Chapter 17

"Hello again, Musume…"

It was that voice that sent chills rolling down her spine. That voice that was as calm and as still as the surface of a lake, rippling outward to wash over her in cool waves.

She had whipped around to face him, her eyes going wide as he appeared seemingly out of thin air, his illustrious robes undulating with the breeze that blew across the meadow they were standing in.

"Tsukuyomi?" She gasped as she backpedaled in surprise. "What're you doing here?" She watched his face carefully but saw only affection there in his dark, glittering eyes, and it only served to add to her confusion.

"I told you I would come to you in a dream, did I not? I know our last meeting ended rather… abruptly."

It was then that she remembered what he had said to her on the hill as he had disappeared up into the sky; his promise. And she felt like a total baka. How could she have forgotten such an important detail?

"I remember now." She acknowledged quietly, her cheeks heating in embarrassment.

"Yes," He nodded, a small smile twisting at his full lips. "Come, Musume… let us sit and talk." He gestured for her to come forward with long, slender fingers, the sleeve of his robe draped over his bone-white wrist to billow in the wind. He turned without waiting for her to follow, and she watched, mesmerized as a stone bench materialized out of thin air just a few yards ahead; where the grass was trimmed neatly and decorated with pale flowers.

Snapping out of her trance she quickly shuffled through the tall grass to scurry after him as he lowered himself gracefully to sit on the stone; his hands folded neatly in his lap and his back pin straight in a very regal pose.

She perched carefully on the cool, smooth surface, making sure to leave some space between them as she took the spot next to him.

"There are many things I must tell you, Kagome…" He began, his voice was deep and serious. His large, almond-shaped eyes flickered up to the bright moon above them before landing back on her; securely rooting her to the spot with the intensity of them. "But I am not sure how to say it… even I am at a loss for words sometimes in the face of such delicate matters." He said the last part quietly, a somber murmur and she could feel her heart picking up speed in her chest, anxiety sitting like a rock in her gut. His eyes fell to the ground as he looked to be in deep thought.

Before she could even open her mouth, he was continuing, turning back to her again with a determined look held there in his gaze.

"Kagome… what do you know of your father?"

His words had her heart stopping; her breath catching in her throat as she struggled to speak, stumbling over them in her mind.

"His name was Toru… he was a businessman in the city, and he died in a car accident when I was still small…" She said uneasily, her voice wavering.

He looked so sad for a moment, his gaze cast downward, and his mouth set in a morose line. It was a long, quiet moment before he finally spoke.

"No, child… he may have raised you for a time, but he was not your father."

She broke inside.

Those words shattered her, turned her world upside down and she could feel the hot tears trail down her cheeks as her lip trembled violently.

Liar

It was the first thought that came to mind and she ran with it, because there was no way in hell this guy was telling the truth. It was a sick joke; It had to be.

"What are you saying, Tsukuyomi?" There was an edge to her voice as she choked the words out.

But he only smiled at her sadly, his gaze seeming to bore straight through her, down into her very soul. It was like he knew how she was feeling, even before she herself did. But she remembered how he had seemingly read her mind as he'd carried her through the sky that night, and she wondered if he was sensing the storm that was brewing inside her. The heaviness of her heart. The stomach-churning feeling that something you'd been told your whole life was a lie. And the anger that came with it.

"I think you know, Kagome…"

But she had to hear it come from his own lips.

"Tell me." She whispered, feeling her breath hitch in her throat and her own racing pulse drumming in her ears as he didn't speak for what felt like a hundred years.

He turned away again, faced turned up to look at the sky. She waited with bated breath, wanting to scream as the suspense tore her apart inside.

But then finally, finally, he spoke, focusing those intense, all-consuming eyes firmly on her again. His voice was filled with ancient intent, and she could feel the electric charge of his power zing across her skin.

"You are my daughter Kagome, wholly and truly. Of my flesh and of my heart."

His words hit her like a brick wall, and she could feel herself snap beneath the sheer weight of them.

She found herself jerking back, stumbling to her feet and she scrambled to put some distance between her and the kami in her panic.

"N-no. You're wrong. That's impossible! My dad-" She broke on the word, gasping a sob as she struggled to continue. "My dad is Toru Higurashi… h-he was…I'm not…" She wept openly, her world as she knew it was crumbling in front of her very eyes.

"I'm not special! Y-you've got the wrong girl!"

But it was like something had clicked in her mind. All those times growing up where she just felt different, like she wasn't like everyone else and it suddenly made sense.

Why when the kids at school would make her play that game, and sing her name tauntingly, she always knew who was behind her, every time. Why she looked different than the rest of her family. Why she had never felt a connection with the man she'd grown up believing was her father. She had mourned him, had cried thinking of her poor mother all alone, but her memories of him were fuzzy. She had been so young when he'd died… if it wasn't for pictures, she wouldn't even know what he looked like anymore.

Tsukuyomi rose to his feet slowly, looking her square in the eyes, a soft look held there in his calming gaze. He didn't approach her; didn't move an inch from where he stood, barefoot in the lush grass.

"I am sorry… I know you are in pain… but there is still more we must discuss. Time in this realm is accelerated. Come, child. The hour grows late even now." His tone was gentle, soothing as he held his hand out to her, beckoning; his long, slender fingers the color of pearls reflected in the moonlight.

She could only stare at them, weighing his words over in her mind frazzled mind. But it was only a moment before she found herself walking forwards, reaching out to take the hand he offered hesitantly, her tears drying on her cheeks almost as quickly they had appeared, evaporating quickly in this dream world of his design. She could feel his power that flowed beneath his skin, how it called to her, seeming so deep and bottomless; like the ocean.

They sat back down together, and he released his hold on her fingers as he turned to her seriously, eyes dark and glittering like faceted jewels.

"Long ago… I had a vision. A vision of a woman who was as fair as a sakura blossom, with a power that seemed terrifying, at the time. A power to rival my own. This woman would fulfill a prophecy, and conquer great evil." He paused, looking at her pointedly.

"That woman I saw all those years ago… that was you, Kagome. My daughter."

It was ridiculous. Unfathomable. His words seemed to blur together somewhere after he'd said something about a prophecy, she didn't know. Her head was swimming.

This had to be a joke.

"I don't… I don't understand…" She shook her head dumbly, her eyes wide and pleading, begging for him to say that it was all a misunderstanding, and she could just continue on with her life and pretend as if all of this had never happened.

But he didn't.

He only looked at her with pity reflected there in the depths of his eyes that shone in the ethereal light, his mouth set in an apologetic line. "Listen to me, child, this is important." He made sure that she was listening before he continued, his voice low and serious. "When you return, you must find Hinata. I believe you have already met, correct?"

It was all she could do to mumble out a "Y-yes…"

"Good. He is a follower of mine; you can trust him, Kagome. He has already been informed and he will be waiting. He will train you. And when you are ready… he will bring you to my realm."

She couldn't breathe. Couldn't think as her mind swirled with all this sudden, shocking information and she wondered if she could still puke even though this was technically a dream.

"Do you understand?" He prompted, his voice kind and gentle, though his words were firm.

She didn't.

How could she? First, everything she had been told her whole life was a lie, she wasn't a Higurashi after all. And now he was telling her that she was part of some ancient prophecy and that Hinata was somehow a part of this whole thing too? It was too much. Her brain shorted out and all she could think about was the silver-haired half-demon; the man she owed an explanation. He was waiting for her. And she should have never left him in the first place.

"B-but… InuYasha… I have to, I can't just-"

"Hush, musume, the Hanyou will understand." He smiled down at her warmly, cutting her off with a gentle shush, reassuring her slightly with those knowing eyes.

"How can you know that?" She sniffled, wiping at her eyes as tears stung there again.

Tsukuyomi rose to his feet then, with an ethereal grace that awed her even as she wept. He looked down at her, his pose regal and defined but his face reflected his inner warmth.

"Time is fluid, you know? Not a straight line like some would believe… moments fall around his like snow…but in every alternate future, every path you walk, every new timeline he is always by your side, without fail. You are tied together by what they call 'the red string of fate'. Your bond can not be severed." His smile left a warm feeling pooling through her, and she could feel the dream fading away before her very eyes; the edges of the meadow fading into a blackness that crept steadily closer.

"Do what you must, Kagome. Only you can decide what happens next… the rest… is confetti." His words seemed to echo, his smile was warm and all-knowing even as the image of him blurred and distorted. And all at once he, and the meadow they had been standing in disappeared into shadow as she was swallowed up by the dark.

When she snapped awake, she was covered in a cold sweat. She bolted straight up in her bed, gasping. Her room was dimly lit by the moonlight that was pouring in through the slatted shades on her window, casting patterns on the floor. Her heart was going a hundred miles a minute in her chest, pounding against her ribs at a brutal pace as she panted, desperately trying to shake her head clear of the insane dream she'd just had.

It had felt so freakishly real she wanted to puke, and she could feel her stomach pinch and roll with nauseating anxiety that had her skin breaking out in gooseflesh.

Earth-shattering. That was how she would describe Tsukuyomi's message.

Her father was a Kami… not a human, like she had been led to believe… but what did that make her? Half Kami, half-human? But then... what of Kikyo? How was she connected in all this? Because that old witch Urasue had definitely yanked that dark fragment of the priestess's soul right out of her body, there was no doubt about that. So, what did that mean? Had Kikyo been one of Tsukuyomi's children too? Or was she the only one? So many questions she felt like she was going to burst.

She swung her legs over the side of the bed, settling her head into her hands with a heavy sigh.

What did her life have to be so damn complicated all the time? Couldn't just one thing be straightforward?

He had turned her world upside down when he had revealed that he was her father, but he had also spoken of a prophecy… and of Hinata.

What role did he play in this? Tsukuyomi had said that he would train her, but why him? What did the Kami know that he wasn't letting on?

Until she finally got answers she wouldn't be able to rest. Already she could feel the weight of her uncertainty bearing down on her, and she was second-guessing herself all over again. When the urge came to stand, she didn't resist it. She stretched her stiff muscles and draped a thin robe about her shoulders before padding quietly out of her room and into the darkened hallway. She needed fresh air, and there was no way she was going to get back to sleep after all that.

She walked carefully down the stairs, mindful of the creaky step; she slid the front door shut softly behind her as she walked barefoot out into the moonlight.

Everything used to be so simple. And now here she was, right in the middle of this huge mess. Like always.

Some things never changed.

She could still hear Tsukuyomi's word's echoing in her mind; the haunting tone of his voice had left a lasting imprint on her soul, she was sure. It was deep, but smooth and cold, too, like the stone floor of a temple; somehow laced with magic. The memory rose chills along her arms, and as she stood bathed in the garish light of the moon she wondered if he could see her here, too.

But then as her eyes drifted over to the Goshinboku, standing as proud and as steady as ever, she felt an immeasurable sense of longing wash over her.

All she could see every time she looked at it was InuYasha. She didn't want to cry but she couldn't stop the tears when they came. She walked forward slowly, her lower lip trembling as she clutched the thin silk robe tightly around herself. When she reached the tree, she looked up its massive trunk, watched how the swaying branches and trembling leaves undulated with the wind with awe. It was magnificent; she could feel its mysterious aura tickling across her skin, and she was surprised when she could feel her own power buzzing through herself in an unusually vigorous response. It felt like pure lightning was in her blood, zapping through her veins. Much more powerful than she could ever remember her reiki being before. She felt it pulsate inside her, and before she could think too much about it, she was focusing that feeling in her palms; remembering that night a few weeks ago when she'd tried and failed miserably to gather her power.

Her hands glowed, cradling the sphere of bright blue light, its edges tinged with violet; its brilliance grew under her careful concentration, swelling until it was almost like she'd plucked a star straight from the heavens themselves. The strength of it was strange and exciting. Usually, her powers seemed dull, and flickered in and out, like a candle flame left exposed to the wind. But this intensity, the concentration of pure power, it was completely foreign to her. It didn't feel like her reiki; it was wild, electric, swirling there in her palm and tingling along her skin.

"Woah…" she whispered, entranced.

Ever since she'd first discovered the existence of her spiritual power, she'd longed for this moment. To feel that rush of strength; to know that she was a skilled priestess in her own right and wrench herself out of Kikyo's shadow. And though this culmination of energy in her hand was still no match for an opponent of high skill, it was near twice the size of what she'd managed to conjure up a few weeks ago, and she found herself giggling at the feeling of it.

Had Tsukuyomi done this, too? Had his magic released something inside her, resulting in this miraculous surge of power within her? She didn't know, but she added it to her list of growing questions as she let the power recede. The light slowly faded as it ebbed away; sinking back into her body with ease at her command. She let her hands fall back to her side, a small smile etched onto her face.

The cool night air rushed across her skin, lifting her hair she couldn't help but shiver a little at the sudden chill. She felt compelled then, to look up at the broad expanse of stars strung amidst the velvet blackness. The moon shone brightly, its light cold but somehow soft; its rays caressing and gentle. Tsukuyomi… her father… she still couldn't wrap her head around it. It was crazy. Complete madness. But that was her life, after all. One ridiculous thing after the next.

He seemed so cold. So much like a marble statue, his features chiseled and absurdly perfect. Made of stone. He was impossible to read. She couldn't even begin to try.

She didn't know what to do. Her heart was telling her one thing, and her mind another. Could she even trust him? She hardly knew him… and she had no idea what his true motives could be. Tsukuyomi was a mystery. She had a feeling that no matter how long they spoke she would never get the answers to all the questions that were swirling around inside her head.

She let out a heavy sigh, moving away from the tree with her eyes downcast, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear when she heard it.

A sound that had time stopping, had her heart freezing in her chest as her breath hitched.

His voice.

"Kagome…"

She daren't turn around. Her body was frozen; rooted to the spot and she just wasn't brave enough to move, to speak, to do anything because she was torn. She hadn't even begun to think about what she was going to say to him; she knew that he needed answers, knew that he was still completely in the dark as to what had happened to her… but she didn't know if she could find the words.

She could feel his aura wash over her, that familiar, golden-tinged Yokai flaring up around her in response to her own power that lingered in the air. It was a balm to her battered and beaten soul, soothing the wounds there unknowingly. Her hands were trembling as she could feel him approach; could hear the light footfalls of his bare feet across the ground and she was powerless to do anything.

"It's cold… you should go back inside, before you get sick." He murmured; his voice was warm and rough, and as it caressed her, she could feel tingles shoot straight down her spine, her heart rocketing inside her chest. He was so close; she could feel his breath gently whisper across the exposed side of her neck. She shuddered, suddenly painfully aware of just how little space was left between their bodies. His hands ghosted along her sides, his claws almost touching but not quite, like he was barely restraining himself from grabbing her and pulling her against him.

"It's not that cold…" She trailed off quietly, her voice sounding about as shaky as she felt. He was pressing closer; she could feel the heat rolling off him in waves and she couldn't fight the urge to lean back into him. The both sighed at the contact, her heart pounding as he wrapped his arms around her middle; sparking heat to pool low in her belly. She couldn't fight it anymore; she was going to tell him everything… and just hope that he understood because she couldn't bear keeping this from him any longer. Home was in his arms, and she would do anything to keep it that way.

"InuYasha… I'm sorry…" She could feel sharp tears sting at her eyes and her throat tighten with emotion as she sagged into his embrace. His grip on her tightened, she could feel every hard muscle in his chest and the steady heartbeat there.

"Don't cry… please don't cry." He buried his face into her hair, kissing the side of her head tenderly. It took everything she had not to break under the sheer weight of the emotions that were crashing inside her.

"I'm sorry," She said again, a sob wracking through her as she fought to hold back the tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks.

"No, Kagome… I- I failed you… I'm the one who should be sorry… I was too weak to save you…can you ever forgive me?" He sounded so broken, so small and defeated it tore her heart in two. Her hands settled over his much larger ones around her middle and she pressed ever closer, reveling in his familiar, musky scent that enveloped her.

"You didn't fail me, Inu… you could never do that. I promise, there is nothing to forgive." She said immediately, desperate to soothe him of the pain she herself had caused in the man she loved. She spun around in his embrace, finally coming face to face with him as her arms wound around his neck as if on their own accord.

Their eyes met, and everything but the encapsulating gold of his gaze fell away.

His face was open, completely vulnerable and she could see a mixture of emotions play across his features all at once. Wonder. Confusion. And something else she couldn't quite identify that had her heart skipping a beat.

Her mouth felt dry suddenly as she struggled to speak.

"InuYasha… There are some things I need to explain and-" She was cut off by the crash of his lips against hers, and she was lost in the passion of his kiss; the words evaporating and floating away as he stole her breath and squeezed her tightly against him.

She didn't know how long they stayed like that. Minutes. Hours. Days. She didn't care. It felt so damn good. So perfectly right, like she was exactly where she was supposed to be at that moment. She could feel the wounds of her heart mending, stitching themselves back together as they were assuaged by his tender embrace. And when he finally broke away, they were both panting, his forehead resting on hers with his eyes closed. His strong arms were wrapped around her, and she felt so small tucked against his chest.

"I love you." He spoke, barely a whisper.

It was so quiet at first, she wasn't sure she'd heard him right.

She pulled away, hearing her own heartbeat thundering in her ears as he opened his eyes to meet hers. She opened her mouth to speak but he cut her off again, liquid gold boring into velvet brown.

"I love you, Kagome… only you…" His voice was rough, and the words had her frozen instantly, the whole world coming to a stop as she looked into his eyes, disbelieving. It was everything she had known in her heart but had longed to hear him say for so long. It didn't feel real; like a dream. His silver hair was illuminated ethereally in the moonlight, his eyes flashing stark gold in the darkness.

And then the were falling against each other, crashing, breaking; their lips locked in a fevered, passionate kiss. She could feel tears trail down her cheeks, whispering across his mouth that she loved him too, more than anything. her hand came up to cup the side of his face, reveling in the feel of his skin as her fingers tangled in his long silver forelocks.

"I love you." She said it again, unable to stop it from pouring past her lips just as he covered them with his own, his tongue stroking at hers hotly.

I love you I love you I love you

His voice played on a loop in her head and her heart felt like it was going to burst in her chest. She couldn't get enough of his mouth, his hands. She'd missed this. Missed it more than she could put into words. Missed the way he lit her up like a bonfire doused in gasoline, her body blazing to life beneath his calloused fingers. He was working her like a marionette, and she was putty in his arms; melting against his rock-hard body, moaning into his mouth at the feeling.

Somehow InuYasha managed to gather what little restraint he had left and pull away from her tantalizing lips, parted and swollen from his kisses. They were both breathing hard. He could smell the thick scent of arousal drifting off her, curling up into the night air like smoke and it was driving him crazy. He needed to break away before he lost control and took her right there, in the middle of her family's shrine, regardless of the circumstances.

She was looking up at him with those wide, watery eyes that shone like polished stones in the light of the moon, his hand drifting up to capture the side of her face; his thumb stroking across her skin tenderly. They shared a long look, one that was filled with many things that didn't need to be said. He could feel her happiness at his words; the way her aura lit up around her prettily, flaring up in the darkness.

He couldn't believe that he'd finally come out and said it.

He'd been thinking about her nonstop while he was in the feudal era; thinking about how she was the most important thing in his life, trumping even the Tessaiga. He'd never felt like this about anyone else. Kikyo paled in comparison to Kagome.

She was a bright flame, lighting up every room she walked into with that encapsulating smile of hers. She drew people in with her warmth, and her energy was always calm and soothing. While Kikyo was a shade, cold and reserved.

Though he didn't deny the fact that for a long time, she had been the only thing that had kept him going. But as he looked back on those moments now, he couldn't help but feel a sense of pity for the Hanyou he had once been. Cautious, afraid of connection. He had never known what it was like to have someone he'd called a friend. But she'd shown him mercy when he didn't even know the word for it. No one had ever spared him before, not even once.

So, when she did, it had felt like something that he'd only heard about from his mother in stories.

It had felt like love, like the rest of the world had fallen away and there was only her.

Kikyo, a priestess who guarded that which he desired; who had smelled of demon blood and sadness.

But over time, it became apparent that she would never settle for him as he was. She would always make him feel like he was lesser, somehow, because he wasn't human.

He'd never said it out loud. Hardly even dared to think it because he'd always thought he should just be grateful because he was lucky that she'd given him the time of day at all. But now, here, with this perfect girl wrapped up against his chest he knew.

He knew that this was real. It was that kind of love they talked about in the old stories, in the tales handed down generation to generation around a low fire at night. It was pure, true and honest and he knew with startling clarity that he would never find this again. That thought had given him the push he'd needed to jump through the well.

He was just going to check on her, watch her sleep for a while, maybe. But then there she was, standing beneath the swaying branches of the Goshinboku, looking happy but somehow sad at the same time, staring up at the stars, like she'd been waiting for him.

He was starting to believe in fate.

They were drawn to each other like magnets; where one went the other was usually not far behind. They were both beginning to realize that now.

He kissed her again, softly this time. Just a whisper of his lips across hers before he was pulling away, his hand drifting down to capture hers where it hung by her side. He wanted to say it again, to say it a million times because he felt so free. But instead he just let a small smile twist at his lips, leading her to sit gently on the stone bench where he had first told her of his intent to take her as his mate; the memory of that day as clear in his mind as if it was only yesterday. She had been so happy, then. He'd never seen her so overjoyed before. She'd cried, but they hadn't been the sad kind of tears. They were the kind that spoke of her elation better than any words ever could.

He took the spot next to her, immediately wrapping his arm around her shoulder to protect her from the cold. It was a long time before she spoke, and he was waiting with bated breath, his heart pounding in his chest.

"I don't even know where to begin…" She trailed off uneasily, her teeth worrying at her bottom lip anxiously.

"Tell me what they did to you, Kagome… I have to know."

He could see her visibly wince as if assaulted by the memory his words dredged up, but she nodded slowly; her eyes trained on the ground as her hands fiddled in her lap.

And so, she did. She told him everything. Everything that lead up to Tsukuyomi's rescue of her, anyway. She left that bit out as she trailed off awkwardly, unsure as to how she should continue. It was a hard thing to imagine, a literal Kami coming down from the heavens to rescue a girl like her. And as it turned out somehow, crazily enough, he was her father. How the hell was she supposed to explain that?

InuYasha was seething beside her, his rage boiling hot like pure lava inside him. His arm fell away from around her as his fists clenched, his teeth lengthening inside his mouth and his cheeks burning as the jagged purple marks appeared. His demon was roaring out a bloodcurdling scream inside, rattling its cage as it was lost to the frenzied fury that coursed through his blood. If not for the seal the Tessaiga at his hip had placed on him, he would've lost it completely. As it was, he still wasn't holding himself together very well.

When Kagome had told him of what Bankotsu had done… and worse, what he had tried to do… he wanted nothing more than to see that slimy, worthless low-life's blood dripping from his claws; to pluck the shard that gave him life from his body and watch as he became a pile of dust and bones on the ground. Nothing would give him more pleasure.

She had stopped there, having gone quiet after she'd whispered to him of how close she was to the precipice of that eternal abyss, how all she had thought about at that moment was him. Her voice broke, tears sliding down her face as she choked on the memory.

He was burning up inside.

It was his fault, all of it. Everything that had been done to her, his future mate… it had been because he was weak. And he hated himself because of it. He felt the hot sting of tears prick as his eyes; his lips drawn back over his fangs in his torment.

If only he hadn't sent her away, if he had just kept her by his side like normal, none of this would've ever happened.

"But then… right when he was about to… I was-well, it's really hard to explain…"

"just say it, Kagome." He bit out, all but growling; trembling with the force of the emotions that were shaking at the very foundations of his soul as he struggled to keep himself contained.

"My… father… he-" She broke off, her eyes flashing, bottom lip quivering. She didn't know how to say this. It sounded crazy, even in her head.

"well… as it turns out, I'm not really who I thought I was after all." She laughed weakly, the sound fake and wrong to her own ears. Hot tears spilled down her shiny red cheeks, her breath hitching as she fought to hold back a sob. She could feel his eyes boring into her, questioning, but he didn't speak. He just let her gather herself before she shakily continued. "He saved me, right at the last moment. If it wasn't for him, I'd be dead." She swallowed thickly, vividly remembering the way the Ronin's hands had squeezed at her throat so hard he'd almost killed her.

"Who, Kagome? I don't understand…"

"My father…" She sniffled pitifully, wiping at her eyes while InuYasha just looked at her, confused. "His name is Tsukuyomi… and he rescued me."

When his name passed her lips, she could see the half-demon immediately stiffen, his golden eyes going wide in shock as the demon marks faded away from his cheeks.

"But that's impossible…" he sputtered, his mouth hanging open dumbly. "Kagome, do you know who that is?"

"He's the Kami of the moon, isn't he?" She asked quietly, though she already knew the answer.

"More than that! He's a dream walker, a sorcerer… he commands the night, and all Yokai that serve it." He said the last part almost reverently, his voice laced with awe. "So, you know how impossible that is, right? He can't be your father."

"Look, I know it sounds insane, okay? But… he came to me in a dream and spoke to me as plainly as I am speaking to you now… and as much as I don't want to believe it, I know he was telling the truth." She sighed heavily, raking her hands across her face in her frustration.

"How? How do you know that?"

"I- I can feel it. And… ever since he healed me, my power… it's different. Better." She said quietly, her eyes flickering down to her hands that were folded neatly in her lap.

"What do you mean? He healed you?"

"Yes. After he saved me… It was close, Inu. I almost didn't... I almost didn't make it. But he fixed me like it was nothing."

"I Just- I don't understand how this is possible, Kagome. It doesn't make any sense." He sighed exasperatedly, shaking his head. "So, you're telling me that your mother slept with a kami?" He said incredulously, one thick silver brow arched high in his dubiousness.

"I don't know! Okay?!" She exploded, her own frustration coming to a head. "All I know is what he told me… and he told me that I need to stay."

"What do you mean stay? Stay here? In the future?"

"Yes…" She said at length, hesitating because she knew that he wouldn't take it well.

It was quiet between them for a long moment, but she could practically feel the anger that spiked along his aura, his jaw clenched shut as he mulled over her words.

"Well, that's just bullshit."

He finally bit out after a long agonizing moment; turning those bright, vindictive eyes on her again, effectively rooting her to the spot.

"So that's why ya left me, huh? Cause he told you too?" She visibly flinched at the harshness of his words, her heart sinking with dread as she scrambled to explain.

"No! I-I had too, Inu. For me, for everyone… I had too… but I'm sorry." She whispered brokenly, hot tears streaming down her flushed cheeks. "I just… this is something that I need to do, Inu. Please understand."

He looked away, his heavy bangs hiding his eyes.

"Keh…You're just being selfish. We need you… and you're just gonna do what? Stay here? Leave Shippo? Leave your best friends? Leave me?" He rose swiftly, his hands clenched into fists at his sides as he turned his back to her, walking away.

"No! it's not like that I swear!" She rushed to jump up after him. "I'm coming back, but I-"

"But what?" He cut her off, his voice had gone cold and distant.

"I need you to understand." She said quietly, pleading. "I need you to know that I'm not doing this to hurt you. Tsukuyomi said something… He said that no matter what, you and I will always be together. That we were meant for each other. I would never, never walk away from that… from you." She choked on the words, reaching out for him even though he was still turned away.

There was a long beat of tense silence and all she could hear was the beating of her own heart, crashing like thunder in her ears as she waited with bated breath for him to speak. Tears flowed freely from her watery eyes, her fingers trembling as they fell away from his rigidly set shoulders.

"You already did, Kagome…"

His voice was rough and filled with raw emotion; he still wouldn't look at her.

Her heart felt like it had shattered into a million pieces inside her chest, and it was like the earth had been snatched out from under her feet as she swayed there. She didn't know how she had expected him to react, but she definitely hadn't pictured this. It felt like everything in her life was falling apart, crashing down right on top of her head.

And then he was leaping away, into the darkness of the trees that surrounded the property before she even had a chance to stop him; leaving her there, dumbstruck and fractured beneath the cold light of the moon.

The rest is confetti.

A/N: I think the reason it takes me so long to writes scenes like this is because I don't want anything bad to happen to them lol but then I'm like dang… it's essential to the storyline tho… and that's the tale of why it took me all week to write this thing haha. So, sorry for the long wait but definitely let me know what you guys think! Happy Friday & thanks for reading!