Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha...

Let's start the fic! (revisited, minor editing done as of 8/30/2011)

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Closing the Back Door
Tears Start it all
By Sakura-chan88
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Landing on solid ground once again, Kagome looked to the sky, noting the change from the busy street life sounds to those of the forest. She always loved this time, Warring States Era. It was so calm and peaceful...

Well, maybe not peaceful, since it was the Warring States Era. Yet, the forest always calmed her spirit, made her feel at home.

Pulling herself from the well, she was greeted by her friends and pestered by the ever hyper Shippo. God forbid she ever forget his chocolate.

"Happy birthday, Kagome-chan," Sango cheered, smiling at the girl.

"Y-you remembered?" She stammered. She hadn't expected that since she only spoke about it once, and that was a month ago.

"Of course," Sango giggled. "What are friends for?" Kagome nodded in understanding, which Sango failed to see since she had spun on her heal to swat at Miroku's hand.

She laughed lightly, watching the two. Sango scowled, Miroku feigned innocence, Sango turned away, Miroku took his chance; Sango pummeled Miroku. After the fifth groping, Sango moved far away and Miroku turned to watching Shippo, sulkily.

Again, she laughed, but a bit louder. She was glad to be back with them. However, she had a nagging feeling that something was out of place, missing... Inuyasha... He was usually there, along with Sango, Miroku, and Shippo when she came back.

"Miroku-sama," Kagome called, her brows furrowing in confusion. "Where's Inuyasha?"

The Monk looked up from his observation of Shippo's excitement over the futuristic food. "He left a moment ago."

"He seemed to be distracted by something," Shippo said through his bulging mouth.

"Shippo-chan," Kagome scolded, "you'll get a stomach ache if you don't slow down." Shippo just waved it off and continued to munch on his bar of chocolate.

'Gone again... That's happening a lot lately.'

She was hardly able to contain the tears that threatened to spill. They had gone through so much trouble just so that she could have a nice birthday. She was given a little party, which the villagers attended, all bringing some small gift. Not being able to bake a cake in their era, Sango had produced a lantern and told her to make a wish before she blew out the small flame it emitted.

It had been so sweet, she just didn't know what to do. She had thanked everyone repeatedly, until her voice became hoarse, though she didn't care. She would never be able to return such a favor.

As for presents, Sango had given her a new bow, handcrafted. Miroku gave her a small scroll to bring good tidings and a fortune-filled life. Kaede had presented a miko kimono, specially made. Yet, after all of those, Shippo's was her favorite.

He had spent every moment of his free time to create a booklet of pictures. There were pictures of every battle he had witnessed with them: A picture of Sango and Miroku with Kohaku in the foreground, looking at the sky. One had Kagome holding a ready bow and one with a spindle of pink rays consuming her from around her feet- her power, he explained. Inuyasha being sat, Inuyasha sulking, Inuyasha yelling, Inuyasha bopping him on the head, Inuyasha being the bad ass that he was... One of Shippo and Kagome, playing in a meadow, with his parents at the forest edge, looking away…

And the pictures continued. Oh Kami-sama, she loved him. She loved them all. She would always love them and Shippo would always be a son to her. If fate allowed, she'd stay with him until her dying day.

The sun was beginning to set and they had yet to see any signs of Inuyasha. It was quite disturbing and Kagome was getting restless, though she tried not to show it. He had been gone for a few hours... Usually he would only be gone for a minute or so. Not to mention that is was her birthday. Surely he heard the party.

Sango currently sat with her back against the wall, leaning over Hiraikotsu- which she was re-inspecting for the ninth time since the party had ended. Miroku was on the opposite wall, meditating as he had been for the last hour. On Kagome's sleeping bag lay Shippo and Kirara, soundly resting with no worries.

Kagome, however, was not as easily distracted. She just didn't understand! He had become a complete strange over the last few weeks and now he doesn't even greet her! On her birthday no less! She could have stayed home for this kind of treatment!

"That's it!" Kagome shouted angrily, jumping to her feet. Sango gazed up from her weapon, startled at the change in her friend. Miroku opened one eye to regard the girl and the sleepers kept dreaming. "I've had enough!"

Placing a firm look of determination on her face, Kagome walked briskly out of the hut to search for the absent hanyou, leaving everything behind. He wasn't going to ruin her birthday anymore than he had already. First stop: Goshinboku.

Somewhere along the way, she had the faintest foreboding panic that she should not be searching for him; that if he was ignoring her... it was for a reason- and one she shouldn't know of. Yet, she disregarded that fleeting feeling and continued toward the tree. He was always there, if not with her.

Just before the clearing, in which the tree grew, Kagome stopped. A voice- low, weary, and familiar- spoke.

"I had always hoped... that you'd be my first, Inuyasha, and you were, even if fifty years too late, you were." The voice was brimming with love, one only she- and her incarnation- could muster. 'Kikyo!' her mind screeched in disbelief. "Inuyasha...? You look troubled... You're not thinking about her... are you?"

No reply was heard. Kagome's curiosity got the best of her and, even as her mind screamed at her to leave the unknown alone, she looked through the curtain of trees. What she saw brought her instantly to her knees.

To see the one she loved lying naked with another woman in his arms at the exact place she had first met him was more than she could handle. He never saw, heard, or noticed her. Not her, not her tears, not even her retreat. She no longer existed in his world. His world was lost to her, never to be lived in. She had always known...

To her surprise, she was able to stop from sobbing out loud until she had reached the well. However, when she did arrive at the world's border, she broke into heart-retching wails of despair. It wasn't right... It wasn't supposed to end this way... Even if he chose Kikyo, it wasn't supposed to end this way. She was supposed to remain with Shippo and Sango; living with her son and best friend, even without her love, was what she had thought the end to be...

Oh, how wrong she had been... This was the end... No good-bye's, no reminders of the past to take home- except the jewel- and no more tears from further... sights...

No more Inuyasha...

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His nose wrinkled at the scent that surrounded his brother. That mutt was disgusting, to lay with a human. A dead human was worse by far. Whatever he had been thinking was his business and he wasn't about to walk up on his brother with him in that state. Even with his puny hanyou strength, Inuyasha would be a very tough opponent if his challenger stumbled upon him and his mate.

'Very well... If his death is out of the question, Sesshomaru thought, 'then I'll play with his emotions. It seems he's chosen. The death of a friend... Let's see how fast his fire grows.'

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Weakly, she rose from her knees. She had no idea how long she spent weeping her heart out. This was it, the last time she would set eyes on the Warring States Era.

With a shuddering breath, she took one last look around the area. Even in the dark, the woods were peaceful, serene. It broke her heart with every final breath she took. She briefly thought of returning to claim her stuff, but she knew she was only prolonging the pain.

"No more," she spoke, a slight break in her voice. "No longer will I dwell in the past..."

Her mind cackled sadistically at the statement. With a wry, half-hearted smirk, she turned back to the well. The end that came so suddenly was about to fulfill itself. She was truly going to be lost to this world, forgotten over the years.

"How convenient to find you here," a cold, emotionless voice spoke.

"Se-Sesshomaru!" she gasped, spinning on her heels. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to claim my pathetic half-brother's life," he stated, walking forward slowly. "Since he was a little... busy... I didn't take my chance. I don't like killing without a fight."

"Then why are you here?" Kagome had another of those nagging feelings at the back of her mind telling her to run. 'Where to?' she thought dryly. There was no possible way for her to out run Sesshomaru.

"Messing with his emotions is the next best thing." With that said, Sesshomaru drew his blade and blitzed forward.

Out of instinct, Kagome took a step back and stumbled over the side of the well. In one last desperate attempt to steady herself, she grabbed the nearest thing to her, which turned out to be the sword's blade. She succeeded in slicing her hand while taking one more souvenir home with her.

She plunged into darkness, dragging Sesshomaru with her.

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Hope you liked the beginning! This is going to be my first Sess/Kag fic, so it will be an interesting story to write. I hope you will bare with me. I will not make this a sudden 'I've always loved you' type of story. Kagome's going to have a lot of work if she plans to earn his love. ^_^

I would like to know what genre you would like it to be from here on out, okay? Romance will be later, but what else? Humor? Angst? Action/Adventure? Humor?

Anyway, now that you have spent all that time reading, take a few seconds to review for me, please. ^-^

Later days!