Disclaimer: Inuyasha doesn't belong to me. Nothing does, I'm a millennial.

A/N: I am SO sorry for the wait, my muse decided to take a vacation. But I'd like to thank everyone that has favourited, followed and reviewed; seeing those numbers keep going up is really encouraging! And a special thank you to Khaas1997, your review was the reminder I needed that I have to finish this, for all of you!

Kagome

My mattress shifted, and I felt a hesitant hand rest on my leg. With a groan, I opened my eyes to see who it was.

"Inuyasha…" I whispered. I weakly stretched my arm out towards him, wincing at the pain. He took my hand and squeezed it so hard that I hissed out loud.

"Sorry!" He apologized hastily, easing his grip. "How are you feeling?"

"Like shit." I replied, making him laugh. "You?"

The humour faded from his face. His eyes dropped to his knees.

"Is this my fault?" He burst out before I could ask what was wrong. "Did I…did I hurt you?"

I hesitated, remembering my hard collision with the ground when he cut Goshinki's arm off. But that was nothing, his hand had ended up cushioning a lot of the impact. Apart from the scratches and bruises, my only serious wound was in my stomach and that wasn't his fault.

"No, you didn't." I told him. I meant it, but I'd waited to long too answer. I could feel his hand in mine starting to tremble.

I lifted his hand to my lips and kissed it.

"I don't remember anything." Inuyasha whispered. "I was fighting, my sword broke and then I blacked out. You swear I'm not the one that hurt you?"

"You hurt me." Sango interjected loudly, making us jump in surprise. She was upright and awake. The left side of her face was scraped raw, and there was a cut just above her eye. But her expression wasn't overly angry. Annoyed and hurt maybe, but not angry.

"Oh yes," she continued, gesturing at her face and arm, "this was all you. See if I ever help you again."

"She was trying to protect me," I murmured, "You were coming towards me and she blocked your path."

Inuyasha's mouth fell open. Standing up, he made his way to Sango's bed and sat down on it, never taking his eyes off her. Miroku had awoken as well, and we watched in breathless silence.

"Sango, I'm"

"Oh stop," Sango grumbled, "I can't deal with those puppy eyes of yours."

They embraced, holding each other as tightly as they dared. Miroku looked away but said nothing.

If he feels at all like I do, I don't blame him.

It's not jealousy exactly. Looking at them, I don't feel angry or betrayed. But their relationship, the love they feel for each other is so intense that I feel like an intruder watching this. They have a bond of family, friendship with just enough romance to make it weird. A few days ago, I would have called it unfathomable. But now that I know and have seen exactly what he put himself through, for me, it feels childish to be jealous.

I'm a part of this now and I'm glad for that. I'm glad they aren't alone anymore.

"When we get home, you are doing all the grocery shopping and cleaning the bathrooms for the next three months."

"Uh excuse me? All that because I pushed you? I didn't know you were a little bitch."

"Say that to my face, you damn dog!"

"I just did!"

"Oh, you just wait, I'm going to make that stomach wound look like a papercut!"

"I'd love to see you try!"

Miroku and I looked at each other and dissolved into laughter. Inuyasha and Sango stared at us in astonishment.

"Did you guys hit your heads?" Inuyasha asked. I felt tears welling up in my eyes and let them fall. I felt delirious, maybe I was concussed after all.

"I love you so much," I choked, wiping my cheeks. "All of you."

We spent the rest of the day recuperating. Kohaku came by to see how we were and fill us in on where he'd been. However confident Naraku had felt that Goshinki would succeed, he'd also sent a small army of minor demons just to trash the place and make off with Rin if they could. He couldn't hide the pride in his voice when he told us about how many he'd managed to kill. Sango may not have been happy to hear about him fighting, but there was barely a scratch on him. Inuyasha was hurt the worst by far, but he also had his fancy hanyou healing powers, so he was far more energetic than I would have been. Ok, that's not saying much. I'd be dead. My point is that he was up and stomping around by the next morning and I was still afraid to move.

Give me a break, I'm a fragile human. I reached to touch the bead around my neck and gasped when it wasn't there. For some reason, this gave me a very bad feeling. I just knew in my gut that that little jewel was important.

I suddenly remembered that Rin had visited me…and taken the necklace from me. Why?

I had my answer as soon as I asked the question. Rin had taken the jewel because Sesshomaru told her to. But what did Sesshomaru want with it? If I'd needed confirmation that the jewel was important, this was it. And I needed it back. I waved over the nurse that was rebandaging Miroku's ankle.

"Please, I need to speak to Lord Sesshomaru."

To Inuyasha's surprise, Sesshomaru came to us. Right away, Rin dashed up to me, holding the necklace in her hand.

"Here you go, Miss Kagome! I'm sorry I took it, but Father said he needed to have a look at it." She scurried back to where Kohaku was standing.

Sesshomaru bore absolutely no signs of having been in a fight recently. His suit was perfectly pressed and there wasn't a silver hair out of place. I agree with Inuyasha, he's infuriating. His golden eyes roamed the room, taking in the damage. His gaze lingered the longest on Inuyasha and me. There was a tightness in his face that suggested lack of sleep.

"Did you have to destroy half my estate?" He asked irritably.

Inuyasha's reply made me snort. Mom would have been appalled.

"Before you ask, the Tessaiga cannot be completely restored. But that's a conversation for another time. I'll give you credit for dispatching Goshinki, he was Naraku's most dangerous."

Inuyasha's ears twitched, showing that he was pleased with the compliment, but he kept his face neutral. It was obvious that the news about the sword bothered him. It must have meant a lot to him.

"And what about you?" Inuyasha demanded, "Is Naraku dead?"

A truly ugly look crossed Sesshomaru's face for a split second.

"No." He growled. "Listen carefully and don't you dare interrupt me. I will not explain a second time."

We all nodded obediently, even Kohaku and Rin. I idly noticed that they were holding hands. Another conversation for another time, I suppose.

"I have had every vassal at my disposal researching that jewel. What it is, and why it's incomplete."

I blinked and looked at it again, turning it over in my hands. He was right, there was a small chunk of it missing. In the heat of battle and the haze of pain, I hadn't noticed.

"That jewel is a crystallized soul. The missing piece is the secret to Naraku's power." Sesshomaru ignored our shocked reactions and continued, but I was struggling to understand why Inuyasha suddenly looked horrified.

"Naraku seemed to appear overnight. Never had there been a demon that could spawn other demons from his own body and he quickly rose to infamy. Enough that I was forced to take him seriously. I have always wondered why he stopped at five and why for decades, Naraku has been content to sit in the background and let his children act in his stead. The answer is that Naraku himself is nearly powerless, his only tie to life is the small portion of the jewel he possesses."

The ugly expression crossed Sesshomaru's face again.

"Unfortunately, the only way for Naraku to be killed, is to sever that tie and make the jewel whole again. That is something I cannot do." He trailed off and his gaze landed on me.

"No." Inuyasha breathed, "No, no, no."

A chill had settled over me and my stomach twisted.

"I don't understand. What can I do?"

Inuyasha brought a shaky hand to his face and his shoulders trembled with bitter laughter.

"I should have known…That's why you look like her."

"You are the only one that can reclaim Naraku's portion of the soul, because it's your soul." Sesshomaru explained.

"Yours," Inuyasha corrected, looking unbearably sad, "And Kikyo's."

TBC

A/N: So, worth the wait? Leave me a review!