Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. Wish I did, but I don't. Want him, don't got him. Get the point? * sigh * I also do not own the lyrics to See Me/Listening to You. Those rights belong to The Who. I just don't get anything!

(A/N: Hey out there, if anyone is actually reading this. This is my very first fan-fic, so please be kind. I appreciate any advice you can give me in your reviews! So by that, I guess I mean . . . PLEASE REVIEW!!!!

Also, huge thanks have to go out to Flare4ever for helping me figure out how you even do this! THANK YOU! Enjoy!

4/4/04: Updated to fix a few mistakes that have been bugging me for awhile. Thanks for the reviews!

See Me
By: Ks-Starshine

Kagome crept through the forest as silently as she could as she followed the Shimi-dama-chuu. Within hours of Naraku's defeat and the completion of the Shikon Jewel, Kikyo's soul gathering insects had arrived at their camp. Kagome watched through teary eyes as Inuyasha got up and followed them into the forest without even saying goodbye. He was going to Kikyo, the person whom he had promised long ago to accompany to an eternity in Hell. All this time Kagome had known this, yet still she loved him, she couldn't help it.

"Kagome-sama?" Miroku's voice brought her out of her mournful stupor. "Kagome-sama, are you alright?"

Kagome lowered her gaze, not wanting her friends to see the tears in her eyes. "I- I'm fine. I think I'm just going to go for a little walk."

"Would you like some company Kagome?" asked Sango, concern evident in her voice.

"No, thank you, Sango. I'd just like to be alone for a bit." With that said, Kagome turned away from her friends and began retracing Inuyasha's footsteps. All the while, her thoughts ran through her feelings for the hanyou who had stolen her heart so long ago.

~See Me~

His eyes were first to come to mind. Luminescent amber, they never failed to make her melt when they gave her a penetrating look of concern or the rare occasion when his eyes seemed to laugh with glee. She would stare into those brilliant orbs day after day, seeking their deepest depths, looking for something she would never find, some sign that he could ever return her feelings. Whenever she felt she had enough courage to tell Inuyasha she loved him, he would look into her eyes and she would lose her nerve. 'He's not seeing me, he only sees a poor substitute for Kikyo.'

~Feel Me~

She loved it when he would crouch down before her, inviting her to ride on his back. She would hold on to his tight, muscular shoulders as he wrapped his hands around her thighs. Could he feel how fast her heart was beating as they raced through the countryside?

~Touch Me~

Kagome thought of all the times after battles with demons when he would rest by her side or help dress her scrapes and cuts with bandages. He would gripe and complain about how weak humans were, but he was always so gentle when tending to her. If she were hurt very badly, he would never leave her side until she was well again. She could almost imagine it was because he cared about her, Kagome, and not just her ability to sense jewel shards.

~Heal Me~

The more Kagome thought about him, the less she could deny how she felt. With each step she took, her heart grew heavier and heavier. She felt as if Inuyasha were holding her heart in his hand. After thinking about, she realized that was exactly the problem. Without his knowledge, she had slowly given him more and more of her heart. Now he had it all. When he went to Hell with Kikyo, he would take it with him. 'I guess it doesn't make a difference, anyway,' thought Kagome. 'What use do I have for a broken heart. I could never give it to anyone else.'

With that last thought, Kagome drew to the edge of a clearing. Standing in the middle of the forest opening, Kagome could see the forms of Kikyo and Inuyasha cast in moonlight. She couldn't hear what they were saying. She wasn't sure she wanted to hear them anyway. Her heart told her to run out, grab Inuyasha and just tell him how she felt, but her legs wouldn't listen. She was frozen at the edge of the clearing, a silent witness to everything.

^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^

Inuyasha had known they would be coming for him soon, so he was not surprised when he saw the Shimi-dama-chuu fly to their camp that night. He had prepared for this moment for weeks now, but that didn't make him dread it any less. He couldn't say goodbye to his friends. He couldn't look them in the face or he knew he wouldn't be able to bring himself to follow the glowing insects to their mistress, and that was a task he could no longer neglect. So without saying a word, he followed his guides to the woman that he had once loved.

At first neither of them spoke. He and Kikyo simply stood in the middle of the clearing facing each other, gathering their thoughts and words. It was Kikyo who first broke the silence.

"I am glad you came tonight Inuyasha. You fought a difficult battle with Naraku. I am grateful that you were not badly injured."

"Kikyo, . . . " It was all he could manage to say. He thought he had been prepared, but then again, how do you prepare yourself for something like this? 'I can do this,' he told himself before lifting his gaze to meet hers.

Kikyo extended her arms, beckoning Inuyasha to embrace her as he had done on so many occasions before. "Are you ready to join me now? We will never be separated again. Our time together can now begin anew."

"No, Kikyo," said Inuyasha barely above a whisper. "I'm sorry, but you're wrong. Our time together ended 50 years ago. Yes, it was stolen from us, but still . . . it came to an end. I have been given a second chance at life . . . and love. I can't just dismiss that. I know I made you a promise and I'm really sorry, but I just can't do it."

Kikyo withdrew slightly. "Is this all just because of my pathetic reincarnation?" Inuyasha didn't answer, but the look in his eyes told Kikyo all she needed to know. "You love her don't you? Can't you see that as my reincarnation, whatever you see in her is just a mere reflection of me?"

"You're wrong again," he replied with a hint of anger in his voice. "Kagome is so much more than you ever were. I'm sorry things turned out this way for you, but I will not apologize for how I feel. I just came to tell you I hope you can find your own peace, because I'm not ready to die."

Kagome watched and waited, expecting that any moment she would watch the lovers embrace and descend into the fiery pits. However, that moment never came. Her eyes grew wide as she watched the earth open up and Kikyo sank into Hell . . . alone. Before Kikyo disappeared from view, Kagome could have sworn she saw a tear glint in the dead Miko's eye. Inuyasha now stood alone in the moonlit clearing.

~See Me, Feel Me
Touch Me, Heal Me~

A change of the wind brought her scent to Inuyasha and he knew she was near. Across the meadow, he saw Kagome returning his gaze. Feeling drawn toward her, he quickly closed the distance between them. Taking her hand in his, he simply guided her wordlessly to a fallen tree, upon which they both sat gazing at their feet for some time.

"You didn't go with Kikyo," Kagome stated.

"N-No," stammered the flustered hanyou.

Kagome looked him straight in the eyes. "Why?"

Inuyasha gave her a confused look. "Don't you know?" he asked. Kagome slowly shook her head.

~Listening to you I get the music
Gazing at you I get the heat~

Inuyasha turned so he and Kagome sat face to face. Still holding her right hand, he reached up with his free hand to gently trace the frame of her face. Kagome closed her eyes and lost herself in his touch.

~Following you I climb the mountains
I get excitement at your feet~

"I couldn't go with her because my heart belongs to someone else," he said softly in her ear. Trembling with emotion, Kagome pulled back from his embrace only to be caught in his mesmerizing gaze. "I couldn't go . . . because I love you, Kagome."

"Inuyasha . . . I love you, too." Kagome gave him one of her sparking smiles as a tear slipped down her cheek.

Wiping the tear away, he lifted her chin as their lips met, finally fulfilling years of desire they had both contained for so long. The sounds of nature soothed them as they spent the rest of the night in a silent embrace.

~Right behind you I see the millions
On you, I see the glory
From you I get opinions
From you I get the story~