Summary:One day it finally happens, their luck runs out and Inuyasha is slain. Distraught and in need of comforting Kagome goes home for a day only to return to the Feudal Era and find Inuyasha is alive and well? Dazed she says nothing only to watch as he is killed again, and again, and again... It's a nightmare she can't seem to stop from repeating itself.

Regretful Repetition
Chapter One: Fiery Finish

"You stupid, pious, bitch," wasn't the worst thing that the young, in-training, miko heard throughout her journey to find and complete the shikon no tama. No, certainly she had been called far worse. Still, there was something about the malice filled red gaze that locked with her hazels that shook her to her core. Something… so wrong. So much hate, so much, and all aimed at her.

All because of her.

Without a doubt, she had no idea why this youkai hated her so much more than the rest they had encountered. Many had reason to dislike her, maybe even detest her, but this one? They had only encountered her that morning. Unbeknownst to them, she snuck up to their camp to set it aflame and separate them.

To make sure that she was able to get the adolescent alone. Higurashi Kagome was clever enough to grab her bow and a set of arrows before the fire got too bad, though. That must have caught the fiery redheaded youkai off guard, because she was able to shot her in the side causing her to collapse on the ground in agony.

That was when she finally said those four words.

"What do you want?" inquired Kagome whilst she drew another arrow back on her bow and pointed it towards the youkai once more, a silent threat for her not to move again. "Who are you?"

Her eyes only narrowed all the more for a brief moment, "I want you to suffer beyond what you could ever imagine. And to do that, I am willing to give anything."

"What?" Kagome countered cautiously, "why? I've never met you before."

But she got no answer, a burst erupted from the youkai to cause her to fly backwards and into a tree. From the way her head ached, she must have hit the tree ever so hard, because she felt herself slipping into slumber. And though she tried to stay awake, she couldn't.

"Kagome!"

Was the last word she heard, before her closing eyes watched as her usual savior in red ran out of the forest to come to her. It was hopeless… since the moment he ran past the youkai she erupted into flames. Flames so brutal that they could blind someone from their brightness, flames so harsh that those caught within them could do nothing but scream.

Seven times… she heard Inuyasha scream in terrible pain before she was pulled a safe distance from the flames. Dazed and in disbelief. That couldn't have just happened. Surely, he'd come into the clearing. Most definitely, Inuyasha would be fine. Obviously, he couldn't die.

He was Inuyasha, he was invincible.

Yet… he never came into the clearing. All that was left of him were ashes. In an instant, her world was shattered.

It took the short journey back to their usual resting place, Kaede's home, for it to really sink in what had happened. That morning he had been alive, he had even nagged her about getting her things together quicker so that they could get a move on. After all, they had only been a short distance from Kaede's because she had just gotten back that morning from taking a test.

They had only stopped there for a small break… at her request. Her request because she was tired from the night before and he had given in even though it was clear he didn't want to. So did that make it all her fault? That horrible thing, that awful woman, had said she wanted to cause her pain to make her suffer like she had never known prior to that point.

That she was even willing to give her life up for it… and she did. She succeeded, too, in a way that broke the young school girl. Broke her so badly that she didn't think it was possible to recover. How was she supposed to go on collecting jewel shards without him? How were they supposed to kill Naraku without him?

How were they meant to do anything without him?

No, the better question was this; how was she meant to live without him?

Her heart beat for him, fluttered at thoughts of him, pulsed quicker when he said something even somewhat flattering to her. It didn't take a genius to see that she wasn't the only one in pain. All of them were remarkably silent, most likely as astonished by the turn of events as she was. How could the strongest of them all be gone?

Inuyasha had always seemed invincible. Impossible to beat, if for no other reason than his ridiculously stubborn behavior. And for him to be taken down by a foe that they didn't even know the name of? That… just made it so much worse.

"Kagome-sama," Miroku dared to start, pausing to find a way to word his thoughts delicately, "we would all understand if you need time to yourself. If you would like to return home… I do not think any of us wish to continue onward for the time being."

Words refused to leave her lips, not even a peep had after they realized he was gone for good this time, she barely even blinked. It seemed like a dream, a horrible nightmare, something that she hoped every second harder and harder that she'd wake up and he'd be there. Alive and well… but the longer she kept her eyes open the more she realized what a lie that was.

This was reality, and reality was harsh.

So, instead, she merely nodded before she readjusted her yellow backpack on her shoulders and started her trek towards the well. She almost always made it in the company of Inuyasha, usually while dealing with him whining about how he didn't see why she had to spend time with school, and how useless it all was. It got annoying, but at the same time she knew it was his way of saying he'd miss her. That he wanted her to stay.

What had always really bothered her was that he couldn't just say that. Then again, she had never said how she really felt to him either. The very thought of that made her heart pang with even more pain, she hadn't even known it was possible to hurt so much. She had never told him how much he mattered to her… how much she cared.

Now, she'd never get the chance to.

It was only when she arrived on the other side of the well that it hit her. That the gravity of the situation smacked down on her and forced her to sit down at the bottom of the well. She struggled to get air into her lungs once the sobbing began, the tears finally broke free, and she knew it'd be a long while before she found the strength to stop them.

A part of her, one so slim that she barely even recognized it, almost hoped that she'd choke on her own cries so that she could be with him again. Of course, that didn't happen, and once she finally stopped enough that she could at least see she started to climb out of the well.

There was only one person she wanted to see. One person who could make the situation just slightly less horrible, so she quickly ran up to her house and through the kitchen door to see that her mother was there cooking something. Instantly, a smile slipped up her lips when she realized her daughter was home but the moment she saw her that expression evaporated.

"Kagome, sweetheart, what's wrong?"

"Mama," was all she could blubber out before she found a pair of arms wrapped tightly around her, triggering another terrible trail of sobs to start. Ones that were so violent in their strength that the two ended up kneeling on the kitchen floor.

Incoherently, she muttered between her gasps for air, "he… he… Inuyasha… Inuyasha… is gone. Inuyasha… is… dead."

Soberly, she stared at the calendar in front of her. The one that seemed to mock her that very moment as she laid in bed. Even though the sun had set, she couldn't find the will power to actually fall asleep. It ached everywhere… yet nowhere as much as her chest.

One year ago that day she had fallen through the well and met Inuyasha. One year ago she had entered that world of mayhem and mystery. One year ago… it had been her fifteenth birthday. Which meant, that day was her sixteenth. How could a year go by so quickly?

How could… in just one year, one man gain such a hold on her heart? How could he leave? How could he not be there anymore?

She shut her stinging eyes and grasped the sheets tighter as she hugged herself, trying to keep all the pieces together. Really, she had no idea what to do. Her life on this side of the well seemed so pointless all of a sudden, but there was equally no point to the one she held on the other side without Inuyasha.

Without him… Kami, she didn't know what she would do. What she could do.

It was officially the worst birthday ever. She had even forgotten all about it until that moment. Though, her mother had prepared for her a wonderful breakfast for the occasion that very morning. She had wanted her to stay all day, to spend her birthday with her family, but she wanted to get back to Inuyasha. She needed to…

Maybe if she had stayed like her mother asked he would still be alive?

Reluctantly, it almost hurt, she got out of bed and started her trek down the stairs in her pink sweet-pants, white tank-top, and green hoodie to slide on a pair of slippers and start towards the well's hut. She didn't get far before a voice caught her attention.

"Kagome, sweetheart, what are you doing?"

She stopped briefly before turning around to see her worried mother at the door, a hand upon her chest, her brows lightly furrowed. "I… need to go see them."

"Are you sure you want to do that so soon?"

She just nodded, she wanted to find out if they were having a some sort of funeral for Inuyasha and if so when was it. Then… she'd probably leave the youkai fighting and jewel hunting to them. She just couldn't continuously return to that era without him being there. It'd hurt too much.

It was probably selfish of her, probably wrong even, but she just couldn't.

"I'll be back soon, Mama," Kagome asserted softly before she gave a weak wave and turned to open the door so she could walk down to the well.

It took a series of deep breaths for her to find the will power to make the leap down and to fly through the well. It hurt… so much to know that he wouldn't be there waiting for her. So much that she had to close her eyes tight and take another deep breath in. She could feel her whole body tense up, as if protesting how wrong it was for her to be there then.

"Hey, wench!" startled her so much that she jumped backwards and ran into the well's wall. "Hurry it up already!"

No… no that was wrong. That was his voice, his annoyed tone, his but… that couldn't be. Quickly she pried open her eyes. One thing stood out as wrong right away, even with her just looking at the wall, it was light. When she turned her hazels up she could see the sky was blue and the sun was still there.

But… when she had left it had been night, hadn't it?

"Wench!" she heard again, then even saw his face as he leaned over, "I know you are down there, so hurry it up already!"

"Inuyasha?" she weakly murmured, so silently, so unsure, that if not for his super-hearing he wouldn't have been able to hear her.

"Keh, yeah, now come on," he ordered again. Apparently, she didn't go fast enough for him because the next thing she knew she was standing face-to-face with him as he gripped her hips and leaped up and out of the well with her.

Miroku, Sango, and Shippou all seemed to be waiting there to greet her. All happy… all smiling as if nothing had happened. It didn't make sense.

"What are you wearing?" Inuyasha inquired with a lifted brow as he glanced over her odd outfit, she looked like a bit of a mess which was unlike her. That and she was missing her backpack full of supplies. But he wasn't able to ask another question before he felt her hands on his cheeks and saw her staring intently at him.

He felt a knot form in his chest from her close proximity to him and the way her hands kept sliding up and down his face as if to check to see if it was real. "What's wrong with you?"

Really… she had no idea how to answer that question.

A/N: I didn't want to start a new story but this will just be seven or so chapters. I've had this idea for a long, long, long time so I decided to write it. I'm pretty positive that this idea has been done before but this is my version of it. My goal with this story is to keep everyone as in-character as possible and that's why it's T because let's be honest, Inuyasha and Kagome wouldn't ever do M rated things together in the manga/anime setting. Hope you enjoy.