Hello! This is a re-post of my original story which I began almost four years ago…I am currently in the process of editing the content, and my goal is to complete the story relatively soon. To my former readers: you will notice that some of the content details have changed slightly, but the overall storyline has remained the same. I have removed superfluous comments of my own, and will be adding to the story as I go.

Thank you for your patience, and I truly hope you enjoy my updated version of "The Stars Never Fall."

Blanket Disclaimer: I do not, nor claim to, own any of the characters within this story, except for those of my creation, which will be noted at the beginning of their introductory chapter.

Enjoy! – Jen

Chapter 1 – The Return "Home"

"Kagome, are you sure you're up to this? Your grandfather told us that you had a rare joint disease and could barely walk!"

'Jii-chan, if you would stop making up all of these diseases, I could actually go to school when I'm home!'

My name is Kagome Higurashi. I live at Higurashi shrine in Tokyo, Japan and ever since I turned 15, I've been traveling back and forth between Feudal Japan and the present. On my first visit, I learned that the Shikon no Tama actually existed . . . inside my body! The jewel was shattered after a centipede demon bite it out of my side and a corpse-dancing crow stole it. Now, I travel with a half inu-demon, half human named Inuyasha. Throughout our journeys, we met a young, orphaned kitsune named Shippou, a hentai of a monk named Miroku, and a tajiyasan named Sango who have all joined us on our quest for the Shikon shards. I spend most of my time in Feudal Japan, but I come back home whenever I have a major test, or have just had a huge fight with Inuyasha . . . like this time.

- flashback to yesterday -

"Inuyasha! Osuwari!" crash Inuyasha's body slammed into the forest floor.

"What the hell was that for, wench!"

"You know exactly what it was for!" Kagome stood fuming, then turn and ran with tears streaming from her eyes. 'Why did I have to see that? Why should I care?!'

"Oi! Kagome!" She heard his voice, but kept running as a new wave of sadness engulfed her. She knew he didn't know what he had done . . . the confusion in his eyes proved that. That's what hurt the most

'Everything's been going so well, too! We haven't fought in ages...even Sango mentioned that to me, just this morning.'

That morning seemed like it had happened a year ago. With Shippou and Kirara keeping guard over Miroku, Kagome and Sango had wandered off to their favorite hot spring. Now only a few hours later, Kagome found herself following the path she knew all too well. Entering the clearing of the bone- eaters well, her heart shattered as the scene of what she had just witnessed played in her mind like a movie.

Inuyasha stood beneath a tree, not by himself, but instead with Kikyo.

"Inuyasha, come. It is time for you to leave this world and fulfill your promise. Come with me to hell. Or do you forget? We were meant to die together, Inuyasha."

"Of course I remember." Inuyasha embraced Kikyo, but took a step back as he continued talking. "But not now. I need to avenger your death by killing Naraku."

"That does not matter to me . . . what does matter is the way that girl has so easily replaced me."

"Kikyo, no one could replace you. I think about you all the time . . . it's just . . ." Inuyasha's voice faded away as Kagome stepped into the clearing. Through her tear-stained eyes, Kagome watched Kikyo's departure, unnoticed by Inuyasha.

As the memory ended, she found herself facing the edge of the well, about to step in. She stood, tears running down her cheeks, as she checked for her jewel shard necklace.

'I knew that he still loved her. Why does it hurt so very much?'

Just as she was about to jump into the well, a pair of strong arms wrapped around her, preventing her return to normalcy. "Hey! You just came back. You can't leave yet, we still have more jewel shards to find!"

Kagome paused, as his words registered in her foggy brain. She wrestled herself out of his grasp.

"Find more shards?! Is that your only reason for keeping me around? Why don't you just send for your beloved Kikyo to help you. Just because she's dead doesn't mean she can't sense the jewel shards! You don't even need me here." Taking a deep breath, Kagome turned to face Inuyasha, her voice as calm and soft as the dead. "You wouldn't even notice if I left and never came back. Sit, boy."

:wham:

Birds flew from the trees as Inuyasha was given a delicious mud smoothie as his face hit the ground.

"SIT SIT SIT SIT SIT SIT SIT SIT SIT SIT SIT SIT SIT SIT." Kagome's voice carried out of her mouth and bounced off the trees as she slid down the well, leaving behind an 8 foot, Inuyasha size hole.

- end flashback -

"Uh, Kagome? Are you there? You spaced out again." A startled Kagome jumped out of her chair as her consciousness unwillingly re-attached itself to her body.

"I'm sorry guys. I have a lot of my mind right now. Too many classes and tests to make up." 'If only that was my only problem!'

Kagome grabbed her books and followed her friends to their next class, history. 'I'll never have any problems in this class . . . I have first hand experience!'

After finding her long vacated seat, the bell rang and the teacher began one of his infamous long lectures. Within five minutes of his incessant, and incorrect, droning of the legends of the past, Kagome allowed her mind to return to the clouds once more.

'I wonder what Inuyasha's doing . . .'

"Ahh! It hurts!" Inuyasha whined, lying on the floor of Kaede's hut and clutching his aching back.

"Stop complaining, Inuyasha. I am sure ye deserved what ye got. Kagome is not one to abuse her power over ye." Kaede sat next to the fire crushing and bottling many medicinal herbs.

"Shows how much you know, baka!"

"Have ye thought about what ye did?"

"..."

"Hmm . . . ye should think about your actions. Perhaps there is truth to what I am saying, and ye need to search for it." Kaede rose from her place at the fire and left Inuyasha to his own thoughts.

"Feh." 'I didn't do anything . . . did I?'

Kagome sat at her desk staring at the Algebra problems swimming on the page. 'I should take advantage of being home. I have a huge Algebra test coming up! I need to focus.' She adjusted her book and put the pencil to her paper, but sighed and allowed the pencil to fall. 'Who am I kidding . . . I can't study. It's been too many days since I left. Why hasn't Inuyasha come for me? He's never stayed away longer than four days. Maybe . . . no . . . I can't think that. He will come for me, I know it.'

"Kagome! The phone's for you!"

"Ok, Mom! I've got it." Kagome reached for the phone and placed it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Hi Kagome! It's Yuka. How are you feeling?"

"Hi Yuka. I'm fine. In fact, I think I might be in school for a while." 'I really hope not . . . I don't think I could go to school full time anymore. Not after all of my adventures.'

"That's great! Listen . . . Eri, Ayumi and I were talking the other day. Wouldn't it be fun to go on a bike ride tomorrow? To get out of the city for a bit? But if you think you're too sick to go, we understand."

"That sounds like fun. I'll go." 'I just got back to the city, but I can't expect them to know that.'

"Really? Great! Well, we'll meet you in front of the shrine tomorrow around nine, ok?"

"Sure."

"Good. Well I have to go. See you tomorrow! And don't forget your bike!"

"Bye, Yuka." click Kagome heard the disconnected tone and placed the phone in its cradle. After pushing her books aside, Kagome hurried down to the kitchen to fill her mom in on the weekend's plans.

"…so, I don't know how long we'll be. You never know with Yuka and Eri."

"Ok. That's great that you're spending time with you friends. But why aren't you going to the past this weekend?"

"Aren't I allowed to stay in my own time? Besides, I don't always have to go shard collecting. I have another life besides the one in the Feudal era." Kagome stood with her arms crossed, shooting daggers with her eyes. "Hmph. I'm going to go and get ready. I need to make sure my bike . . . oh no! I left my bike in Kaede's village! I've got to go get it." Kagome turned and ran from the kitchen and headed towards the well house, oblivious to the amused look her mother was giving her. She flung the well house door open and hurried inside. Reaching the side of the well, Kagome jumped and was immediately surrounded by a brilliant blue light.

"Inuyasha, ye must stop pouting. Why don't ye go and search for shikon shard rumors?"

"Get off my back, you old hag. I've barely been able to move since she said all those commands." The memory of him hitting the ground so many consecutive times still caused Inuyasha to shiver. "She's going to pay when she comes back."

Kaede just shook her head, "Ye are the most thickheaded person I've met."

"Feh." Inuyasha's trademark reply was all that reached the old miko's ears. After a few moments of silence, a strong breezed fluttered in through the rice-paper door. "She's back," was all Inuyasha said.

Kaede rose to greet the teenage miko they had all missed greatly, even if a particular half-demon wouldn't admit to such a thing if his brother's poisonous claws were sinking into him. Shooting a warning glance to Inuyasha, Kaede left the hut. Immediately, Kaede saw Kagome walking towards her from the edge of Inuyasha's forest.

"Child, ye have returned." Kagome looked up and waved. 'Her time's rituals are very odd.' "How long will ye be staying?"

"Actually Kaede, I only came to get my bike. I have to go back to my time in a few minutes."

"I see." Kaede watched as the young miko began searching for her bike. Sitting down by her hut, Kaede rested and began to think of a way to get the human from the future and the demi-dog demon back to speaking terms. 'It would be so much easier if I only knew what had happened in the forest that day.'

Once Kagome had found her bike (Inuyasha had attempted to bury it after he had fallen off of it while trying to learn how to ride), she returned to Kaede's hut. After sitting down, she turned to Kaede.

"Kaede, do you know where Miroku, Sango and Shippou are? I wanted to say hi."

"They left the day after ye returned to your time in search of jewel shard rumors. Shippou wouldn't leave Inuyasha alone and kept yelling at him because he made ye leave. Sango and Miroku thought it best to let Inuyasha's back recover in relative peace. I do not know when they are to return."

"Oh, I see. Well, when they do get back, would you mind telling them that I said hello?"

"Of course I will child. When do you think you will return again?" Kaede watched Kagome's cheerful eyes flash with sadness.

"I don't know. It depends on Inuyasha. I won't come back until he comes to get me, and he understands why I left in the first place. He needs to figure that out by himself." Kagome stood and grabbed her bike.

"I see." 'Inuyasha, I know ye are listening to this. Take heed. Ye must overcome your differences.' Kagome walked her bike away from the village, waving. Watching the girls retreating back, Kaede mussed to herself, 'Her customs still confuse me.'

Kaede returned to the hut to find Inuyasha sitting cross-legged on the floor of her hut.

"There is a bed made up for ye, yet you refuse to use it. I see your back is feeling better."

"Feh. I've been injured worse." The defiant look vanished from his face and was replaced by a look of confusion. "What was she talking about? I didn't do anything! What is there for me to understand?"

"Does ye not remember?" Kaede's eyebrow rose as she questioned his statement. The slightly panicked undertone did not go unnoticed by the old woman.

"No, I don't remember, stupid. I was in the woods by myself, thinking, when someone . . . oh." A wave of understanding and despair washed over Inuyasha.

"Who came to ye in the woods?" Kaede prodded. When she took notice of Inuyasha's slumped shoulders, she realized who had come to see Inuyasha. "Onee-chan." 'Sister, how is it that ye are able to cause so much heartache? Your heart has been tainted beyond repair, I believe.'

tobecontinued