"InuYasha!" Kagome yelled, looking for the half demon. "It's time to eat!" No reply came, so the human tried to bribe him. "I've got ramen!" She waited a few moments, but InuYasha didn't come to her. Kagome became very worried. She'd known the dog demon four years now and knew that something had to be wrong if he hadn't come back for ramen.

Kagome wondered through the forest when she heard her friend whispering. He'd started to say something but stopped in mid sentence as if, as if, NO! Please let me be wrong...PLEASE! She tried to remember where she heard the whispers, but it was hard since she didn't have the best hearing. After minutes of wandering, she had stumbled about a couple...a couple of backstabbers. "No." The human girl quietly begged to herself when she saw InuYasha and Kikyo, lips pressed together. "NO!" She yelled this time.

InuYasha eyes popped open, but Kikyo's were still closed. She knew what was happening, but did nothing but hold the half dog tighter so he couldn't go after the other miko.

Kagome weapt and weapt for what seemed like hours. It was dark outside and she wasn't going to be able to find her way back to the others. She was kind of glad of that though, because then she'd have an excuse of why she didn't return that night when they would ask her in the morning. The human didn't want to be bothered. All she wanted to do was cry in peace. That or go back in time and make it so that InuYasha and Kikyo had never met, but that was impossible.

Back with Kikyo and InuYasha

"Kikyo, I can't do this. You saw how hurt Kagome was." InuYasha said.

"You just kissed me. How could you do that and go back to that girl?" Kikyo said.

InuYasha just stared at her. It wasn't a stare that said he was thinking, or that he was mad, but a stare that said 'I never want to see you again.'

Kikyo gave him one of her looks. It was a look of hatred, coldness in her eyes and face. InuYasha knew she could never love, at least not if she didn't always get her way.

Looking away from the evil eyes of the dead priestess, the half demon ran away, looking for his real love. The one he truly wanted to kiss and say 'I love you' to, though he'd NEVER EVER admit that. He had a hard enough time admitting it to himself.

Kagome

I will go home to my era first thing in the morning. I will never forgive that stupid, idiot of a-of a-oh I can't even think of the word.

InuYasha

Where is she?...And why do I smell salt? It's like the ocean, but not as strong. "Kagome! Kaaagooommeeeee! Where are you?"

I'm sorry! I didn't mean to break your heart! To hurt you! Please, please forgive me! I'd sit more than a thousand sits if that's what it takes for you to love me again! For you to forgive me! InuYasha screamed in his mind.

Kagome

"Oh no, he's comong to find me." The girl said to herself. "Why me? Why does he have go and kiss Kikyo and then come looking for me? Why?"

The hanyou was looking at the girl. I love you. I love you more than anything. He could only think the words though. His mouth was open as his mind did the talking, telling him what to tell her, but his voice over powered his mind and said those words were not to come out just yet.

"Look, InuYasha," Kagome decided to start, "you clearly love Kikyo, not me. I don't blame you, either. You knew and loved her first. I just don't belong in your life. I've decided to leave tomorrow...for good."

"That's all you're gonna say?"

"Oh, and...sit." Kagome said calmly.

The spell didn't work that time. Both InuYasha and Kagome were surprised. She said it again, still nothing. Kagome just said, "InuYasha-"

"What?" He said hopefully.

"InuYasha, leave now. Go back to Kikyo and tell her I will never come back to this time and she won't have to worry about me getting in the way of you and her. Also, don't bother going through the well to my time once I do. I'll just send you back, I will without a single word." She paused, then ended her speech. "InuYasha, stay out of my life...Forever!" Her voice echoed through the forest. Kikyo heard it and smirked. She would finally have the half demon to herself. Sango, Miroku, Shippo, and Kirara heard it as well. They became worried.

"I can't-I can't do that, Kagome. What I did with Kikyo back there was an accident. I wanted to stop, to pull away, but she wouldn't-"

"She wouldn't let you?" The human girl said flatly, yet a bit nasaly from crying.

"Look!" InuYasha raised his voice, then calmed down. He sat next to Kagome, but she scooted away. Again InuYasha moved closer, but she moved away. The hanyou went closer to her once more, but this time he grabbed her arm so she couldn't go any further away than she already was. InuYasha pulled her as close as he could to him and turned so he'd be face to face with the girl. The boy could think straight now that he was in front of the one he loved. C'mon, c'mon! Think, what were you saying to yourself earlier? He tried to start a sentence, but couldn't. Kagome tried to pull away, but couldn't find against the strong half-breed. "I-I-Kagome, this isn't easy for me to say, but, I'm just going to say it. Kagome I love you!

The word love echoed in the human girl's head. He loves me? No! I can't let myself believe his lies. I can't! I just don't want my heart to break into a million pieces again. This has happened one too many times. I catch him with Kikyo, he appologizes, and everything is better, until it happens again! I have to end this here and now. InuYasha knew exactly what she was thinking. "InuYasha, let me go. I'm going back to my time right now, and forever. I'm sorry, but I have to." She tried to make her voice sound cold, like she didn't care about him, but even InuYasha detected the small hint sadness in the sentence.

"Kagome, you have to understand. I-DO-NOT-love Kikyo. I don't! You're the one I love!" InuYasha yelled, looking so deeply into her eyes that even the opportunity to kill Naraku would tear him away.

There's that word again. Love. Does he really mean it? NO! I can't let that happen. I wish he'd let me go, but he's just too strong...Why don't you want to be with him? You love him, don't you? Part of Kagome's mind started a battle with her. She looked away from InuYasha's beautiful hazel colored eyes, knowing that if she looked into them for too long, she'd be hipnotized again. He'd make her give in. Make her stay with him until he met up with Kikyo again and this whole thing starts all over. I, I,...I... Kagome tried to answer her own question without it ending up yes. I do! I can't help that, but I can help make it so he can no longer hurt me. I am tired of my heart being ripped out of my chest and stabbed a million times, then put back in with bandages wrapped all around it. My heart can only stand so much pain. "InuYasha, don't do this to me again. I can't-I can't let you. Just go away and be with Kikyo forever and ever and forget about me."

"You don't understand! I don't love her! I-" He stopped a moment and lowered his voice. He'd never looked so, so...well, torn apart. Kagome looked straight into his eyes, past the first layer of coldness that made her shiver. She stopped her search at the part of his eyes that wanted love, that said 'if you leave me now, I'll know I've lost everything I've cared for. If you go, I'll die. If I don't die of sadness, I'll kill myself.' Kagome held her own eyes shut, knowing she couldn't leave him, knowing that what she read in his eyes was not a lie. "I love you, Kagome, and I've known it for a long time now, and I was hoping you loved me too." His voice was mixed with sadness, hope, and hurt.

"InuYasha, everytime I forgive you for being with Kikyo, you go and hurt me again. I can't do this anymore...Goodbye." InuYasha reluctantly let her go, wanting to give her a kiss at least to say farewell, but he couldn't. Her voice was no longer cold, it was filled with love. It was practically saying 'I love you InuYasha.' "And this time boy, don't follow me home." She tried not to cry, she really did, but it was uncontrollable.

InuYasha cried too. For moments he just sat there, doing nothing. His mind was trying to sort through everything that just happened. You were with Kikyo, kissing. Kagome caught you. You left Kikyo. You and Kagome talked, and Kagome dumped you...Wait, did she really? Did all of this