Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha . . .
ROCK ON!!!
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"Kagome . . . the Shikon Jewel . . . it's been purified."
The young miko stared uncomprehendingly at the floating soul before her. "Purified?" she asked dumbly.
"Yes! Look!" Midoriko reached out and grabbed Kagome's hand, moving it closer to her face. The pure white light inside the Shikon Jewel glimmered brightly, slightly blinding the young miko's tired eyes. She pushed the Jewel away, setting it carefully back on the ground, and once again turned her attention to the body that lay next to her.
Midoriko's ecstatic mood slowly faded away as she watched Kagome tenderly hoist Inuyasha's head onto her lap, her slender fingers tracing the marks on his face. The priestess' eyes filled with tears as she watched her reincarnation handle the demon so lovingly.
"Kagome, I, I'm sorry," Midoriko said softly.
The young girl remained silent, her fingers still stroking Inuyasha's face. Her hand reached down and touched the arrow lodged in his chest.
Midoriko sighed, knowing that the next few things she was about to say weren't going to be easy on the girl. "Kagome, there are some things you should know."
Kagome's back remained turned to Midoriko, her hand intwining with Inuyasha's. "He was the fourth soul, isn't he?" she whispered.
The priestess took a deep breath, before answering, "Yes, I'm afraid so." The young girl shuffled around a bit, now turning to face Midoriko, Inuyasha's head still on her lap. Her face was pale, her skin stretched. At a glance, Kagome looked tired, worn, even dead. But her eyes shone with emotion, begging to know the truth. "Please, explain," she murmered.
Midoriko took a look around her. Kaede was staring at her wide-eyed, Myouga sitting on her shoulder with a passive look on his face. The monk was kneeling by Sango, Kirara in her embrace. Shippou was nervously peeking over Kaede's shoulder. The ancient miko nodded, and began.
"As I said before, the Jewel's real name is the Shikon No Tama, or Jewel of Four Souls. Four souls are intwined with it, forming a kind of cycle if you will. Each soul represents a certain attriute of existence: I, Midoriko, am birth, as I have given birth to the Jewel. Kikyou who lost her life protecting the Jewel is death." She frowned a little, as if to be contemplating a thought.
"Now, as of a year ago, those were the only two souls that were known to be connected. Then you came along, Kagome." She looked at the young girl, quiet and absentmindedly combing her fingers through Inuyasha's hair. "The Jewel was again reborn into you, thus you becoming the reincarnation of both myself and Kikyou. You were the second chance, the life of the cycle. "
"So now 3/4 of the Jewel's cycle was complete. Birth, life, and death . . . but who was the fourth? I myself didn't know, until tonight." She looked at the body in Kagome's arms. Sango gasped. "You don't mean . . ."
Midoriko nodded, before turning to the young girl. "The man who saved your life, the half demon who accompanied you while you retrieved the Jewel shards . . . Kagome, Inuyasha was the fourth soul. "
The young miko was silent. She looked at the demon's face, which was for once peaceful. "And what," she asked softly, "did he represent in the cycle?"
The ancient miko smiled compassionately at her reincarnation. "Love."
Midoriko turned, addressing the whole group. "The cycle of the Jewel: birth, life, love, and death, was completed tonight. Inuyasha showed his love to Kagome by sacrificing his life to save hers. Love and life go hand in hand, as does birth and death." She kneeled down, becoming level with the modern girl. "Do you know why he was able to save you?" she asked tenderly.
Kagome eyes glanced back down at the demon at her side, before shaking her head.
"When he wished to become a full demon, he asked the Shikon Jewel to let him keep his heart."
Everyone stared at Inuyasha's limp form. Kagome's eyes grew with realization, her bottom lip trembling with emotion. "So, wh-when he saved me . . . "
"It was his own decision. He knew exactly who he was protecting."
The young miko was startled at this new piece of information, her eyes brimming with tears. Oh Inuyasha . . .
"Mi-miss Midoriko?" a shaking voice addressed the miko. The priestess turned, smiling sweetly. "Yes, Shippou, you have a question?"
"Well, it's just that . . . how come the Jewel was purified when Inuyasha died? Myouga said that if he used the Jewel to become a human, then the Jewel would be purified . . ."
"Shippou!" Myouga squeaked, his face turning a faint red, "It was a theory! I wasn't exactly sure . . ."
Midoriko laughed. "It's okay, Myouga-sama, for in a way, you are correct. For the Shikon Jewel to be purified, it must be used by a creature with good intentions. If Inuyasha had chosen to become human to save Kagome's life, it also would've been purified. Now, in this case, Inuyasha used the Jewel to become a full demon. The theory is, once his transformation was complete, the evil inside the Jewel would double."
She turned to Kagome. "The thing is, Inuyasha asked to keep his heart, and it had a strange effect on the Jewel. The evil inside neither doubled nor diminished; it remained the same. If the Jewel had become ultimately corrupted, it would've turned black instead of remaining its purple color."
"When he jumped in front of that arrow to save Kagome, his wish became void. A full-demon's nature is to not feel, but by keeping his heart and sacrificing himself, the Jewel read his wish as one with good intentions. It was as if he turned full demon just to be able to protect you better, Kagome."
The young miko remained quiet, while the older continued. "Did anything happen to the Jewel, just before it transformed?"
"My tear . . ." Kagome said softly. "It dropped onto the Jewel . . ."
The miko smiled. "Ah, of course. As the Soul Protector of the Jewel, you acknowledged Inuyasha's wish to become a full demon to be good. Your tears were for him. They were tears of love. Love also happened to be the last missing piece to the cycle, therefore purifying the Jewel."
Kagome's mind whirled. So Inuyasha is the fourth soul . . . the Jewel is purified . . .
::FLASHBACK::
Kagome, I can't be true to you if I can't be true to myself . . . .
::END FLASHBACK::
Her thoughts were interrupted as the form beside her began to stir.
Inuyasha's body began to glow a white light, blinding everyone. A white mist separated from the demon and floated near Midoriko. A few seconds later the white light was gone, leaving Inuyasha in his full demon form, but the mist remained. Kagome looked curiously at it, before asking, "What is that?"
"Kagome!! You mean you don't recognize me?" the young miko jumped up as the mist spoke, before shaking her head furiously.
"Feh, stupid girl." Kagome's eyes widened. That voice . . .
"Maybe it would help if you would stop being so mysterious and show them your true form," Midoriko reprimanded gently.
"Eh, I guess." the mist began to transform, first into a pair of legs, then an abdomen with a sword, a strong torso, and a head with long silver hair and golden eyes.
It was Inuyasha. In his hanyou form.
"Inu . . . yasha?" Kagome whispered, her eyes wide and mouth open.
"That's me." Inuyasha turned to the young girl. "You think you'd have more to say to me, considering the fact that I did save your life," he joked teasingly.
Kagome gaped for a couple more seconds, before walking over to him and tugging a lock of hair. "Baka!! Why did you do that?!?!"
"Oww!! Do what?!?!" Inuyasha yelped.
"Jump in front of that arrow!! Now look what happened!!! You're . . . you're . . . " Kagome couldn't finish her sentence. Her anger that arose when she saw him quickly dissapated as she realized he wasn't alive.
"Dead." The hanyou finished for her, while Kagome nodded. He shrugged. "It was my choice." He turned to face Kagome directly. "I said I would always protect you, remember?" His eyes softened, as he reached out to touch her cheek.
She looked up into his eyes, before looking away. "You do know . . . that you killed Kikyou." Inuyasha sighed, "Yes, I know." He glanced at Kagome's sad expression before continuing, "But she wasn't the Kikyou I remember. The Kikyou I remember was kind, but she died a long time ago. The Kikyou I killed was no more than a mere shadow, a walking dead soul inside a clay pot."
He reached out and turned her chin towards him. "I have no regrets of what I did, Kagome," he said softly. They looked into each other's eyes, coffee-brown clashing with golden yellow. "Inuyasha!" Kagome cried, throwing herself on him and burying her face in his chest. The hanyou embraced her, stroking her head.
The others watched the heart-felt conversation with tears. They were all startled when Myouga burst out sobbing, "It's so beautiful!"
Inuyasha softly pulled away, before turning to his former retainer and rolling his eyes. "Myouga, you old geezer, stop with the sappy remarks!" he snapped.
Shippou cautiously approached the dog demon. "So if you're dead . . . what are you right now?" Inuyasha looked down at the kitsune, before replying, "This is my soul."
Midoriko cleared her throat. "You better say your goodbyes, Inuyasha. We should be going . . . you know," she said, motioning to the Jewel in Kagome's hand.
Kagome's throat tightened. "You're . . . not staying?"
Inuyasha turned to her, and shook his head slowly. "I'm dead. My time here is done." Turning away before he saw her tears, he hugged every person there, including Miroku and Shippou. To Myouga, a simple pat on the head with his finger and a thanks was all he gave.
"Shippou, Miroku, Sango, Kaede, Kirara . . . I guess this is goodbye," Inuyasha began. "Thanks for everything . . . never in my life did I ever imagine that I would end up with great friends like you." He watched as they began to wipe away their tears, before turning to Kagome. She was deathly pale, tears already flowing freely down her face.
"I won't say goodbye to you though, Kagome," he said. The young miko looked at him, confusion written all over her face. "Goodbye means 'never seeing' each other again," Inuyasha explained, before leaning in and kissing her on the cheek. "But I know we'll meet again," he said softly. He walked a few steps back, before waving. "Till then, Kagome!" he called, before turning into mist once again and disappearing into the Jewel.
Midoriko smiled, taking a few steps forward and hugging Kagome. "You'll see him again, Kagome, don't worry. There is no life without love, and no love without life," she whispered. Looking at the confused expression on Kagome's face, the priestess chuckled.
"You'll see what I mean one day." She stood back, and while waving, glowed a white light, before disapppearing completely.
Kagome stared at the places where Midoriko and Inuyasha once stood. She glanced at the Jewel at her hand, bringing it closer to her face.
"Till then . . ."
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AN: and the only thing left is the epilogue . . .