A/N: This story has been sitting around in my broken laptop for a few years. I have been fortunate to retrieve and upload it for your reading pleasure. I hope that you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of the original characters from the Inuyasha series. However, the many characters that pop up from time to time are indeed mine.

"…." –Speaking

'…' –Thoughts

"…"– Spirits Talking

"…"– Beast Talking

The Truth

Two deep sapphire eyes looked up at the weeping heavens. Drops of water fell from the sky to the ground in abundance. The sound of thunder clashing could be heard in the distance as lightning danced among the clouds. A flash of white and silver to her left caught her attention and turned it over to her alpha. "It's beautiful, isn't it my lord?" She quietly asked. Sesshomaru looked up and admired the raw and dangerous beauty of the storm. He nodded before quietly replying. "Hai."

Kagome looked at the god like creature beside her. It was hard to believe that this demon was the same one that had tried to kill her well over eight years ago. Sesshomaru turned his attention to her, his brow slightly raised. "You're staring miko." Kagome averted her gaze. "Gomen Sesshomaru. It's just that I still find it kind of hard to believe that you were the very same demon that tried to kill me on many different occasions. It's almost impossible to believe that anything could bind us together when all that existed before was hate on one side and annoyance on the other. But I prefer having you as my alpha then as someone who wants to end my life on a daily basis."

She paused for a moment as she thought back to the times before the final battle. From their very first encounter to all the peaceful midnight walks and the countless conversations they had shared under the stars. She smiled happily. "Yes, I'm very content with the way things between us turned out and to be honest, my lord, I've missed our conversations. They were the only things that kept me going when I felt like just throwing it all away." She looked up at Sesshomaru once again. "You know, it's because of you that I became like this."

Sesshomaru, who hadn't taken his eyes off of her, raised a fine silver brow. "Explain…" Kagome's smile grew. "Despite the fact that you hated my guts, I had always admired you for your beauty and grace in battle. I, personally, never wanted to kill you; although, there were indeed times when I wanted to teach you a lesson." She paused. "I sometimes caught myself wondering if there was more to you than meets the eye, but I didn't know for sure until we actually started talking. When we had our first decent conversation, I realized that there indeed was more to you and it was through that one conversation that my respect for you grew and that I took a genuine liking to you. But it was also through those following conversations that I found myself taking on some of your characteristics. As the years progressed, those characteristics gradually began to manifest themselves in me until finally; I became somewhat of a mirror image of you."

Sesshomaru listened intently then thought back to the young kitsune that she had formally adopted. "That is not entirely true Kagome." Kagome looked up, a delicate black brow raised in question. "You show emotion when you are with your son. I have been watching you for a week now. I see the slight times you show emotion with those of Inuyasha's pack." Kagome nodded, looking away. "Yes. There are often times where I let myself go just long enough to enjoy my moments with Sango, Miroku, and Kaede. But most of the time, I just don't feel. Shippo, Rin, Jaken, and Ah Un see more of the real me then the others do."

She turned back around to look into molten pools of gold. "But it is you, my lord, who sees me completely." She said quietly. "Why?" The taiyoukai asked. Kagome shrugged. "I really don't know. It's probably because you are my alpha or maybe it's because you once accepted me for whom I was and respected me for my differences." Sesshomaru chose at that moment to look away and watch as the rain continued to pour down onto the earth below.

Kagome fell silent for a few moments, she too watching the rain. Minutes passed in comfortable silence. "I suppose you want to hear my story then…" Sesshomaru bowed his head once but remained silent. Kagome sighed. "It all started after the final battle…"

- Flashback -

'Finally...' Kagome thought to herself as she looked around the battlefield. 'After three years of hunting for jewel shards…after three agonizingly long years, Naraku is gone.' Her eyes stopped on the place where Naraku had been standing just moments before he was purified. The ground around her and as far as her eyes could see was nothing but red earth, soaked from the blood of her friends and that of her enemies. Scattered all around the field were the guts and body parts of demons. Trees were torn apart, some had been uprooted. All plant life looked dead due to Naraku's miasma. There were deep jagged holes in the ground from where Inuyasha's Wind Scar had hit. To those who had demon senses, the stench of death lingered heavily in the air.

Looking around for her friends, she saw a bleeding and battered Sango holding onto the body of her deceased brother, tears flowing down her cheeks in silent streams. Miroku, who was pretty much in the same condition as her, made his way over to her and hugged her close to his body. Inuyasha was standing next to the clay remains of her incarnation, a lost look in his golden eyes. Koga was sitting next to Ayame, his legs bleeding from where Naraku's tentacles had pierced through to get his shards.

Kanna and Kagura stood off to the side, silent as they looked on disbelief. Feeling eyes on them, the two creations turned to look at her; they smiled with gratitude and bowed to her. She smiled and nodded her head in turn. Her wondering eyes looked around for Sesshomaru and found him making his way over to Jaken and Ah Un who had been protecting Rin throughout the course of the battle. Shippo, she found, was making his way over to her as Kirara made her way over to her distraught mistress. She ran over to Shippo and swooped him up into a big hug. "Mama, I'm so glad you're okay!" Shippo exclaimed, his tiny hands holding onto her shirt tightly, too afraid to let her go.

Kagome said nothing. She simply hugged him close to her, crying tears of joy and sorrow. "Shippo…" she said once she had calmed. "Please go with Sesshomaru-sama." The young kit looked up at his mother and nodded. He hugged her neck once more before letting go and running over to the stoic lord, who had his eyes glued on the newest member of his pack. He nodded to Shippo, who went to stand next to Rin, and then returned his gaze to Kagome.

The futuristic miko made her way to where Naraku had been; searching for the sole object that had been the cause of so much pain and grief for so many years. There, sitting in the middle of burned earth, was the completed Shikon Jewel. The evil radiating off the cursed gem was so strong it made the miko sick to her stomach. A dark red aura hung around the black jewel, showing all those present just how much malice it had absorbed.

She reached for it, her holy power rising instantly to purify the tainted jewel. The second Kagome's fingers touched the jewel, it was purified. Lifting it up for a closer inspection, the young woman nodded in satisfaction. "Well done Kagome." Kagome looked up and around, seeing no one, she shook her head. 'I must really be tired. I'm starting to hear things.' The voice chuckled. "No, you are not. I'm the spirit of Midoriko." Kagome's eyes widened. 'Midoriko…?'

Suddenly, the jewel began to glow, its pure power radiating throughout the clearing. Everyone that was demon tensed at the feel of such great power and turned to look at the cause of it as did the humans; their eyes, with the exception of one being, widened in disbelief at the sight before them. Standing in front of Kagome was the spirit of Midoriko in all her spiritual glory. Long, transparent black hair flowed down the woman's back. She wore the ancient colors of the miko, a white haori and red hakama. On the upper half of her body, she wore the armor used during her time.

The ancient miko's form was highlighted with a light pink glow. She took no notice of the others; her bright, chocolaty brown eyes rested solely on Kagome. Speaking in a voice low enough for only Kagome to hear, she said, "I thank you Kagome for putting the jewel back together and for purifying it. As a reward, you may make a wish. But heed my warning, youngling; it must be a selfless wish." Kagome looked around at all the damage that was done during the battle. Aware of all the eyes on her, she met Midoriko's gaze with her own. "I have no wish Midoriko." Looking down at the jewel, she said. "I only want to protect everyone from the curse of the jewel."

Midoriko watched her. "Are you willing to risk becoming a target for every demon and human who seeks it?" She asked, still talking quietly enough for Kagome to hear. She nodded. "Yes…" Midoriko smiled. "In that case, Kagome, I will use your wish and do something for you. With a wave of her hand, the bodies of both Kohaku and Kikyo began to glow. "I will give them back their lives, so that they may live it as they wish."

Kagome turned to look at both parties. She smiled sadly when she saw Inuyasha fuss over an unconscious Kikyo. However, it brightened when she saw Sango doing the same to her little brother. She smiled at the miko before her. "Thank you, My Lady." Midoriko shook her head. "You won't be thanking me for long." Before Kagome could ask what she meant, the jewel pushed itself into her body. She fell to her knees and let out a painful scream.

She watched through barely open eyes as a bright blue light surrounded her and Midoriko. "What did you do to me?" Kagome asked through clutched teeth as pain ran rampant in her body. Midoriko said nothing, choosing to remain silent until her pain was over. After what felt like an eternity to Kagome, the pain vanished. She looked up to see the transparent priestess smiling at her.

Before Kagome could say anything, Midoriko said, "You, Lady Kagome, have become the Shikon Jewel." Kagome stared in disbelief. "How can I be the Shikon Jewel?" Midoriko thought for a moment then said, "Throughout the years, the jewel has come to have a mind of its own. Yes, while it is, in fact, true that I created it; the jewel developed a power all of its own. It is this power that has allowed the jewel to become one with you. It is now one with your soul." She paused for a moment, watching as the missing part of Kagome's soul combined with the rest. She remained silent as Kagome flared blue for a moment, hissed in pain, then returned to normal. Midoriko continued talking while all this took place. "Its power is yours. But…" She hesitated for a moment.

Kagome raised a brow, confusion and fear starting to rise within her. "But what?" She asked the spirit. Midoriko stared at her while she replied. "I believe that the jewel thought that your human shell was not strong enough to house both your incredible power and that of its own, so it gave you a new one." Kagome stared. 'A new one…?' She looked down at her hands and what met her eyes had her gasping in surprise.

Her human nails were replaced with demon claws, and two silver blue stripes adorned each of her wrists. Instantly, her hands went up to feel her ears. The round human shaped ears were replaced by pointed elvin ears. She stood up in a smooth, fluid motion; another demon quality. She felt for her hair and discovered that it had grown to her ankles. Bringing her hair forward, she discovered that she had silver blue streaks mixed in with her onyx black hair. Looking at Midoriko, she noticed that her eye sight was much clearer and her hearing and smelling abilities far more sensitive.

"I'm a demon now?" She asked quietly, still not able to believe it. Midoriko nodded. "What about my powers? I'll purify myself if I use them…" Midoriko raised a hand. "It should be so but I don't think so. I think that the jewel found a way to combine your jaki and your reikai together so that you don't end up hurting yourself." Kagome nodded. "There's only one problem." The priestess opposite her cocked her head to the side. "What is that?"

Kagome looked at her hands. "I'm not ready for them to see me like this. I need to train and see what I can do with my new body. I don't want to risk getting killed simply because I don't know the workings of a demon. I was born human. Up until three years ago, I didn't know that I was a miko. I've trained but I'm still mediocre. I want to know this body like I did my human one, so that I don't have to worry about being an easy target."

Midoriko nodded in understanding. "Do you have beaded necklace?" Kagome nodded and pulled out the one she had made just weeks prior. She handed it over to Midoriko who took it in turn. Kagome watched silently as the woman's transparent hands closed over the necklace and began to chant, a soft pink glow enclosing her hands and necklace. Within seconds, the glow disappeared and Midoriko handed her the necklace. "As long as you wear that necklace your demon self is hidden from everyone. You'll look exactly as you did before."

Kagome accepted the enchanted necklace and put it around her neck. She looked at her hands and noticed that the markings and the claws had vanished. She smiled at Midoriko and bowed; a small "thank you" coming from her lips. Midoriko bowed her regal head in acceptance. Both watched as the light around them began to recede until it was gone completely. In its place stood her friends, all of them looking relieved but none dared to move or say a word. Raising her voice slightly, Midoriko spoke. "I thank you all for what you have done here. Now, I can finally rest in peace." To Kagome she said, "Remember Kagome." Kagome nodded.

Everyone watched as the spirit of Midoriko shrunk to a glowing orb and disappeared into the heavens. Kagome rested her hand on the beaded necklace around her neck and looked at her friends, each one looking back at her. Her eyes stopped when they came upon Sesshomaru, who stood just feet to her left. His eyes traveled down to the necklace then back to her face, giving her a questioning gaze. She shook her head. 'I'm sorry, my lord, but I'm not ready to share this with you.' Looking at her friends, she continued. 'I'm not ready to share this with any of you.' Smiling, she assured them that she was perfectly fine. When they asked her what Midoriko has told her, she waved it off. Looking away from them and up to where Midoriko's soul had faded away, she told them. "I'll tell you some day."

- End of Flashback -

Sesshomaru had gone from looking at the sky to staring at her with slightly widened eyes. For the life of him, he found it hard to believe that the young miko by his side was a demon and had kept it from him for so long. He couldn't decide what he thought of any of it. Instead he simply said, "Show me." Kagome looked at him with wide eyes, somewhat shocked at his abrupt demand, but nodded. She pulled off the necklace and bowed her head, refusing to look at him, fearing his reaction to her secret.

Sesshomaru's golden gaze took in her new form as it slowly appeared before him. Silver blue streaks in her obsidian black hair, shined under the light of the lightning. Wrapped around her waist and over her left shoulder was a tail to match. Her skin was still a creamy caramel color only now it was flawless and had more luster. Her claws, long and fatally sharp, were an extremely light silver blue color. Both of her wrists had two shimmering silver blue stripes, which he guessed felt as velvety to the touch as his own. He lifted a hand and placed it under her chin, ignoring how good her skin felt against his own, and lifted her face.

He said nothing at her startled expression, choosing instead to examine her face. Looking into her eyes, he couldn't help but stare into those silvery pools; the feeling of wanting to drown himself in them nearly consuming him. He moved his amber gaze away from her silvery one and looked at the two shimmering silver blue stripes that she had on each of her cheeks as well as the ones on her eyelids. Finally, he looked at her forehead and was startled by what he saw; a silver blue inu standing on its hind legs, its front paws up in the air as if were ready to attack.

He took in a deep breath, taking in her scent. He fought against the urge to growl his approval; she smelled so delicious to him. Looking at her hands, which were fiddling nervously with the beaded necklace, he realized why her scent had smelled different to him after the battle and why it was that he could never figure it out. While she had been human, she scent had been of sunshine, lavender, a touch of honey, and just a drop of raw power. It was a scent that calmed the blood of his beast on many occasions, something that had always confused him as much as it angered him. However, his superior nose couldn't pick up the new, drastic changes in her scent for the necklace had hidden them, but now that he could get a whiff of it, it stirred his blood and the beast within.

He thought for a moment, wondering why her scent could have changed. "Her scent changed because the more that she trained with her demon body... the more she used it and grew used to it, the more the beast within began to manifest itself." Sesshomaru's beast told him. Sesshomaru agreed with the beast, finding no other reasonable explanation. Breathing her scent in again, his mind memorized the changes and stored it with everything else that he knew of the miko turned demon.

The sunshine, that at one time had represented her overwhelmingly cheerful nature, was replaced by a summer's rain shower; cool, refreshing, pure. Lavender gave way to sakura blossoms; soothing yet beautiful. The touch of honey was gone and in its place was the scent of sun ripened berries; sweet, rich in taste, mouth watering. The drop of raw power had evolved into a raging thunderstorm of power both controlled and untamed; he could feel it like a heavy veil draped over her. He heard it humming in her veins. He could almost taste it in its intensity.

He turned away from her. "Do you know what kind of youkai you are?" He asked her. Kagome looked at him, afraid and uncertain of what his opinion might be. "At first, I thought that I was something from the canine or feline family but after I saw the tail, I figured that I was an inu since it was so much like yours." She said her voice soft. Sesshomaru nodded slightly. "You guessed correctly." He told her, not liking the way her aura dripped with her negative feelings.

Kagome smiled slightly. "I'm sorry Sesshomaru. I'm sorry for not telling you." Sesshomaru gazed at her from the corner of his eye. "I'm sure that you had your reasons but all the same, why did you not tell me?" Kagome opened her mouth to say something then shut it. Her face pouted in confusion. Looking up at Sesshomaru once more, she simply said. "I honestly don't know why I didn't tell you. Maybe I was afraid that you'd reject me. All I know is that when the jewel changed me, I simply didn't want any demons within the area to come after me. I, for one, didn't know what my new body could do and I would have been an easy target. I didn't think it would be wise to be seen like that."

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes a bit. "You did not trust in my ability to protect you." He whispered out, his voice soft and angered. Kagome tensed as she felt his aura flare with suppressed rage. Instantly, she said, "It's not that Sesshomaru. I knew that you could protect me if need be but I didn't really think about that. I guess it was because most of us were already hurt from the battle that I thought it was best to keep my new form hidden under the spell of the beaded necklace."

Sesshomaru relaxed slightly, accepting her answer. Looking away he said. "Who knows of your secret?" Kagome smiled. "Just you… I haven't told Shippo for the reason that Inuyasha and the others would suspect that he knew something that they didn't and I know that Inuyasha would be hounding him. I never told the others simply because we were rarely around each other." Sesshomaru moved to brush aside a strand of his hair while listening as thunder rolled in the distance. "Will you be telling them?"

Kagome shrugged. "I really don't know. I waited until you came back to tell you first. I needed to know if it was okay with you." She told him, her voice lowering in volume until it was a whisper. She looked away from him, not wanting to admit to herself that his opinion mattered to her above all things. "You are a beautiful and powerful demoness, Kagome. You should take pride in being an inu for we are the most powerful of the canine race."

Kagome, surprised by his comment but loving it nonetheless, blinked away tears of joy, her fear of him not accepting her washing away with his words. "Arigato Sesshomaru." She whispered. He nodded once, looking away from her and ignoring the sudden emotional flare of her aura. 'Even now this creature is driven by her emotions.' Sneaking a glance at her from the corner of his eye, he wondered, 'What is it about this girl that makes this Sesshomaru act so out of character? Why do I miss her so much and feel incomplete when she isn't around me?'

Kagome took in a deep breath, calming her raging emotions but highly unaware of the emotions raging within her demonic companion. She looked up at the sky and relaxed as she watched as the thunder and lightning receded and left only a light rain. She smiled, happy for the change of atmosphere. Lying down on her side, she curled into a small ball, her tail wrapping around her to keep her warm. "I don't need to tell you what happened on the way back to the village since you were there. Once we returned to the village, everyone celebrated the end of Naraku. Everything seemed so perfect to me. I was there with you, Rin, Jaken, and all my friends. Everyone was alive and well even if still a bit battered."

She paused for a moment. "However, when it was time for you to go, I got sad. I had allowed myself to depend on you, not for protection, but for my peace of mind. I always looked forward to our conversations when everyone went to sleep. I even liked walking next to you while we searched for Naraku. But that night, I couldn't leave my friends behind. Then there was that promise I made to Inuyasha. I hated every second as I watched you leave. I hated it so much…" Then thought to herself, '…because before I knew it, I had allowed myself to fall for you.'

Out loud she said, "I went home that night and told my family everything that happened. I stayed for a few days then returned to the feudal era, promising that I would visit them again." She smiled bitterly. "I wish I had known how wrong I was. I waited a month to return home. I had grown tired of Inuyasha and his continued insults. Even with Kikyo there, he compared me nonstop. Calling me weak, ugly, annoying, stupid, and anything else his stupid brain could come up with. When he wasn't busy insulting me, he was busy with Kikyo. Sango and Miroku had gotten married and had left to the Slayer village for a while. Shippo was always playing with Kohaku and the village children. I found myself alone; bored and missing Rin, Jaken, Ah Un, but most of all, you. I started to train with my demon powers, to lessen my loneliness. When I finally got fed up with Inuyasha, I went home."

She blinked as tears started to make their way down her cheeks unnoticed. "I had hoped that they would be there to lift my mood. Only to find that they had all died. The house had caught on fire. It burned to the ground taking with it my mother, my brother, and my Jii-chan. After the first time I fell down the well, my life in the future became nearly nonexistent. My family was the only thing keeping me there but when I saw my home burned to ashes and my family gone, I found that there was nothing for me to return home for. I took what little valuables were left at the shrine and left, sealing the well."

She never noticed that Sesshomaru was looking down at her, a strange emotion swimming in the depths of those golden pools. She just continued to stare off into space. "When I got back, Inuyasha was even more aggressive. I don't know what happened or what had been said but he lashed out at me. Calling me all sorts of names; saying that he didn't want any whores in his pack. He told me that I was to live on my own and that if he ever crossed paths with me again, he'd kill me. He was leaving when he said, whatever ended up happening to me, he didn't want to know nor did he care. He said that I was no longer his responsibility."

She stopped for a moment, trying to calm herself. Sesshomaru took the moment to say, "What did you do after that?" Kagome remained quiet for a moment then said, "I was hiding the last remaining treasures of my family, when I decided that I would leave. I told Shippo to stay with Inuyasha. I told him that I needed some time alone. He agreed to stay but made me promise to return to him safely. I packed a few changes of clothes and left the village. I wondered around for days, feeling so numb inside. A month after leaving Edo, I found a village whose miko decided that she would help me train. I agreed and so I stayed there, training my miko powers to a point in which I could control it and shape it to fit my needs."

Pausing for a breath, she continued. "I practiced meditating, the lessons you thought me on sword fighting and hand to hand combat. There was a ninja in the village, who taught me stealth, some different techniques in hand to hand, their style in sword fighting, and how to fight with daggers and throwing stars. I practiced day in and day out. Before I knew it, a whole year had passed by and it was time for me to return to Edo. To say that the others were surprised was an understatement. I had grown cold and distant during my stay with Hitomi, the village miko, and Kai, the ninja. I learned to control my emotions during battle and that lesson had stayed with me when I returned.

"They had asked me questions of why I had taken so long to return and I told them that I had things to do. Inuyasha had asked me to forgive him. I simply said that for the sake of our friends I would come on good terms with him again. After that I went to visit the well to replace the seal with a stronger one so that no one could sense it. The others had followed and asked why I didn't go see my family. I never told them that they had died so all I told them was that the well had sealed itself on the day that I left a year ago. As the days passed they began to notice the changes in me. I would always be somewhat distant with them. A month after I returned I formally adopted Shippo as my own and allowed him to see something of the old Kagome.

"I trained with my demon body privately by the well for another year, never letting up even when I had to protect the village while Inuyasha and the others hunted rogue youkai. After the year was over, I put a barrier around the well to protect it and make it my personal sanctuary, claiming it as my own along with the village. I made myself a small hut much like Kaede's and added some more as the time passed. I've been here ever since. Waiting for you to return so I can finally get this off of my chest." She finished off, her silver eyes on his regal image.

Sesshomaru looked at her. He could feel the sorrow pouring off of her even though her face looked calm. "You never allowed yourself to grieve for your family, have you?" Kagome nodded. "I thought that it would make me weak. I was tired of being weak. I wanted to be strong and up until moments ago, no tears were ever spilt." Sesshomaru silently stood up from his spot on the ground and slowly made his way back into the hut. His parting words were, "I suggest that you let them go now. Their souls won't be able to rest in peace otherwise." Inu Kagome looked at the blank spot before her with wide, teary eyes. She smiled thankfully, closed her eyes and allowed five years' worth of tears to finally run free.

A/N: This quite a bit longer than the rest of the chapters. I didn't want to cut it up into two. I hope you liked it. Good night.