The End

I do not own Inuyasha, Kagome, Miroku, Sango, Shippou, Kikyou, Naraku or anyone else mentioned in this story.

Swish! The Hiraikotsu swirled through the air, aiming at one Saimyoushou, the one hell insect with the shard of the Shikon no Tama. It missed. The disgusting bug dropped the shard…into the hand of Naraku. Naraku held up the Shikon no Tama, which now had only a tiny chip in it…he'd gotten his hands on the whole jewel.

"Did you really think that such a pathetic weakling like yourself, Inuyasha, could stop me?" He laughed openly…a horrible, evil laugh that sent shivers down everyone's spine, a laugh that made every hair on the back of their necks stand on end. It was the only sound that cut through the fog that was coming with rising of the cold sun.

Sango glared back at him. Miroku had a look of the deepest hatred on his face. Shippou was cowering behind Kagome, who looked sick.

"Keh! Who are you calling a weakling!" Inuyasha barked back. "You haven't won yet!"

Tears filled Kagome's eyes. She knew it was just like Inuyasha to act this way. Naraku had won…there was no doubt. The sun hadn't even risen enough for Inuyasha to turn back into a hanyou, yet he still acted so confident. What would happen if Naraku were to strike at Inuyasha now? Why hadn't he done so already? If the sun didn't come up soon- If Naraku decided that now was the time to-

"Fool," Naraku replied. "If I wanted to, I could kill you right now…but…no…I decided…it would be more fun to kill you as a hanyou…or better yet…as a full youkai. How was it done again? Ah, yes… I just have to get that Tessaiga away from you. How strong would I have be to kill a human? I can't kill you just yet…we'll wait for the sun to rise."

"I dunno if that's such a great idea! Ya may get yourself killed."

"Inuyasha, don't-" Kagome pleaded. Tears were now flowing down her pale cold face.

"Don't worry about me," Inuyasha said as his hair began to get paler, and his eyes began to glow red. "It's too late for him to do anything about it!"

"Now…now is the time…to test my new strength," Naraku called out. "And after I'm done with you, I can kill the one, that miko…again. It was very unfortunate that she was able to come back after I worked so hard to get her to hate you enough that after getting attacked by me she would … kill you."

"SHUT UP!" Inuyasha shouted, his hands gripped tighter on the handle of his Tessaiga, which he had unsheathed after returning to his hanyou form.

"She hates you Inuyasha. Yes, she still hates you for what 'you' did. She hates you for living…she hates you for loving her. She hates you for-"

"SHUT UP!" Inuyasha charged at Naraku.

Naraku slipped the last jewel fragment into the tiny chip of the jewel, which completed it.

"NO! I won't let you!" a strange voice called out. Naraku looked petrified. "This is not what I wanted to become! All I wanted was the priestess! I won't let you kill her…I won't let you get rid of me that easily! " Onigumo's soul was calling out to Naraku.

The Shikon no Tama was supposed to give Naraku more power and to separate Onigumo from himself so he could kill Kikyou, but the jewel also had to grant the wish of Onigumo, who also resided within Naraku's body. Onigumo wanted them to remain the way they were. As a result, Naraku and Onigumo both were erased from the world.

Sango looked around. "He…is gone now?"

"It appears so," Miroku replied. "The question is…why? Neither Onigumo nor Naraku wanted to be destroyed."

"Look! Look at the jewel!" Shippou exclaimed, pointing at a shining white light where Naraku had been. It got bigger and brighter. "What's happening, Kagome? KAGOME!"

"What is it, Shippou-chan?" Sango asked.

"LOOK AT HER!"

Kagome had become slightly transparent. The light of the jewel was now starting to fade, and as the light faded, so did Kagome.

"Wh-what's happening to me?"

"My guess is that, as the jewel begins to disappear, Kagome-sama also begins to disappear. After all, it was the power of the Shikon no Tama that allowed her to come to this world."

"The Shikon no Tama…disappeared?" Sango said in amazement.

"It's disappearing." Miroku replied. "Look there." He pointed to the light. Now that it was getting dimmer, they could see that as the light dimmed, the Shikon no Tama faded away.

"What!" Inuyasha shouted. "Are you sure, Miroku?"

"Not completely…but it makes sense doesn't it?"

"NO! I – I DON'T WANNA GO BACK! I WANT TO STAY HERE! INUYASHA, HEEELP! I DON'T WANNA GO BACK!" Kagome's voice had a strange echoing sound to it; it was also fading away.

"KAGOME!" Inuyasha tried to take hold of her hand, but his went right through her ghostly arm. She was almost completely gone now.

"INUYASHA! I DON'T WANT TO GO BACK! I WANT TO STAY!" As she said this, she completely disappeared. These words echoed through the quiet woods and across the misty river.

"INUYASHA!"

Souta ran into the bedroom.

"Nii-chan! What is it? Wait, I don't remember you coming back."

"I…am…back in my own era?"

"Nii-chan? Y-you're face. It's as red as a cherry tomato. Are…you all right? Nii-chan? NII-CHAN!"

"Inuyasha…"

"What's happened, nii-chan?"

"I can still see him. He's right in front of me!"

"Nii-chan?" Souta called weakly.

"Inuyasha…is…he's standing there. His eyes are warm and welcoming. He's calling my name!"

"Uhhhh…"

Kagome stood up from her bed and ran across the room to where Inuyasha was standing. Souta jumped back as she ran into the hanyou's arms.

"I'll always be with you, Kagome." But as Inuyasha said these words, he vanished and Kagome fell to the ground.

"KYAA!" She screamed as the hit the floor. "NO! Inuyasha? Where'd he go?"

"There was never anyone here, nii-chan…just me."

"but…Inuyasha. I – I could have sworn he was – he wasn't really there…was he? Before…when the well was sealed by the roots growing in it…when our world was thrown into a winter that was never supposed to endless…I could see him…but I was connected…because of the Shikon no Kakera."

"Kagome…" Inuyasha said weakly. "She's…gone……forever. FOREVER! Why…wh-why?"

"Inuyasha why-" Shippou began.

"Just leave him." Miroku said. "We are all upset about Kagome-sama disappearing, but there's nothing we can say to him."

"But-"

"It's…a-a-al…right, Miroku…I'm okay."

"INUYASHA!"

"WHAT IS IT, SHIPPOU!"

"Inuyasha, why don't you just go down the well? You're able to without the jewel shards."

"I – I KNEW THAT!"

"No you didn't!"

"SHATTUP!" Inuyasha ran off toward the nearby village where Kaede lived.

Inuyasha ran into the forest as fast as he could. He came to the well... the well that was a portal to the future…a portal… to Kagome. He knew that he was able to enter the dried well and pass through to Kagome's era without a jewel shard, but for some reason, he didn't think it would work this time. He jumped.

Below him, Inuyasha saw a light…he was passing through time 500 years to the future. He was going to get back to Kagome! He landed on the other side of the time barrier. He started to climb out of the well, but he couldn't pick up Kagome's scent. What was wrong? Why wouldn't she be here? Did she disappear? He walked out into the bright sun to see Kagome standing by the god tree. She turned around and he saw her red face shining with tears. Kagome's eyes widened to see a human Inuyasha standing before her. She was so sure she'd never see him again. She was so sure- but did it matter anymore?

They ran into each other's arms. Now that Inuyasha was human, he would be unable to return to the Sengoku Jidai, but it didn't matter. They were together. Nothing could pull them apart.