Disclaimer: i dont own inuyasha. I am a only a poor student so please dont sue.

Wish upon a star

In the crystal clear darkness of night, in a small corner of Tokyo, a young woman sat staring at the star encrusted sky from the stoop of her dorm. Kagome's warm brown eyes scanned the heavens, counting the twinkling lights. Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight. If only it could be that simple. If only she can look up at the sparkling skies and wish herself back to her middle school days. Back when magic and sorcery were a real and threatening presence in her life. Back with Inuyasha.

It had been four years since they have fought Naraku. Four years since she pulled bow strings taunt, willing her miko powers to flow like deadly poison to the tip and shooting it directly into Naraku's heart. Four years since she last saw the sight of that malformed evil body exploding into 1,000,000 particles consumed by its own darkness.

She could still hear the elated screams of her companions as their ultimate foe screams his last funeral scream before his soul was sucked up into the fiery burning pits of hell. But as soon as that's soul left his body, as soon as the sparkling pink glow of the completed jewel burst from the polluted flesh, an all consuming dread filled Kagome. Something was about to happen. Something terrible. Kagome remembered glancing up and looking at the others, wondering silently how they cannot feel it. The chilling feeling that made her heart start racing, and turned her stomach to stone. But they didn't seem to sense the danger she did. Instead, they continued to yell and holler, celebrating the fall of the greatest enemy.

Suddenly, a new feeling had come over Kagome. A coldness that seem to seep into veins, numbing her limbs. She remembered being afraid. She had begun to tremble as she realize that this icy cold feeling spreading like poison through her limbs had robbed her of her ability to move. Her throat felt dry and when she tried to scream, try to warn her friends what was happening, her voice came out as weak as a whisper. " What's happening." That's when she felt a slight tingling beginning in her hand.

It started as a slight trembling as if the fear of the sensation was making her shake. Then the trembling begin to turn into a burning, frightening her more then the previous cold. Her knee were weak and her legs wobbly. Shivering, she reached out towards the only one she could trust to help, but when she took a step towards her silver haired hanyou, she felt her legs sink, as if stuck in a sort of invisible quicksand. Confused, she glanced down at her feet and gasped. Her legs. She could see right through them.

Kagome felt her heart pound as she reached out towards her transparent legs. Her hands passed through them as if they were merely air. Kagome remembered the jolt of fear the shot through her. Inuyasha, her mind had cried over and over again like some kind of life saving prayer. Inuyasha, Inuyasha. But the boy did not seem to hear, did not seem to see the fading ghost of a girl standing a few feet behind him. Inuyasha, Inuyasha... "

"Inuyasha." Kagome whispered as she stared up those twinkling lights.

After she had disappeared, had he missed her? Had he tried to get through the well? Kagome couldn't even estimate how many times she thrown herself again and again down the well, praying that some way the next jump would be different from the others. That with the next jump, she could magically sink into the soil through the barrier of time and space and finally be able to hold the ones she loved again. But after she hit the hard ground and broke her ankle two weeks after she had come back, the grandfather threatened to fill in the well altogether if she didn't stop. He even put a padlock on the shrine to keep her out of it. Kagome remembered that night. She actually tried to hit her grandfather when she found out. Luckily, her brother had been there to stop her. She spent the next week locked up in her room crying, until her mother dragged her downstairs to forced her to eat.

Of course, life moves on whether you like it or not, a month after the well had sealed, Kagome's mother forced Kagome to go back to school. "He would've wanted you to move on, Kagome. If he really was honest with himself, he would have." Kagome didn't believe it. She and Inuyasha had been through so much and no matter happened, Inuyasha always fought to be back with her in the end. Kagome would like to imagine that he still was. Still, after a long night of fighting with her mother that ended with her mother sobbing and begging at her feet, Kagome gave in. After that, Kagome was surprised how quickly her life fell back into its normal routine, classes in the morning, homework in the afternoon, a steady stream of invites to parties, study sessions, and even a date or two. As much as she dragged her heels, life was dragging her forward. The feudal era was no more then a dreamy memory. Sometimes, she had to struggle to remember her friend's faces.

When her senior year ended, Kagome made one last attempt to return to the era she called home. Waiting until her mother and grandfather went to a doctor's appointment, she stole the key to the shrine and snuck out to the shrine. Sliding the door open and ducking inside, she gasp. She had not seen her grandfather go into the shrine since the well had sealed. She had figured that her grandfather was waiting till she had gone to bed to preform his care-taking duties. She never expected this. The inside of the sacred well shrine house was pitiful mess. Leaves covered the floor, grim streaked the small windows, and Kagome almost sneezed from the fine coat of dust that was dancing in the air, disturbed by the breeze coming through the cracked outer walls. The whole place looked like it had aged decades. They had abandoned it. Kagome had thought, holding out one hand to swipe the dust from the worn lip of the well. She flinched instinctively back when a rather large splinter imbedded itself into her palm. And I did too. Inuyasha would never have forgotten. And she knew it was true. Inuyasha was always the first person to come looking for her when she didn't come back. No matter how long she had been away, no matter how early or late she arrived, he was always there to greet her. And yet, in less then a few months, she let her family convince her to completely give up. She hadn't even tried to enter the shrine for the last two years. Perhaps, I don't deserve him. Kagome had though

Shuffling her way to the rope ladder that her grandfather had left hanging over the side of the well, she climbed down into the familiar dirt column and jumped to the ground. It wasn't till Kagome's feet hit solid ground that she realized she never expected it to work. Instead, she had come here for a completely different reason, even unconsciously. She had come to say goodbye.

Walking across the well's packed floor, she sighed as she fell to her knees and scooped up a handful of the dusty earth. "Inuyasha." she whispered. "I am so sorry. Have you been worrying about me? Have you and Shippo been fighting? Is Sango and Miroku together yet?" Laying down, she pressed her face to the ground and sighed. "God, I wish I could be with you." She could almost picture him, sitting by the well waiting for her. "You have to go on now, though. Perhaps you can find someone else. Your a good person. You made me and Kikyo fall in love with you right. Just do me a favor Inuyasha. Take care of the others for me." Kagome remembers sitting there for a moment, waiting and hoping that her final pea would have somehow managed to make it through. But no response came. Not from anyone. Kagome rose to her feet and she climbed out of the well for the last time. She never returned.

And now here she was, standing on the steps of her university a mere year from graduating. She had decided to go into medicine, putting all of the good advise that Kikyo's sister Keade had taught her to good use. It was ironic really. Even bared from the world she loved, she still found her life infinitely influenced by her past life. But though she loved her classes and enjoyed her clinical work, Kagome still found herself lacking. Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight. Kagome thought again, sinking down to sit on the concrete steps. Wish I may wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight. Closing her eyes tightly, she whispered. I wish I could see you just one more time.

"Kagome?"

For a moment, Kagome's heart skipped a beat and a wave of unwarranted hope crashed over her at the sound of her name. Maybe he had found a way through. Maybe it was her chance for a fairy tail ending. After all, stranger things have happened. But after the initial reaction, her newly developed realism kicked in. Yes, the voice speaking was male: However, it wasn't Inuyasha's. Inuyasha's voice was deeper, fuller.

Kagome struggled to put on a smile before rise off the steps and turning. "Hello, Taru." she responded.

The blond, young man stood a few feet behind Kagome, staring at her uncertainly. " Are you alright? You look a bit down." he stated taking a few steps forward.

"Oh, its nothing. I was just thinking of home. that's all." Kagome replied.

"Oh, yeah. I use to get homesick a lot to." the young boy remarked casually. "You get use to it after awhile. You looking at the stars? I can show you a few constellations if you want." Kagome opened her mouth intent on refusing; However the boy did not give her the chance. Stepping closer he leaned over till his head was almost touching hers. "See that one right there. That's Orion's belt and the seven right there, that's Cygnus. See how it kinda looks like a cross. It's suppose to be a bird with its wings spread. Neat huh."

The boy continued to point, but Kagome wasn't paying attention. Instead, she studied the boy beside her. She and Taru had shared a few classes in the last three years. Taru was eager, not very smart, but very determined. He always put everything he had into work. He reminded her a lot of Inuyasha. And he liked Kagome. He was constantly bringing her lunch when they had clinical together and went to every study session conducted by Kagome's study group. But what the boy had in sweetness, he lacked in guts.

Kagome took a deep breath to steady herself before turning toward Taru. "Taru? Would you like to get something to eat with me tomorrow?" she asked, trying to keep the uncertainty from leaking into her voice.

The boy turned to look at her, his face splitting into a grin so big it hurt Kagome's face to look at it. "Seriously . . . I mean yes. Yes, I would love to."

Kagome forced herself to smile before turning back to the stars. Taru was a good kid. He wasn't Inuyasha, but he had potential to be a great husband. Maybe, after a few dates, Kagome could learn to love him. Maybe not. Maybe she would never find someone who made her heart race like Inuyasha did. Either way, she would make due. After all, this wasn't a fairytale. And though she might try, a wish is still a wish no matter how many stars you put it on.