A/N: I know what some of you are thinking. Why change the rating to R because it hardly constitutes any elements of modern society's R ratings? But it's for safety, I'm sure you all understand. There's constant swear words and also consistent violence in earlier chapters and I don't want to risk the story being deleted after I worked on it for so many years. I'm sure it doesn't bother people that much.

Oh by the way, I lied to those who only read the last chapter's author's note, because I am splitting this chapter into two. So this is the ending chapter with the official ending. However, there will be a short epilogue to tie things up.

Disclaimer: Oh puh-lease?

Behind the Masquerade

End of Heartache


"How foolish your emotions are."

Inuyasha looked up, a sort of estranged glint in his eyes as his gaze fell upon an all too familiar figure. Through the obscuring darkness in his mind, he could feel some form of hope manifest inside --- a desperate clutch to the one chance left.

He slowly lowered Kagome to the ground, picking himself up while barely noticing that his wounds had begun to heal. He staggered over to one of the last people he would have ever expected to show up, an urgent plea now in his golden eyes. "Help her," he demanded, in a voice half cracked from pain and half from hopefulness.

The other person arched an elegant eyebrow. "Help?" he echoed, amusement almost reflected in the same colored eyes as Inuyasha. He almost seemed about to laugh at the mere suggestion. "What makes you think I'll help when I have never helped you in your life before, little brother?"

Inuyasha felt the hope slip, and the desperation once more took a hold. "Help her! This isn't about me! Save her! She didn't deserve this…she never deserved this!" he almost yelled, swiping his claws angrily in the air in frustration.

Sesshoumaru now looked generally amused, yet a grim expression was also evident in his facial features, his jaw set. "I am not a savior of mankind. I don't go around saving worthless humans who all don't deserve to die, but do anyway." He flicked a plain glance over to the dead girl on the ground, yet no pitying or genuinely good expression appeared. He looked at her simply as a random object. "I will not save her," he concluded, and turned around, his eyes apathetic.

"Why!?" Inuyasha demanded angrily, a slow ache washing over his chest. Sesshoumaru was the only thing left that could save her, and he refused to!? He wouldn't accept that. "You have to save her!"

Sesshoumaru's eyes hardened as he turned to his brother once more. "She betrayed you, she betrayed everyone, and she almost gave power to a complete monster. Tell me one good reason I should save her," he said smoothly, unmoved by the plea in his brother's eyes.

A strained silence pursued, where Inuyasha redirected his eyes so that he was staring at the ground. He knew Kagome didn't deserve to die, but as for a reason, he couldn't quite find one logical enough. But he knew---somewhere deep inside of him---that Sesshoumaru had to save her. He must. "Please," he whispered, barely loud enough for his brother to hear. He had never said 'please' to his brother before---never in his whole entire life.

There was a tense silence as Sesshoumaru stared at his brother, a small part of him pondering on what made that girl so special that his brother actually pleaded for her life. Sesshoumaru always pretended he knew all, but this circumstance occurring between his brother and that betrayer confused him. Yes, something confused the great Sesshoumaru. Deep inside, he couldn't imagine how his little brother could get so attached to a girl that he would say 'please' to his elder brother who had been a constant pain ever since he was born.

He turned away, making his way back to the castle and those who were bewildered by the wedding scene. His brother would have to find a way himself.

Inuyasha felt his brother walking away, and fear gripped his heart. Leaping the distance between them, he landed in front of his brother and held out his hand. "You have to save her!" he yelled, anxiety clear in his eyes.

Sesshoumaru scowled now. His brother was such a pest. "I don't 'have to' anything. Now get out of my way or I will show you how much you are annoying me right now."

Inuyasha clenched his fists, knowing that if Sesshoumaru wouldn't do it, no one else would. Pride had been a constant excuse and reason for his stubbornness to refuse to admit or act in a manner deteriorating of his self-image, but now he couldn't quite remember what had kept him so proud in his life before. He let out a shuddering breath, before closing his eyes acceptingly and fell to his knees.

Sesshoumaru couldn't help but slightly look in wonder at his stubborn, rude, and intolerable little brother kneeling before him. He kept quiet and stared down at Inuyasha's white head.

"I have never begged you before in my life, but…" Inuyasha trailed off, knowing how much dignity he was losing. "…but I can't lose her, so I'm begging you now. Please…"

Sesshoumaru continued to stay silent, inconspicuous and subtle thoughts running through his mind. He gazed down with indifference at Inuyasha who was now kneeling mutely, not a muscle stirring in his rigid body.

A few minutes past---eternity to Inuyasha--- before Sesshoumaru finally said something, "What a fool," before turning towards the fallen woman, his hand floating to the sword in its scabbard attached to his waist. He lift the sword out in an arc, and posed it over Kagome, narrowing his eyes to glimpse the demons he had seen a good many times in his life before.

Inuyasha allowed a small smile to grace his lips as he heard the sound of the sword slicing thin air.

---

She gasped, feeling something flooding back into her. Her eyes opened wide, and she saw thick clouds up far above. She heard something beating, and realized it was the sound of her own heart. She lifted what she presumed to be her hand to her heart and felt its heartbeat as she gradually heard herself taking in much needed deep breaths.

She felt insanely cold---her whole body did--- yet the slow trickling of warmth into her limbs sent a strange sensation throughout her system. She closed her eyes, seeing black once more behind her eyes, before opening them again to see the same night sky she had seen just a few seconds before.

She turned her gaze a few degrees to her left and saw someone gazing coldly down at her, which sent a skip in her heartbeats. Initially, she thought it was Inuyasha, but another second later, she realized it was Sesshoumaru, and he was holding a sword in his hand. She would have squeaked if she had her voice.

However, instead of slicing her apart, he simply narrowed his eyes at her before turning around and stalking away. She continued breathing loudly as her gaze followed him, wondering what had just happened. She subconsciously lift a hand up to her neck, and found that there was a wound there, but it didn't hurt at all. What was happening?

She was about to call out after the man, but another figure in the darkness caused her heart to skip two beats this time and a cold awareness to hit her from her head to her toes. She sucked in a breath, as tears welled in her eyes, the events that had happened who knows how long ago striking hard into her realization.

Her mouth moved against her own will.

"Inuyasha…?" she whispered, her voice cracked from the emotions. Her eyes gazed at everything that was him, from the adorable ears on the top of his head to the amber eyes gazing at her with something faint in their depths.

She put her hands to the ground to support her weight, and weakly pulled her aching body to a more upright position, her eyes always trained on him. Something clutched at her, and she was overcome with a sense of something beyond words. She closed her eyes, feeling the tears slipping beyond the borders of her closed eyelids and tracing a mark down her cheek---an all too familiar path. Instead however, it was more from relief and liberation than actual pain.

He was alive.

She felt something brush against her cheeks, the feathery light contact sending chills down her spine. She slowly opened her eyes and saw him now in front of her, mere inches from her face and gazing intently with an incomprehensible emotion. It was apathetic, tender, and cruel all at the same time, and it sent another chill throughout her body.

She was about to say something to break the silence between them, before she felt her shaky legs leave the ground in a sudden sweep. The icy feeling was lost as a comfortable heat wrapped around her small body, leaving her gasping as arms circled around her back to grasp tightly into her kimono.

She was shielded from the night's chilly air as she felt Inuyasha lightly rest his head against the top of hers, although his hold on her never loosened. She was almost entirely engulfed in his presence…and she realized she never felt more at home. A prickle of tears began to well up in her eyes again and she began to slowly travel her arms around his body as well, feeling spent and frustrated.

So many questions were unanswered: Why was she alive? What had happened to Naraku? Why had Sesshoumaru been here? Why did Inuyasha come? Why was Inuyasha hugging her after all she had put him through…?

"Inuyasha…" she began once more, knowing that they would need to talk eventually.

He didn't respond, simply---if possible--- holding her tighter to him, as if he would never let go of her again. She wasn't sure if that was entirely untrue either.

"Inuyasha," she said, this time more forcibly as she uncurled her hands from around him and put them to his chest, attempting to push away. He wouldn't budge. "Inuyasha…we need to talk," she insisted, and began to feel his hold hesitate.

"I just wanted to hold you…" he whispered in her ears, before letting her go softly, allowing space between them.

She winced inwardly when she felt his body warmth leave her. He had been so snug and safe. She felt her eyes travel up his body, before stopping at his eyes, reading all the emotions in them.

She saw gentleness, affection, confusion, acceptance, and many other emotions. However, when she saw the betrayal in them, she averted her eyes, knowing that he now knew about her taking advantage of his trust in her. She felt guilty.

"Kagome…" he whispered, some sense of firmness in his voice. "Look at me," he commanded, and she felt her gaze unwillingly lifting to lock with his. Really, how she loved his eyes.

They were both silent for a while, and she stared at him, coming to an epiphany. Her eyes flickered and her hands clenched in her kimono when she realized he was scared. She saw fear in his eyes. He had feared losing her…hadn't he? "How…?" she questioned softly about her death and revival, her own eyes revealing plenty of emotions even she wasn't aware of.

"Sesshoumaru," he offered simply, his hands traveling down her arms softly, leaving her shuddering as she felt the fleeting contact of his fingers through the material of her clothing. Although she was surprised it had been Sesshoumaru who had saved her, she couldn't help smiling a bit when his hands intertwined with hers. "He saved you."

"I'll have to thank him," she said lightly, concentrated in reveling in the simple moment. "If I---"

Inuyasha shushed whatever she had to say by placing his fingers to her lips, before tracing the curves of her face, leaving her breathless once more. When had this man had such power over her that through a simple touch, he could make her senseless and mindless? She wasn't sure, and quite frankly, she didn't care.

However, the moment was broken when he whispered, "Why?"

It was a simple question, yet she knew the consequences once she answered. He was asking her why she had done what she did. She wasn't sure how to reply, and stayed quiet for a moment, thinking over all the things she had done to hurt him, although she had initially thought they would have helped him. She was such an idiot.

"I'm sorry," she offered, not sure how else to voice the remorse in her heart. "I'm really sorry."

"I don't care about that. I just want to know why. Why would you do that to me?"

She winced, attempting to tug her hand away from his. She didn't want to answer why.

"Kagome," he repeated, holding her hand tighter, although not enough to hurt. He was so gentle with her, even though he was firm. "Stop running away," he whispered, and she could plainly see the hurt in his eyes. He looked like he was pleading her now. "Stop running away from me…"

She felt her heart beating painfully. "I'm not," she denied, refusing to believe she was running away from anything. She was strong, and was definitely not running away.

"Admit it. You've been so scared of us---what could be you and me---although you know I want it as much as you that you've been running away ever since the beginning---"

She cut him off, shaking her head and closing her eyes. "That's not true! I've never been afraid and I'm not running away!" she cried indignantly. How could he tell her she had been running away from her problems when she had done her best to confront them, and go through death for them?

"Kagome!" he began, his voice harder now as he gripped her hands to his chest and used his other hand to grab her chin, to make her look up at him. "Look at me, Kagome! If you're not afraid, look at me."

She looked at him, and saw him staring right back at her, his golden eyes revealing so many things she had been avoiding the past few weeks. She felt her walls slowly breaking down, and she stopped herself from trying to pull her hands away. She was slowly realizing the truth---Yes, she had been running away from some things she shouldn't have and it was time for the absolute truth to come out.

"Inuyasha, do you know who I am?" she asked quietly.

"…Kagome?" he answered in an uncertain tone.

She sighed, not sure how to voice her thoughts. "I've known you before. You've known me too. I suppose you could say we met before we knew we met."

Inuyasha looked genuinely confused.

Kagome smiled, thinking back to moment they had met. How innocent they both had been, and also unaware of what had laid waiting ahead of them. She leaned over to Inuyasha, almost shyly blushing at their close distance although they had been much closer. "You could be my fairy tale prince…I could fall in love with someone like you…"

Kagome felt the muscles in his body tighten slightly, before he visibly relaxed after a few moments. Kagome pulled back and looked at the expressions on his face, a mixture of surprise and incredibility. "You mean…?"

She smiled again to show him that yes, they had met at the masquerade.

He looked slightly hurt again. "Why didn't you tell me?" he accused.

"I only found out a while ago…and I didn't think you should know because of…you know." She averted her eyes again, but once more, he held her chin and brought her eyes back to his. If he thought he could get her attention by making her looking into his eyes every time…

She sighed.

…He just might succeed.

"What's past is past then," he announced, before leaning closer and making her hold her breath. She could feel his own breath hot over her lips, and it bothered her. It was absolutely absurd what he could do to her with the proximity of his face to hers. "But while we're on the subject of what you know, tell me why you did all this. Why did you run away?"

She was about to attempt to deny she was running away, but his eyes boring into hers made her feel dizzy, and lying seemed to be an inane effort. "I didn't want him to hurt you." She gazed genuinely at him. "Ever," she added as an afterthought as she averted her gaze down to where their lips were almost touching. The tease.

"Hurt me?" he asked.

"Yes…" she mumbled, feeling a shudder run through her body. The things he did to her… "I didn't want him to hurt you…or anyone else. I would much rather have him hurt me than have you guys involved in this."

Inuyasha gazed at her for a few moments, one of his hands squeezing hers tenderly. "You silly girl," he muttered. "You didn't need to protect me. I said I'll protect you…and just to let you know, that offer lasts for a whole lifetime."

Kagome felt another tear stray down its lonely path on her cheek, and before she could register his action, he pressed his lips to her cold cheeks and kissed the saltiness away. It was a simple feat, just a gentle brush of his lips against her skin in comfort and full of the promise of safety. He was her shelter and when she felt him loosen his hands on her to wrap her to him again, she knew that he hadn't lied when he promised forever. His aura enfolded her in a warmth only he could give---only she could receive from now on. He had assured her of something she knew he would have a hard time breaking. She would make sure of that.

"You are never to leave my side ever again, you hear me?" He pulled her away from him and gave her a hard stare to accentuate his point. She smiled at him again. He was so adorable.

"I hear you," she replied gently.

"And we're going to have to work this out because it's about time you stop lying to me," he added, almost pouting and making her sigh. This man was overwhelming. What had made her resist him? What had given her the strength to turn a blind eye to his feelings and go through with what she did?

She knew. Deep down, she knew, and maybe he knew too.

"We'll work this out," she promised.

"And you'll stop killing yourself for me?"

"I suppose."

"And you won't ever crush my feelings under your foot anymore and leave me making more mistakes?"

"Never again."

"You won't run away from me anymore and you'll let me protect you from now on?"

"Till forever."

He looked doubtful. "I still have a lot of questions I want answered."

She sighed, knowing that he would eventually make her answer them all. She knew she would make him answer all her questions too, but she truly did feel tired right now. "And you'll answer all of mine in time."

"We have a lot of talking to do," he mumbled, before changing the subject slightly. "But you promise that no matter what, you'll tell me the truth and won't ever leave my side anymore…?"

She hesitated, wondering just what he was proposing. She didn't want to lie to him anymore however, and she nodded. "Promise."

He smiled, making her stare into his eyes once more and fall under the magic. He started caressing the contours of her face once more, and it was difficult for her to continue listening to his next words. "We'll face the music together. Whatever happens when we go back, we'll face it together."

She was distracted. His hands were touching her in such a way that although it was most likely from comfort, she felt a need grow from it. The need was intense, and caused familiar butterflies to flutter around in her stomach. Oh, she knew.

Inuyasha seemed to be completely oblivious to his actions and he continued stroking the soft skin of her face and talking to her. "When I said you belong here with me, I want you to know I seriously meant it. I don't want to lose you anymore. It's hard, trying to feel this deeply for someone else. I don't want to. I don't think I ever would. I know I won't. So stay with me like you promised…please," he whispered, for the second time that day using the one word that hardly graced his daily vocabulary.

He watched her looking almost unfocused up at him, and questioned, "Are you listening to---"

She cut him off.

"Kiss me."

"What?" he echoed in a startled voice, his eyes widening slightly at the sudden and completely unexpected request.

She didn't give him another thought however as she took the initial step and closed the distance between them, pressing her lips firmly against his. Her hands crept up his shoulders and her fingers found its way into his hair, digging them firmly around his skull in an attempt to pull their bodies closer.

She never admitted this before, but she needed him. And she needed him more now than she ever needed him before.

It didn't take him too long to realize what was happening however, and he was soon returning the favor with as much fervor as he was receiving, if not more. He pulled her body to his, crushing her to him as he felt his confined desire releasing.

Although it was forceful, Kagome didn't feel any cruel intentions from the kiss. She could feel his yearnings through it, his frustration, his needs, but the kiss hardly constituted any violent emotions. She knew that the way his lips were pressed against hers was simply from a need, something that provoked him to draw her as close to him as possible.

When they finally broke apart, it was from the need to breathe. Kagome could feel her cheeks burning a bright crimson color, and all the coldness in her body had left to be replaced with a warm sensation throughout her limbs. If kissing Inuyasha made her warm like this all the time, she wouldn't have to worry about getting extra blankets during those long winter nights anymore…

"That was a surprise," he muttered, seemingly more to himself than to her. It made her blush even more.

"Sorry," she mumbled.

He heard her quiet apology and looked at her in disbelief, before knocking her lightly upside the head. "I didn't mean it was a bad surprise, idiot."

"Oh," was all she could say, before feeling shy once more about her daring action, although there was a small, authentic smile on her face.

However, after a while of holding her, she felt him letting her go and she suddenly realized something she had neglected as she felt a cold blast of the night wind. Another entity was beginning to appear before her eyes that she hadn't noticed before. She took in a sharp breath as she watched something white flutter by her face.

It was starting to snow.

Inuyasha looked surprised as well as he gazed up at the clouds far above, seeing a few snowflakes drifting slowly, wearily, down to the earth. He watched as one landed softly on Kagome's head, and he grinned down at her. "It hasn't snowed here in quite a while."

Kagome blinked, feeling like she was caught in an enchanted scene. The snowflakes looked so pure, perfect, that it was almost a shame it was going to melt away. But she knew---she understood---that they were also hinting at something bigger. Like snow covering the wasted lands in complete white, it was time for her to move on and start all over again. She couldn't be tied down to her mistakes anymore.

It was finally over.

"I think we should go now."

Kagome gazed up at Inuyasha, towering over her, although he was anything but threatening. He gave her a warm feeling inside of her, spreading throughout her body like hot liquid, and she found that she welcomed it. Watching the snowflakes flutter around him, she realized something deep inside.

She had been lost for so long, but she had finally found a place she belonged. She was no longer alone.

"Take my hand?" he asked softly, extending his hand out for her to hold.

She didn't even really need to decide.

They would face the troubles ahead together from now on.

She simply smiled at him and placed her hand in his.

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A/N: Official ending. However, there will be one more light-hearted, brief epilogue to clear things up. I promise it'll be happy!