A/N: Hee hee. I bet you all thought I was dead, didn't you? Didn't you? Well, I'm not. And

here is the latest work from the one-shot Goddess. I hope you enjoy. Oh, and I don't own Inu

Yasha. But I wish I did. (I also wish I owned Legolas, and Duo, and Mousse, and Miroku, and

Hotohori, and Nuriko....)

Complete

Kagome struggled to get closer to the battle. If she could only get that giant shard of

the shikon.... She could see it dangling in Naraku's grasp. He was teasing Inu Yasha with it,

which, under normal circumstances was a bad thing to do. But since Naraku had most of the jewl,

he didn't seem to think it was very dangerouse. She crept closer, hoping that he wouldn't notice

her.

Inu Yasha went in for a strike, and purely by accident, it seemed, his claws cut the

chain of the necklace, and sent the nearly complete jewel flying in Kagome's general direction.

The venom wasps were everywhere, gaurding the jewel, but Kagome managed to dodge them,

with no small amount of luck, and took down a few with her arrows. One that she had missed

flew in behind her and she fell, barely rolling out of the way at the last second. She could

hear the others calling her name, but she didn't have time to waste trying to figure out who.

She could see the jewel resting in the dirt, just a few feet away. She dove under a wasp,

narrowly missing the stinger, and clenched her fist around a handful of dirt, stone, and shikon

jewel.

Reaching into her pocket, she grasped the few shards that they had found since Kikyo had

stollen the jewel from them. It was time to end this.

The pieces of the jewel met, and a white light surrounded them as the tiny shards were

pulled into the whole. The gap closed. Kagome stared at it in wonder. It's finnally over.

But she didn't have time to think about it. The white glow suddenly surrounded her, and she felt

herself being pulled in all directions. She was floating several feet off the ground. The

pulling became stronger, reaching a painfull level, and she screamed.

"INU YASHA!"

Inu Yasha watched in horror as the light surrounding Kagome became brighter and brighter,

nearly blinding. He wanted to go to her, but he couldn't move; no one could, not even Naraku.

He heard her screaming his name, but before he could move even an inch, the light was gone, and

Kagome had vanished. The jewel dropped, klinking on the rocks. Everyone stared at it for

several seconds. Inu Yasha was the first to recover.

Very slowly, Inu Yasha turned to face Naraku. Blood filled his eyes; his demon markings

appeared. But this wasn't a fight for the bliss of killing. This was a fight for revenge. Inu

Yasha's mind was awhirl; he wasn't thinking properly. He never was when he was in his youkai

form. But now it was worse. He didn't know how or why, but Naraku was behind this. And he

would pay.

"Interesting turn of events, isn't it?" he asked.

With one swift movement, Inu Yasha decapitated him. He didn't have the jewel. He was

just a run-of-the-mill demon now. He wouldn't be reserecting himself.

With Naraku out of the picture, Kagura and Kanna were greatly weakened, but Inu Yasha

didn't give Sango or Miroku time to take care of them. Within seconds, he a crossed the

battlefield and killed them both. He might have gone for his three companions next, but the

buzzing of the venom wasps was getting on his nerves. He lept into the air, slicing into the

nearest one. They, too, were nothing without Naraku, and they all fell within moments.

When Inu Yasha was back on the ground again, he stood very still. He knew those people

before him. He did. But his mind was a jumble; he couldn't put together who they were. All he

knew was that she wouldn't want them dead. So he left them alone. He took to the skies again,

going in the opposite direction. A tiny corner of his mind told him to stay away from people.

He didn't listen to it becuase he thought it was right. He didn't seek solitude to

prevent more killing. In fact, all he wanted at the moment was to kill something. But more

than anything, he needed to greive.

"He hasn't been out of his demon form for three weeks; ever since Kagome..." Sango

whispered. Miroku nodded, his face grim. He wasn't sure how good Inu Yasha's demon hearing was,

so he was reluctant to speak. To say anything was risking he would become annoyed, and kill

them all. He wasn't entirely sure why he hadn't already. He had killed everyone else who had

come near them. In fact, that was all he had done--kill, and brood. Currently, he was brooding,

which was the prefered of the two, even if it did mean they had to be extra quiet and careful.

Inu Yasha sat unmoving in his tree, listening to the conversation below him. He shook

his head slightly, and slid down a little lower. What Sango and Miroku didn't know was that he

had been out of his youkai form--but when he didn't have blood lust clouding his thoughts,

thoughts of Kagome came much to easily. And then he didn't want to be around anyone. It was

much easier to greive in peace. And that was all he could do right now. Without Kagome around,

his temper was shorter than ever; the smallest thing could trigger his youkai rage. He knew he

should go find some place to be alone, completely alone, where there was no one for him to

endanger, but it was too hard. He would have to leave in his hanayou form, and as a hanayou, he

simply didn't have the energy to move. The depression that had settled over him when Kagome had

...vanished, was heavier than a cloak of lead. It was like having a mountain of despair resting

on his chest that pinned him in place. He would start thinking of places he could go, only to

be sidetracked by a reference to Kagome. And then he was back to greiving. He couldn't move

foreward. He was trapped in place without the one he loved to guide him.

Inu Yasha had never felt so weak and useless in his life. Why hadn't he moved? Why

hadn't he even called out to her? He should have pulled her away from the jewel, or be pulled

into oblivian with her. But he hadn't. He had been mesmerized by the white light that had

surrounded her and lifted her off the ground. If it hadn't been for the pained, terrified

expression on her face, she would have looked like one of the kami.

Why hadn't he moved?!

Now he had to live witht the fact that his hesitance had caused her death.

Kagome was dead.

He was sure. If she wasn't dead, then what had happened? She certainly wasn't here.

The well was still here. But she needed the shikon to move back and forth between their worlds.

But he wore the shikon. It was tucked safely under his kimono. It was the only

necklace he wore, and that was why he was certain she was dead. He had been battling a minor

demon the day before, and it had grabbed the necklace as he placed the killing blow. The prayer

beads had snapped. His last link to Kagome was reduced to a small handfull of beads and a

broken string.

Of course, he didn't have any of the pieces. His youkai side had no use for beads. So

they were now scattered over the ground, who knows where, with a rotting corpse. He had

considered going to get them, but he couldn't bear to look at the broken necklace, knowing what

it meant.

It was strange. He had the one thing he had wanted his entire life. The Shikon Jewel,

right there, in his grasp; the ability to be come a full youkai. But he didn't use it. He

wasn't happy. He wanted the one thing the jewel could never give him. Kagome.

He was so caught up in his missery, that it didn't even register when he picked up a

familiar scent and his demon blood rose to the surface.

Sesshoumaru knew something was afoot, but he didn't know what. Things had been unusualy

quiet and peaceful. There wasn't the feeling of Naraku plotting something against his younger

brother, or of minor demons planning things. It was simply...peacful. Humans had their

disputes, but it wasn't like it had been ever since his brother had awakened. It was almost as

if the shikon no tama didn't exist. Which was unnerving in itself, because it meant that either

someone very powerful possesed it and was keeping the other demons in line, or it had vanished

like it had the day that preistess had died.

Neither was a comforting thought.

Sesshoumaru whirled around as he caught his brothers scent. It was coming; it was coming

fast, and it was angry. And it smelled like a youkai, not a hanayou. Sesshoumaru had only a

second of warning before Inu Yasha appeared before him, poised for battle. He went into the

offensive imediatly, not bothering to ask questions. Sesshoumaru doubted his half brother even

recognized him.

It was the feircest battle the two had ever engaged in. At the same time however,

Sesshoumaru knew he should have the upper hand. Inu Yasha was fighting on instict alone,

relying on power, not stratagy. At the same time, the power of the jewel was healing any wound

Sesshoumaru inflicted almost imediatly, and Inu Yasha was so charged on adrenalin that he

wouldn't have noticed anyway. He wasn't even bothering to use tetsusaiga; he was out to draw as

much blood as possible with his bare hands, not to accomplish something.

Sesshoumaru sidestepped out of the way of his brothers claws. If he had had his left

arm, those claws would have made contact.

Sesshoumaru was getting more and more disturbed by the moment. The youkai blood was

making Inu Yasha lose his mind, but that was to be expected. But where was the girl? His

brothers wench? The one that kept him in line? Sesshomaru had an inkling that she had been one

of the main reasons his blood was under control for so long. Without her here--

Sheshoumarus claws made contact. It wasn't as deep a gouge as he would have hopped, but

his poisoned claws had left a mark on his brothers chest. In his perifrial vision, Sesshomaru

noticed something glittering fly off in the direction of the old well not to far away, but he

wasn't able to spare a look to see what it was.

He was too busy fighting for his life.

Kagome trudged up the steps to her home, her book bag behind her, banging against the

stone. It was so strange to have gone to school for three straight weeks, no ineruptions. She

should be happy that she was back to a normal life. But she wasn't. She missed Inu Yasha. She

missed sitting with Sango, talking around the camp fire. She missed Shippou coming to her when

he was scared, and curling up asleep next to her. She even missed beating Miroku over the head

when he tried to grope her.

She didn't know how she had gotten home. The last thing she remembered was screaming

Inu Yasha's name, and then the next thing she knew, she was waking up in her own bed. She had

tried to go back through the well, but she couldn't. She was trapped in her time. It was a

strange thought; trapped in her own home. Trapped in the place where she belonged.

It wouldn't be so bad she mused, if Inu Yasha were here too. I miss him. It's not the

same without him. I wonder if he's forgotten me. If he's with Kikyo. The thought was

depressing. Isn't it always the way? You realize something, just a few seconds too late? How

unfair that I finally can admit I love him, but I can't tell him? I can't even see him?

Suddenly, her head jerked up. The shikon no tama; she could feel it. Very close, and

yet far away. She ran for the well, dumping her bag but letting it lay where it fell.

She jumped into the well. It was somewhere over here...

Kagome's hands dug into the earth. Maybe, if she could find where is was in the feudal

era, it would take her back, like it did the time she had felt it after her date with Hojo.

Maybe there was hope for her to go back after all.

Kagome felt the familiar feeling of a freefall, then her hand closed on something round.

Inu Yasha dug his claws into his brother's neck, pinning him back against a tree. First,

he was going to rip off his other arm. Then he would--

"Inu Yasha!"

Inu Yasha turned slowly to face the speaker. It was impossible. He thought she was

dead. But there she was, standing before him.

There were unshed tears in her eyes, and they followed his arm up to his brother's face,

then back to his own blood red eyes. There was dirt on her short little kimono, and on her

hands. She held the shikon no tama tightly in one. The other hesitantly reach out to him.

Her tears spilled down her cheeks.

It was as though those tears fell on his heart. The fire in his veins cooled; his

thought process returned. His grip on Sesshoumaru lessened, and his brother slumped over

slightly.

"Kagome..."

She launched herself at him, throwing her arms around his neck. "Inu Yasha!" Her words

tumbled out in a rush, blending together and skipping over each other without making sense. "I

woke up--the well, it wouldn't let me--I had to see you--three weeks!--I--"

Inu Yasha crushed her to his chest so tightly she could hardly breathe, let alone speak,

but she mangaged to get out three small words. "I love you."

He hugged her even tighter. His blood was hot again, but for a different reason. This

was joy coursing through his veins, not anger or fear or anything else. Pure joy. He nuzzled

his face in her neck. "I love you, too."

"See that it stays that way," growled the previously forgotten Sesshomaru. "It wouldn't

do for the elder brother to be beaten by his younger sibling." Before they could reply, he

summoned his demon cloud and flew away. Which was probably a good thing as Kagome would have

been highly embarrased if anyone had seen what had happened next.

owari

A/N: Okay, number one, I know my battle scenes kinda sucked. I'm not too good with action.

Number two, I know the whole "I love you" thing was pretty sudden, but I thought this up at 2 am,

and it seems that my ability to write romance fanfiction has gone down since I got a boyfriend

(ironic, isn't it? bad boyfriend=sucky romance fanfics .) And number three, I'm sure at

least a few of you have heard that near the end of the series, Sess joins up with the rest of the

gang and they're all friends and la dee da. I'm going with that as the reason why he didn't

kill Inu Yasha and Kagome then and there.

I hope you enjoyed, despite the points above.