be a way even if she could get them to agree to it.

She could hear them following her, but they stayed behind. Kagome reached the school and dashed to the door, silently praying that she wouldn't be followed inside. She dodged several students to quickly get to her classroom where she dropped her bag and sagged into her seat. Funny how the room seemed so unfamiliar to her. After all her time in the Sengoku Jidai she felt like an outsider at times. Things that used to matter to her, like getting good grades and hanging out with her friends, paled in comparison to the issues of life and death she had to face on a daily basis in Inu-Yasha's time. And, now, those issues had invaded her time and she was at a loss as to how to deal with them.

Kagome didn't notice when the teacher entered the room. She was oblivious to everything around her as her own internal conflict came to light. Was her own personal struggle all that much different than what Inu-Yasha must have always felt? For her, it was being torn between two places, two times. Never completely fitting in at either place. She had been content to be a typical teenager before. But, that was not something she could be now. Too much had happened to her. She was not the same naïve girl who had been pulled through the well on her fifteenth birthday. Part of her belonged here, but there was a part of her that belonged back there, with Inu-Yasha and the others.

"Higarashi," the teacher's voice broke through her thoughts.

"Yes?"

"I was asking you a question. Do you think you can stop daydreaming long enough to pay attention to the lesson?"

Several of her classmates laughed while her close friends exchanged concerned looks. Perhaps Kagome was still ill and shouldn't have pushed herself to come to school.

Kagome quickly found where the teacher was at in the textbook and mumbled something that only made half-sense to her.

Apparently she was right, because the teacher nodded and proceeded to ask another student the next question.

She allowed her thoughts to wander back to Inu-Yasha. Through it all, he was the one thing that kept her going. She had finally admitted her feelings to herself. She was in love with Inu-Yasha. She knew he didn't feel the same way about her, but it hadn't mattered. Whether she was here or there, he was the one thing that made her feel connected. Both of her halves loved him. It didn't change whether she was here or there.

I need to find something that connects his two halves. Something that is strong enough to want them to come back together. Her hopes rose at the thought, only to be dashed when she realized what she would have to use to convince him.

Kikyou. While Kagome's heart belonged to Inu-Yasha, his heart still belonged to the miko he had known all those years before. The one who had been tricked with him into betraying each other. The one who had sealed him to the tree where Kagome had found and released him. The one who now wandered the earth in a reanimated body, vowing to drag Inu-Yasha to hell with her.

Kikyou. Surely if Inu-Yasha knew the only way to get back to his time and to Kikyou would be to come back together, both his halves would be willing.

Kagome felt a tightness in her chest. Kikyou was the one dark spot in her own heart. She knew why she felt the way she did, but it didn't stop it from hurting. Inu-Yasha would never stop loving Kikyou, no matter what she did. It didn't even matter that the miko was nothing more than a walking zombie.

Her eyes felt hot with unshed tears as she steeled herself for what she knew she must do. Her feelings were not important now. Helping Inu-Yasha was all that mattered.

The rest of the day felt like a dream to her. Her mind was anywhere but on her school work, although she managed to score well on the two exams she took. Somehow it all just didn't seem important. What mattered now was bringing Inu-Yasha's two halves back together, even if it meant giving up all hope herself of him ever caring for her the way she cared for him.

The final bell of the day rang, interrupting Kagome's jumbled thoughts. She lifted her bag, suddenly feeling like it was filled with rocks and not books. It was amazing how a person's perception of things changed when they knew their world was coming to an end.

Kagome trudged slowly from the school, feeling anything but eagerness at the plan she was about to put into motion.