Ritey, here we go next chapter!

Thankyou for all the reviews aswell! Keep them coming!

Half-demon and Miko : The love that transcends death?...

InuYasha concerntrated as best as he could. He thought of nothing but the thought of having Kagome back with him, having her safe in his arms once more, never to leave him again.

With that thought sercurly set in his mind, he closed his golden eyes tightly and whispered her name.

Kagome...

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Kagome's soul continued to escape her, bright blue orbs of light shooting out in various directions, only to be devoured by the darkness that waited for them in hell.

She was all alone. She had no one in life. No one cared for her, loved her, they all hated her, despised her very being. Perhaps it was best to just forget, let the pain go away...

Her arms were parted lightly from her side, simply allowing death to take over her, devour her, as she willingly embraced it.

-with Sango, Miroku and Kirara-

All three of them watched in amazement, as InuYasha brought the Shikon jewell to his chest, closed his eyes, and whispered Kagome's name.

For a few minutes, nothing happened, but suddenly that all changed dramatically.

InuYasha's own body began to glow, his long silver mane flowing out around him. He was still clutching Kagome's body, tightening his grip on her and the jewell.

" Inu...Yasha?..." Sango quietly called in bewilderment, unable to move from her spot on the ground, Miroku's arms still wrapped around her frame.

Miroku could barely speak. He recognised that pink, glowing hue that surrounded InuYasha. Kirara seemed to aswell, as she watched intently with her red eyes.

The glowing stopped, though InuYasha's eyes were still tightly shut.

" InuYasha?..." Sango called out again, reaching a shaky hand forward slightly.

Miroku, clasped her hand, and gently brought it back to her side, never letting go of it.

" It...It's alright Sango...I-I think that InuYasha is..." He paused for a moment.

" I think he's connecting his spirit with Kagome's, on the border between life and death...he's trying to contact her..."

" H-How is that possible?..." Sango asked quietly.

" The Shikon-no-tama...it contains some of Kagome's spiritual power, it's like a connection...a gateway to her spirit and soul..." Miroku answered. Kirara mewed in agreement.

InuYasha seemed to be in some sort of deep sleep, oblivious to the world around him.

Miroku knew that this was the only chance they had of bringing Kagome back to life, and InuYasha was probably the only one Kagome's spirit would listen to at this point. She was so long, so far dead at this point, that he doubted even Sesshoumaru's Tenseiga could save her. InuYasha was their very last hope.

" Good luck, my friend..."

-with Kagome-

Yes...thats right little Miko, embrace death, let it overcome you...

Kagome heart was willingly obeying death's every command, allowing it to to taint her heart to the point she felt it could not be altered again.

" KAGOME! "

She didn't hear the voice.

" KAGOME! DAMNIT, DON'T LET IT WIN! " It shouted, louder than before.

She heard it that time, though it didn't really seem mean anything to her in the slightest. She felt nothing.

" KAGOME!!! LISTEN TO ME!! "

That finally caught her attention. She slightly, ever so slightly turned her head to look over her shoulder with her lifeless eyes. She could very faintly make out a figure in the darkness.

-InuYasha-

InuYasha opened his eyes and found he was no longer in the battered canyon, but in a strange darkness that he could feel tearing at his soul, then releasing it again.

He could hear a wind, and the terrible cries of tormented spirits, trapped somewhere underneath his feet, though he could not see them.

He followed the sound of the noise, finally coming to notice the gaping hole. All the noise, the pained screams, the wind, was all echoing from that hole. It drove fear through him as he realised what it was. If he was on the border between life and death, then surely below him was...hell...

The gates of hell...

InuYasha saw something whizz through the air, a bright blue ball of light. It flew past him and entered the hole. He'd seen a glowing light that before...but where?

InuYasha turned sharply to where the lights were coming from and made out a frail form with his keen eyes. His heart froze once more.

There, standing out in the darkness, blue orbs of light escaping her, hair and clothes blowing out around her, was Kagome.

" No...Kagome..."

He knew why this scene felt so familiar to him now. When Kikyou had first been brought back to life, Kagome's soul had been used to give her her own. Blue orbs of light had shot into Kikyou from Kagome, giving the clay body she now possessed life. It hadn't worked for long though, as Kagome's body began calling back the lost pieces of her soul. He replayed over the scene as the orbs of light left Kikyou, whizzing back into Kagome. Kikyou helplessly held her arms in the air, unable to stop the pieces of soul from leaving her body. She managed to leave before they were all lost to her, but from then on she was forced to live on the souls of dead women to survive.

It seemed that Kagome really was suffering as Kikyou had. She looked so similar to that of how Kikyou looked over a year ago now. Loosing the pieces of her soul, bit by bit, little by little...

InuYasha had to stop it.

He called out Kagome's name, but to no effect. She seemed completely lost and alone, oblivious to what was happening. He tried again. Nothing.

InuYasha heard someone speak, a deeply sinister voice, coming from within the gates of hell.

Your soul belongs to me girl, it always will do. It belongs with me, where it can hide from the pain and guilt you have caused those you care for for sooo long. Your heart, mind, body and soul all belong to me...

InuYasha growled deeply at the voice. It was minipulating Kagome into giving her what it wanted! It was calling her soul from her, devouring it slowly. He wouldn't let it do that.

Yes...that right little Miko...embrace death, let it overcome you...

" KAGOME! " InuYasha yelled. Nothing.

" KAGOME DAMNIT! DON'T LET IT WIN! "

Still Kagome did nothing, continuously letting her soul come out of her...

InuYasha wouldn't give up though.

" KAGOME!!! LISTEN TO ME!! "

For a second it seemed like his prayers had been answered. Kagome turned her head to look over her shoulder at him, but something wasn't right. Kagome's eyes held no emotion whatsoever. They looked lifeless, dead even. She didn't seem to recognise him at all.

For the millionenth time that day, InuYasha's heart broke in two. This wasn't the Kagome he knew, this wasn't the Kagome who'd freed him from a curse that bound him to a tree so long ago. This wasn't the Kagome who stayed by him when he was human, putting her own life at risk to help him. This wasn't the Kagome who always stood by him and their friends, the one who was always smiling, who always knew what to say, who literally had kept their group together. This wasn't the Kagome who InuYasha couldn't stand in the beginning, who he had slowly grown to care and eventually gain feelings for. It wasn't the Kagome who had taught him how to love again...

No. Kagome had to be in there somewhere. She just had to be! He'd be damned overwise...

InuYasha lunged forward, and in no time at all he had wrapped Kagome into his strong embrace. He held her there, just preying for her to recognise him, will herself to fight against the darkness.

Her hair was gently flicking his face in the wind, InuYasha's own flying wildly around her too. He looked down into her eyes. They were still so lifeless. She looked truly lost to the world...

InuYasha began to call out to her.

" KAGOME! You can't let it win! You have to fight! Don't let the darkness take you away! Don't let it take you away from me..."

Still, Kagome did nothing.

" Please Kagome! You have people who need you! Who would be completely lost without you! Shippo, Sango, Miroku...me..."

Kagome seemed to stir for a second.

" We don't hate you! We could never hate you Kagome! You were the one who shattered the jewell, and yes the shards were used to cause suffering among so many people, but that still doesn't mean it was your fault! Bad may have come from it but so much good did too! It brought us together! It bought all of us together! Us, Shippo, Miroku, Sango and Kirara would never have met if it wern't for you! We'll alaways be thankful to you for that Kagome! Thats the only thing we have to blame you for! Miroku and Sango are getting married! Shippo has an adopted mother and I...I learned to let go and love once more... "

InuYasha thought he saw a glimmer of recognition in Kagome's eye. Was it working!?

" After Kikyou, I thought I could never love again. I thought that that was just the fate of a half-demon, a creature doomed to walk the earth forever alone. You were the first person to show me otherwise. You were the first person I learnt to truly trust, I hadn't even trusted Kikyou...You broke the barriers around my heart Kagome, you taught me it was okay to feel... "

" I know there were times when I hurt you, when I ran off and left you to find Kikyou. There was even a time when I tried to leave you because of it...but it was because I knew how unfair it was to ask you to stay while I was with Kikyou...It would have hurt you so much...I couldn't bare to see that happen, not to someone I cared so much for..."

InuYasha brought Kagome closer, as close as he could without hurting her.

" Kagome...I can't live without you...I do still love Kikyou, a part of me always will...but that doesn't mean I can't be with you. Kikyou has finally been able to leave this world and rest in peace...I can move on...I can be with you always...just like you've been with me always..."

InuYasha lowered his head to hers, resting his lips just centimetres from hers.

" Kagome...don't forget us...don't forget me please...I couldn't bare it...it would kill me inside..."

Recognition was definately in Kagome's eyes now. The parts of her souls leaving her were starting to slow.

" Kagome...I...I-I lo..." InuYasha took a deep breath.

" Kagome, I love you "

He pressed his lips to hers.

-Kagome-

Kagome was aware completely of this man's presence now. He was holding her, clinging onto her, apparently unwilling to let go. She suddenly did feel something. While he was holding her, for a split second she had felt...happy? Was this what happy felt like?

It didn't matter, because as quickly as the feeling came, it went again.

The man's voice however, did feel...soothing in a way...though it was dripped in sadness and despair. It was trying to reach someone...who? Kagome?...

" Please Kagome! You have people who need you!..."

She listened this time as he continued to call out for this person. It did sound familiar, this voice. Despite her situation, she began to feel...safe, safe with him there, calling out...to her, maybe?

It seemed like a possibility...was she Kagome?

The girl slowly listened to the man continue on through the wind blowing violently around them. It sounded like he would stop at nothing to reach this Kagome person...She suddenly felt very sad...

Wait!? Sadness?...but she didn't feel anything! Right?...

Then why? Why was this desperate man's pleas upseting her so?...What could it mean?...

" ...Shippo, Miroku, Sango and Kirara..." The man carried on...

He sounded so familiar...so did those names he mentioned...

She was only hearing bits of it now. The girl felt the man bring her closer to him. He was...so warm.

" Kagome...I do love Kikyou...a part of me always will..."

Kikyou?...

" ...but that doesn't mean I can't be with you...I can move on...I can be with you always...just as you've been with me always..."

Me?...He is talking to me...

" Kagome...don't forget us...don't forget me please...I couldn't bare it...it would kill me inside..."

Stop...You sound so sad...I hate hearing you sound so sad...why DO I hate hearing you sound so sad?...

" I love you Kagome..."

Huh? She felt so light all of a sudden...it warmed her dissapearing soul...

She felt something connect with her lips. That did it.

The moment he kissed her, everything came back...all her feelings.

Happiness, joy, sadness, loss, anger, hurt...love...

All that from the man kissing her...and herself...

InuYasha?...She WAS Kagome!...

-InuYasha-

InuYasha wasn't really sure why he kissed her again...it just felt like the right thing to do.

He did it partly because it was the only thing he could think that might trigger her memory, bring her to her senses...but more because it was something he wanted to do. Something he had wanted to do for a while now...and he hadn't even realised it until now...

It felt wonderful...

InuYasha finally pulled back, and looked into her face once more. His heart leapt for joy.

Kagome was smiling at him, giving him one of her true, genuine smiles. She recognised him!

The life was back in her eyes, now so full of emotion. Her soul had returned to her.

" Inu..Yasha..." Kagome whispered, looking up at him, still in his tight embrace. In turn she wrapped her arms around him aswell, burying her face into his chest. " You came..Y-You saved me..InuYasha thankyou...thankyou so much for helping me remember...thankyou..."

Kagome had started to sob now.

" Shhhhh...Kagome it's alright..." InuYasha whispered to her, dropping his head down on top of hers.

" N-No...It's not alright InuYasha! I let that darkness take over my soul...I forgot you...all of you! I was so stupid to let it manipulate me like that...to let it make me think those horrible things about all of you..." Kagome said through her tears.

" It doesn't matter anymore Kagome, you're back...you came back to us...to me..." InuYasha said.

Tightening her arms even more around him, Kagome was struck with a thought. Did he really mean what he said? Does he really...love me?...

" InuYasha? Can I...ask you something? " Kagome said, feeling a blush rush into her cheeks.

" Yeah...What is it Kagome? " InuYasha replied.

" Did...Did you mean it?...What you said before?..."

It was InuYasha's turn to blush.

" Errr...What do you mean? "

" Well...you know, before you kissed me, you said...you said you loved me..."

InuYasha's face turned so red it out did his haori.

" Um...err..." InuYasha stuttered.

S-So he didn't mean it?... Kagome felt heavier tears some to her eyes.

InuYasha saw this and panicked. He didn't mean it like that! It was hard for him to say...he was never good when it came to explaining how he felt...

" Kagome please don't cry " InuYasha said, lightly rubbing Kagome's back with his hand.

" So it's true then? You...You don't really love me at all?..." Kagome sobbed out.

" No Kagome! Everything I said before was true! All of it! I may still have feelings for Kikyou, but I know that I love you. I just never truely realised it until today..."

Kagome listened intently.

" When you closed your eyes...closed your eyes and didn't open them again...I thought I'd die with you...it was like the world had come to an end...I didn't want to live..."

As Kagome listened, the smile came back to her face. He really did love her. She felt so happy. How wrong had she been before, all those times he had gone off to Kikyou...

" Oh InuYasha..." Kagome looked up at him again, and he was glad to see she was smiling again.

" You...You know I feel the same way...don't you? " Kagome asked.

InuYasha looked at her for a few seconds, then smiled himself. It took Kagome's breath away, she'd never seen him smile like that before. She rarely ever saw him smile...

He nodded his head at Kagome, and once again returned his to his hold on her, hugging her like their lives depended on it...in a sense it had done.

Kagome returned the hug with as much emotion as she could muster, letting him know how thankful and greatful she was to him, how happy she was just be being like this with him. It was all she'd ever really need.

The gates to hell had closed, the voice had disaapeared, and the whiteness from before had returned, destroying the darkness that had taken over.

Kagome was lightly glowing again, but not the colour of death like before. It was her very own spiritual glow, a light pink similar to that of the sacred jewell. A light wind picked up around her aswell, tossing her hair around gently once more.

" Kagome? " InuYasha looked at her. She looked truely beautiful just then. Her long raven hair blowing around her pink, glowing form. She had a wonderful smile on her face aswell.

" I'll see you soon, InuYasha..." Kagome said, before dissapearing out of his arms and into the white light around them.

" Kagome! " InuYasha called, fearing he'd lost her yet again. He tried to reach out, but found he was being pulled back by an unknown force.

InuYasha was being pulled backwards into an endless whiteness...

-Normal POV-

InuYasha opened his eyes to find himself lieing on the cold, stone floor of the canyon they had battled in earlier. He scanned around at his surroundings quickly, before slowly sitting up.

" InuYasha! " InuYasha turned around to find his friends running towards him, fear and exitement evident on their faces.

he was about to stand, when he felt something warm touching his side lightly. He turned and looked down to find Kagome's still form lieing next to him.

" Kagome! " InuYasha pulled her carefully up into his arms again. She was still motionless though.

" No! Kagome! Not again! Please don't leave me again..." InuYasha cried to her, burying his nose into her hair once more, feeling utter despair and sadness fell his heart again.

He had failed to save her...it had been their last hope...and he'd failed...he'd lost Kagome for good this time...

InuYasha began to quietly sob into her hair.

" Uhhh...huh?...Inu...Yasha? P-Please don't cry..." InuYasha heard a familiar voice call to him.

" I hate to see you cry..."

InuYasha opened his eyes when he felt something touch his face gently. He found Kagome looking at him, a weak smile on her face, rubbing his cheek lovingly with her hand.

" Ka-Kagome?...You're...You're alive! " InuYasha cried, feeling the sadness disperse to be replaced with complete happiness. She was alive! She was okay! Kagome was back with him...weak...but still alive and breathing!

InuYasha wrapped her back into his embrace, holding her there, burying his face into the crook of her neck, never wanting to let go.

From behind the two, Miroku, Sango and Kirara came literally galloping. They had seen Kagome stroking InuYasha's face, heard InuYasha's rare cry of joy, and knew their prayers had been answered.

Kagome had come back to them.

-back at the village-

Shippo's heart leapt when he saw four figures come into view on the horizon. He recognised the scents immediately, and went pounding toward them as quick as lightening.

Kaede and Kohaku heard Shippo's gasp of surprise and turned around to see what was wrong. They too could make out four silloheuttes on the horizon. Three people, one of them carrying a large bundle, and a great cat were walking steadily toward them. Smiles of pure joy broke out onto both Kaede and Kohaku's faces as Kohaku made his way as fast as he could towards the group, Kaede following behind him.

Sango ran with Kirara to meet her brother, nearly hugging the life out of him when she reached him.

Shippo jumped on a fustered Miroku and hugged him aswell, all the while yelling how glad he was that they came back to him.

" Hold on there, Shippo, don't wanna squeeze the life out of the houshi do ya!? "

Everyone turned to InuYasha, to see his usual smile plastered on his face, before it turned into a genuine smile. Tucked safely in InuYasha's arms, wearing his red outer haori, was Kagome, who watched and weakly smiled at them all. If she had the strength she would have jumped from InuYasha's arms and hugged all them with all her might, but for now she just setlled with the fact that they were all okay and back together again.

Later that night, the villagers had thrown a small celebration for the defeat of Naraku. InuYasha and his companions had recieved high praise for what they had done and would always be honoured as heroes in their village.

Kagome had been laying on a futon all day, slowly recovering and regaining her strength, and InuYasha had not left her side once. Words could not express how thankful she was that everything had turned out the way it did. Naraku was finally dead and the jewell was whole and now back safely at the village once more. She knew now the duty belonged to her to ensure it came to no evil again. She was now the miko who guarded the jewell.

Early morning, when she found InuYasha had finally gone to sleep, she crept out into the dawn air. Blood had covered all of her school clothes, so she had had to wear the traditional priestess garb that Kikyou had worn for the time being.

She walked slowly past the village huts, and into the forest near the well, though she had no intention of passing through to her time yet. She walked past the well and up to the God tree. She climbed up its roots, stumbling a little, and finally came to rest her hand on the scar in the tree, the scar that marked where InuYasha had been pinned by an arrow for 50 years so long ago. Kagome recalled the first day they had met, not the best first meeting. When she first freed InuYasha from the curse, she had gotten the impression that he was some sort of a psyco, he had tried to kill her to get the jewell. She doubted he'd thought much of her her either, a scrawny imitation of the woman he hated at the time. But, over the time that they had spent together, ahe knew that their relationship had changed for the better.

" You know, you really should be inside resting " A rough but strangly calming voice called to Kagome.

" Yeah, I know, but I got a bit bored laying on that futon for so long, and I kinda wanted to go think to myself for a little bit, clear my head. "

InuYasha jumped down from his spot on a nearby tree.

" And you picked here of all places to come? " he asked.

" Yeah, it seemed ideal. " Kagome said, sitting herself down against the side of the tree, " You want to sit with me InuYasha? Or are you just gonna keep staring at me from back there? "

" Feh! " InuYasha grunted, but came over to sit with her all the same.

Kagome giggled. " It's nice just having you here with me. " She said.

InuYasha feh'd again, but not before his eyes took on a look of concern when he noticed Kagome shivering.

" You cold, Kagome? " InuYasha asked, genuinely worried.

Kagome smiled at this. " Yeah...a little..." she replied.

InuYasha removed his haori once more and place it round her shoulders. She sighed in thanks.

" Feh " InuYasha said, trying his best to hide his rising blush.

Kagome saw it all the same though, and felt herself blushing aswell. She brushed it aside though, and gently leaned her head on InuYasha's shoulder, causing him to blush even more.

" Thanks for looking out for me, InuYasha. " Kagome said gently. She knew he found it hard to talk about his feelings, and found that for the time being she could settle with just knowing her loved her, wether he displayed it to her or not. She didn't care as long as she was with him. She closed her eyes in contentment.

InuYasha lowered his head to look at her. He smiled at her. He could hear her breathing starting to even out, signifying that she was drifting off to sleep. He placed his arm around her form, and brought her closer to his chest as she slept. He leaned back against the tree with Kagome, ears listening intently to his surroundings, should a demon attack them. He wasn't about to let anything else happen to Kagome again. He had come so close to loosing her yesterday.

He finally sighed in contentment, knowing there were no rogue demons nearby. He looked down at Kagome once more. She was definately asleep now. He lowered his head and ever so lightly brushed his lips against her forehead, before returning to rest his head against hers and at last falling into a peaceful slumber.

Everything would be alright now.

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Yay! This story is very nearly done!

I hoped you liked this chapter, I thought very long and hard about how to end it appropriately, without making it too OOC. I hope it's alright!

Okay I will add an epilogue, and then leave it at that.

It should be up soon, if not, I will have plenty of time to do it over the Christmas hols!

Please review!