Kagome watched as InuYasha went to Kikyo again. It was like Kagome wasn't good enough! She felt like he was ripping her heart apart. Time after time.
But what she didn't know, was Kikyo wasn't what she thought. Being of the same soul, Kikyo could feel the pain, and love Kagome felt for InuYasha. While she herself realized it had only been a crush, what her reincarnation felt was more. And so Kikyo and InuYasha would sneak off to plan a way to prove his love to Kagome.
Nothing seemed to work, however. This time was especially bad. Kagome had been back to her era, and her father had come back. Her mother had always told her he was dead. No, he had left them to be with an old girlfriend. Her heart rang out InuYasha, but it fell to deaf ears.
When he came to retrieve her, she was more than happy to leave, depressed and sullen. The group was waiting for her, but it didn't even phase her. Her father left them for the past…like InuYasha would soon.
One day, some day
Night fell, and as they sat by a fire, Kikyo's soul-catchers came to retrieve InuYasha. While Kagome had made a protest, it too fell on deaf ears, too excited with the idea of trying to make her happy than to realize she would be with him just staying there.
And not long after they left, Kagome sensed a jewel shard coming towards them. Naraku was up to old tricks, embedding it into an innocent weasel-demon that had guarded the forest for years. It went straight for Sango, while wasps swarmed as so Miroku was almost useless.
Without even thinking, she went to action. Bow in hand, she climbed onto a tree branch and readied her strike. She never wanted to hurt a living thing. For that, she was hurt by many.
She saw it ready to attack, and realized a second before what it was doing. "Miroku! Run!"
But he wasn't listening, and he was knocked back into unconsciousness.
This life, not like you wanted it
His eyes, I can see again, I need you here
In your mind, nobody's listening
It's alright, not to feel again, just breathe again
Next was Shippo. He tried using his top, but the weasel swatted it away and Shippo was knocked into a tree at the same time. Before she could feel the pain around her.
Now she could only breathe and hope her hanyou friend would come back. And so, she shot an arrow and ran towards him and Kikyo, hoping they wouldn't be mad she disrupted them.
Last minute before the weasel caught her, she decided she couldn't, and turned. He'd never forgive her for interrupting them, and she only wanted him to be happy. The demon couldn't stop in time and smashed into a tree.
Looking around the camp, she found Sango's boomerang and threw it, hoping it'd hit.
"Please InuYasha, be back soon," she whispered as it missed, only to hit on its return.
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"Kikyo, I don't know what's wrong," InuYasha confessed, looking sad. "It's like, she's turning into a girl Sesshomaru. She won't laugh, she won't smile. Only, she seems sad all the time. Why can't I help her?"
"I can feel betrayal in our soul. Something hurtful has happened to her. She's afraid it'll happen to her again," Kikyo replied, reaching into her soul. "We must think of something."
He felt terrible. She brought him back from his demon state, brought him back to this world. Time after time she kept bringing him back. After everything he did, she brought him back to her. He walked the line between love and friendship, right and wrong, sin and deed. Yet she was always there. He owed her.
Time after time, I walk the fine line
Something keeps bringing me back
Time after time, I'm going in blind
I don't know which way I need to go
Suddenly Kikyo gasped. "InuYasha. You must go back. She's in trouble. She needs you. Now more than ever."
Enough said, he was already off to save her.
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Regaining his senses, the weasel hissed and advanced towards Kagome again. This time, however, she picked up the monk's staff, putting it before her like a sword.
"It's hopeless. You and your friends will perish, and I will gain the rest of the Shikon no Tama," Naraku's voice boasted through the forest, making Kagome feel small. "InuYasha is off with Kikyo again, and you will die tonight."
Only meters away, InuYasha heard Naraku and got ready to kill him. How dare he threaten Kagome. But the girl's words were what scared him most.
"Death would be a welcomed sensation at this point. For the first time since Souta was conceived, I saw my father. He did the same to me and my family as InuYasha will. He left for the past. Left a family, friends that loved him, even left the one person devoted to him. One day, so will InuYasha."
He choked. Souta said something about his father. But Souta and Kagome both had told InuYasha that he was dead! Was that why Kagome was so broken?
Suddenly, the weasel lurched towards Kagome, digging its teeth into her shoulder. While he pierced both flesh and bone, she felt nothing. As it released itself, she put a hand to it and tried to purify it. Screeching, it fell back in an agonizing ark.
Now she was feeling it. The blood was flowing from the wound quickly. Her vision was becoming hazy and she couldn't see straight. Her life had caved into nothing, and now she would die. She fell to her knees before losing even the strength to kneel, and collapsed, crying.
"I don't understand. What did I do to deserve my fate?" she whispered. "The past is meant to be learned from, not dwelled in. Kami-sama, I'll never be forgiven. I want to live again."
InuYasha didn't care anymore. Kagome was dying! He stepped towards her and his unconscious friends and surrogate son, his eyes trained on the girl he loved so dear.
"It's not fair, Kagome. All I ever wanted was to make you happy, and instead I cause you pain. You bring me back and I take it all for granted."
"Inu…Yasha," Kagome gasped, fading. "I want to be born again happy and free. Would the yaoyorozu no kami want an angel?"
He couldn't take it. "Kagome, you're reborn from every fight, stronger and freer on the inside."
Feels like your world is caving in
And I cry, failing to understand, I wish I can
It's alright, if you're listening
In his eyes you can live again, free within
"Inu…Yasha," she whispered, fading. "I'm sorry I was still so weak. I failed again. Kikyo was stronger than me. Please live well with her. Maybe someday we can be together…I love you…" she trailed off, eyes closing.
Squaring off to the demon that killed his one true love and left him alone, InuYasha readied Tesseiga. It wasn't fair. Kagome shouldn't have died! She was so innocent. She had a future, family, loved people, friends, people that loved her…Why her?
Charging, he let his demon take over, not noticing Kikyo appeared to Kagome side.
"Kagome!" he screamed, slashing at the demon. He nicked the demon's side with one, put was hit in return with his clawed paw. InuYasha crashed back to the ground, only to rise again.
Getting to work, Kikyo healed the wound and cleaned it. Then she felt for a pulse, knowing dead or alive she should not be remembered bloody and torn. But…there was a pulse! Faint, but there. Of course! If she had died, Kikyo would have received all of the soul back.
Shippo and Sango started to stir. Looking to his surrogate mother, Shippo saw the wide marks so much like teeth, and the old priestess hovering around her. "Kagome!" he yelled, running to her and batting away at Kikyo. "Leave her alone! Don't hurt her!"
Miroku too was now waking, and noticed the tentative situation. Sango was near tears, and without thinking wrapped her arms around the lecherous monk. But instead of taking this opportunity to grope her, he tried to comfort her.
It was hard for Sango when Kirara died. Now to lose the girl she thought of like a sister? Someone was being cruel. He too felt like he was losing a sister.
"Why won't she wake if she lives?" Kikyo muttered, despairingly.
"Ki-Kikyo?" Shippo questioned. Was this truly the soul-snatcher that InuYasha was always leaving Kagome to be with? Why was she suddenly so…Hold the phone! "I-I think I know why…" He took a deep breath. "Her soul."
Without saying anymore, the priestess understood. Kagome needed her whole soul to heal. Taking one last look around, at InuYasha, at Kagome's friends, she focused on pushing the pieces of the soul back together in Kagome's body.
Only seconds later, she collapsed and shattered.
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The demon was strong, but InuYasha's desire for revenge was stronger. Striking again, he used his Kaze no Kizu, Cutting Wind, to destroy it.
Smashing right through his head, the shard fell into the sheath. Using his limited senses, InuYasha tipped the shard out and looked for Naraku. Finding him, InuYasha went at him for all he was worth. And in the end, Naraku too died.
Still a demon, InuYasha turned to see Kagome trying to stand, assisted by a guy in purple robes and a girl in a tight black suit with pink armor. But right now, he was too mad to compute anything. The girl he had intended to mate died.
Someone had to pay.
As he charged the group, Kagome noticed first and smiled weakly. She gained Kikyo's knowledge, and she no longer felt betrayed. Instead, she felt loved. Just as he was going to strike, she put her arms out and leapt to hug him.
Her arms…he knew that embrace! His eyes stopped bleeding red and slowly faded back to gold. Realizing Kagome was indeed still alive, he smiled and started to hug her back.
"Kagome…I'm sorry. I love you." He smiled at her and saw pain in her eyes. "What's wrong? Are you okay? Is Kikyo around?"
"InuYasha…she sacrificed herself. She sacrificed herself for you and me to be happy. I needed her half of the soul, and she gave it to me because of you."
Time after time, I walk the fine line
Something keeps bringing me back
Time after time, I'm going in blind
I don't know which way I need to go
Time after time, I walk the fine line
Something keeps bringing me back
Time after time, I can't see the sign
I don't know which way I need to go
He smiled bitterly, tears threatening to fall, sobs threatening to break the smile, paining him in his refusal.
In the end, Kagome pulled him back, and he for her. Everything led them back together. "She was trying to help me," he whispered.
"I know. I found out when I got the soul back. Everything she's done and said since the soul split."
Now Kagome cracked. Sobs racked through her body and InuYasha could only hold her, their friends watching on in mixed sadness and happiness. Kagome was back, but Kikyo was dead.
"Here I always thought she hated me. Why did she have to die? She always acted like she hated me, and she died for me," she sobbed.
Do all these roads lead me back to you
I don't know which way I need to go
"Kagome, don't cry. It's okay. She knew she was never meant to be alive in this time. She understood it wasn't natural for her to still be here. Kikyo was ready to die for you so you could be safe in your own time. All of time."
Sango cleared her throat. "InuYasha? Is that the other half of the Shikon no Tama?"
"Yeah, and we should probably make our wish," he replied, looking at it. He looked Kagome in the eye and she nodded back, taking out her half. "Kagome, no matter what happens, I love you. I'm sorry I ever hurt you."
She nodded, giving him her piece. "InuYasha? I want you to make the wish."
Nodding, he looked at his friends. He and Shippo would live to see Kagome in her era again, but this was the last time for Sango and Miroku. Said couple held each other's hand and hugged Kagome, crying as they said their goodbyes.
"My wish…I wish…I wish for us to never have to part. No matter how much time passes, I wish we will always be able to be with each other and travel through the well, no matter how old we may get; I wish for Sango and Miroku to be able to never have to leave us, and I never have to spend years from Kagome. I wish for us to be happy, and always together."
The jewel glowed and rose from InuYasha's hands. From high in the air, a light burst from inside and expanded to engulf everything. When it finally died down, Midoriko-sama was before them.
"InuYasha, you shall receive your wish, for the selflessness within it. Sango and Miroku will live as long as you and Shippo, as well as Kagome. My well shall remain open, as so Kagome may not have to live those years without her family. Also, I now allow you all to pass through. Thank you…"
The group gasped as the light erupted again and the jewel fell to Kagome's hand, sparkling. She looked to InuYasha and smiled. "So, you'll all get to see my era now. But one day we'll die?"
"Hn. But not for a very long time," InuYasha replied, smiling as he grabbed Kagome and kissed her, the monk doing the same to Sango, and Shippo smiling as he hugged his parents.
One day…