Fate of Awakening Love
Inuyasha walked in through the door. "Kagome? Kagome?!" he called out. He didn't know if it was of any good or not. Kagome had gone home. She had been upset about something. Not something, him. She'd been upset over what he'd done. He knew that now. He didn't want to believe it, but he knew he'd hurt her when he'd defended Kikyou that way. The look he had seen on her face. It was heart shattering. He knew that he'd hurt her from the minute he'd discovered the scent of her tears. When she ran off, it almost tore his heart out. But how was she ever going to know that he loved her? He was always screwing up and defending Kikyou. 'Kagome would never understand. Even if she knew how I felt, she wouldn't care, she doesn't love me, she only thinks she does. That's why it's so important to keep my promise to Kikyou.' Inuyasha thought. But trying to convince himself of what he thought was going to be hard.
Kikyou had put Kagome through so much. They were one in the same, very true, so it is. But there was one thing that keeps them both apart. Kagome is only an 'imitation' Kikyou. Kikyou's reincarnation, Kagome. 'Everytime Inuyasha looks at me, he sees her.' Kagome thought, tears streaming down her face. 'If I have to deal with this pain for much longer, I'll never be able to go back to the Feudal Era again!' Kagome thought, and then she had an idea. 'I know. I'll go to the Feudal Era.... I'll say good bye to everyone, and explain that I can no longer return. I'm sure they won't miss me. It won't matter anyways. Who knows, I may even wake up and discover that this was all one bad dream.' Kagome had decided it.
"What do you want, Inuyasha?" Kagome said, her voice soft, almost wounded sounding.
"I want you to come back to the Feudal Era with me, so hurry and pack, please?" he asked, as nicely as he could half-humanly muster.
"There's no need to pack anything." Kagome said, her voice still soft. Still wounded. It hurt Inuyasha's ears, not because of the pitch, but it hurt because it hurt his heart.
"Then, should we go?" he asked, his voice now softer as well.
"Sure." Kagome's voice got no louder, and no less hurt, infact, it seemed like he'd made the wound deeper.
As Kagome and Inuyasha walked back from the well, Kagome decided that this would be her final trip to Feudal Japan. She put her hand in her pocket, and discovered that the jewel shards were there. 'After I've said good bye, I'll have to give these back to Kaede, so that she can give them to Miroku, or Sango maybe.'
"Kagome, your back!" Shippou exclaimed, then he looked upset. "Without goodies."
"I'm sorry Shippou, but the reason I'm here without treats....." Kagome trailed off.
"Are you alright, Kagome?" Sango asked her. Outside, Inuyasha's sensitive hearing picked up the conversation just fine.
"Sango, Miroku, Shippou.... Kaede.... I've come to say good bye." Kagome said finally. As everyone's eyes widened, Kagome searched her other pocket. Four small school photos, and a lollipop. "Here." Kagome said. She handed them each a photo, and Shippou the lollipop.
"Why are you leaving Kagome? Are you ever coming back?" Shippou asked, hopefully.
"I'm afraid not, Shippou. I'm really sorry, but I can't stay here anymore... The pain is too much." she replied. She reached into her pocket once more, and it glowed pink for a moment. Then she pulled out the jewel shards. She took Kaede's hand, and put them there. "Please, keep these safe, alright?" Kagome smiled, and she turned to leave, taking her bow and one arrow. When she got outside, Inuyasha was standing at the bottom of the tree he normally perched in by Kaede's hut.
"And where do you think you're going?" he asked her, his voice hurt, his eyes swelling with tears. He held them back.
"I'm going back home, Inuyasha. Don't try to stop me, and don't come back for me." Kagome said. It hurt her so much to say that, and it took all of her will power to tell him that she didn't want him to come after her.
"But Kagome, I don't understand!" Inuyasha shouted at her, before she could leave. "WHY?!" He asked her.
"Because I can't stand the pain anymore Inuyasha!" Kagome shouted, and she ran off. Inuyasha headed her off at the Sacred Tree.
"Kagome, please, don't leave, I can help you if you let me." Inuyasha pleaded.
"NO!" Kagome shouted, and she drew her arrow, notched it, and pinned Inuyasha to the Sacred Tree one more time.
"Ka-Kagome?! Don't LEAVE ...... me......." Inuyasha trailed off. Kagome started crying freely, and she ran the rest of the way to the well, and hopped in. She took off the uniform she'd been wearing, and threw it in the wash. It was soaked with tears, and a little bit of blood. She'd accidentally cut herself when she notched the arrow because she had been shaking so badly. Her tears continued to flow as she walked up to her room, and she lay down on her bed.
Kagome's mother went to put the clothes in the drier that Kagome had left when she'd fallen asleep. She heard a soft clang at the bottom of the washer, and a slight pink glow eminated from the same spot. Leaning in, Kagome's mother picked up a single, pure jewel shard. 'I wonder if Kagome knows this is here? I'll tell her at dinner before she goes back to the Feudal Era.'
"Kagome? Are you coming down to dinner?" Souta called up to his older sister.
"Yeah, I am, I have to tell you guys something really important that can't wait." Kagome replied, sounding muffled, because her face was pressed into her pillow.
"Is she coming to dinner?" Kagome's mother asked Souta.
"Yeah, she has something important to tell us, she said it can't wait." Souta replied.
"Thank you Souta." Kagome's mother replied. 'I'll just give her this shard after she tells us what's so important. I'm sure she'll be happy to have it back.' she thought.
"Mom, Grandpa, Souta, I have something important to tell you guys. From now on, I'm no longer going to cross into the Feudal Era. So anything from there that could possibly upset me or bring back memories.... Please, don't bring it up for a month or so, alright? It's already hard just being here without seeing that stuff." Kagome told them. She looked at their shocked faces for a moment, ate some rice, drank some tea, cleaned up after herself, and politely left the table with tears in her eyes.
"I guess I won't be giving her her jewel shard back for a little while." Kagome's mother said to herself, watching the door shut behind Kagome. She saw from her window, her daughter walked out to the well, jumped in, and climbed back out, tears streaming down her face. She was holding the necklace that the jewel shards had once hung from. It was broken. She came back into the house.
"Mom?" Kagome asked, her tears slowing a little bit.
"Yes, Kagome? What is it darling?" her mother asked, a bit worried.
"Will you please keep this from me until I seem as though I'm alright again?" Kagome asked her.
"Of course, dear. I'll keep it for a while." she replied. When Kagome left for the final time to the upstairs, Souta looked at their mother.
"Do you think Inuyasha will come back for her?" Souta asked.
"Oddly enough, I don't think so. Kagome seemed to think that nothing would be bothering her from now on." Kagome's mother told her son cautiously.
Back in the Feudal Era, Shippou gazed at Inuyasha, watching him fall into a deep sleep. He jumped up onto the drowsy hanyou, and Inuyasha smiled a bit. "She's gone for good Shippou, and I'll never be able to tell her how much I love her. She pinned me back to this tree..... Please, tell Miroku and Sango exactly how I feel..... Tell Kaede.. I don't despise her....And for the record..... I never hated you, even when I picked on you. Good bye Shippou. Remember me? Please?" Inuyasha said, as he fell into the deep sleep that once held him for fifty whole years. Shippou actually began crying softly, and he ran as fast as he could to go and get Miroku and Sango.
"SANGO!! MIROKU!! KAEDE!! COME QUICKLY!! IT'S INUYASHA!!!!" Shippou exclaimed. They all went running, and found the sight before them to be heart-wrenching. They saw Kagome's last Sacred Arrow embedded in Inuyasha's heart, pinning him to the tree where he had once slept for fifty years.
"Oh my! Did Kagome do all this?" Sango asked, tears in her eyes.
"Ye must not fear for Inuyasha. Sango, Miroku, please, go and find my sister Kikyou. She would be able to reverse this spell." Kaede said, although she, too, was visibly upset. Miroku was kneeling before the tree, saying a quick prayer for Inuyasha.
"Of course, Kaede. Sango, shall we be off then?" Miroku asked.
"Mm hn." Sango agreed. "Kirara!" she called, and the small demon transformed, taking Sango and Miroku upon its back.
"Shippou, ye can stay with me. I have a feeling we may need to advance our ability to protect ourselves and this village." Kaede said.
"Alright Kaede." Shippou replied. He didn't feel like talking. He had been the one to hear Inuyasha's last words. It was him. And because Inuyasha was dead, no one could go after Kagome. Shippou began sobbing so harshly, that Kaede was forced to bring the young kitsune back to her hut in her arms, softly consoling him as they went.
One and a half months later....
"Alright mom, I'm off to school!" Kagome said. She was doing alright now, but she never forgot Inuyasha.
"Kagome? Can you come here for a moment? Quickly, so you're not late!" Kagome's mother called.
"Sure!" she said, and she ran over to the other room where her mother was standing. "What is it?" Kagome asked.
"This is something I thought you may want back. Open it later?" her mother replied.
"Thanks mom!" Kagome said, she kissed her mother on the cheek, and ran out the door. 'I'll probably be late anyways, but what does it matter? With my luck, Hojo will be waiting on the corner like always to give me a ride to school.' Kagome thought, opening the paper around her mother's gift. She read the note.
Kagome-
I had this fixed during the time you were healing. I hope I waited long enough to return it. I found it in the wash on the last day you returned from the Feudal Era. Please, keep it safe! Love you!
-Mom
Kagome finished opening the package. She gasped as she rounded the corner. The chain that she had once kept the Shikon Jewel shards on had been fixed, and there was a single shard of the Shikon Jewel resting in her palm, glowing softly.
"Kagome? Are you alright? You seem lost somehow." a male voice said. It was Hojo.
"Oh, Hojo! I'm just fine, I'm sorry, I didn't see you, I was remembering something that this necklace reminded me of." Kagome said. Her face was smiling, but her eyes were secretly crying. 'Oh, Inuyasha, I thought I could forget you by leaving... But all I can think about is how much more I fall in love with you everyday!' Kagome thought. When Hojo looked away, she frowned, and thought, 'I thought I'd given Kaede all of the jewel shards.... But that must have been what the pink glow was for in my pocket. One must have heard my deepest wish. A way back to the Feudal Era. But I thought I'd never go back....' her thoughts trailed off.
"- Saturday at 6?" Hojo was asking her. Kagome looked up at him momentarily before looking back down at her feet.
"Hojo, I'm sorry, but I have to go back home, I don't feel very well, I think I'm not going to be in school today." Kagome told him.
"I can take you home, if you like?" Hojo offered kindly, smiling worriedly.
"Hojo, I'm sorry, no." Kagome said, turning on her heel, and sprinting back to the shrine.
Half a month later in the Feudal Era
"Are you going to sleep forever, Inuyasha?" Kikyou asked silently. She then reached up, and removed the spell-binding arrow Kagome had shot. Inuyasha slid to the bottom of the tree, and aroused slowly. His vision was blurry.
"Ka- Kagome?" he asked. His vision straightened out, and he saw that it was in fact Kikyou, and not Kagome, that he'd awoken to. "I'm sorry Kikyou... I thought for a moment-" Inuyasha started.
"No, Inuyasha, you were hoping." Kikyou interrupted. "You love her, don't you. You don't love me anymore." Kikyou spat, and she spun on her heel and left.
"No, you're wrong!" Inuyasha called after her, but she kept on walking. Inuyasha slumped back against the tree. "I do love Kagome.... But she'll never come back, even if I go to get her." Inuyasha stood up, and walked back to Kaede's hut. There he heard Miroku and Sango telling Kaede that they failed to find Kikyou.
"It doesn't matter." Inuyasha said walking in, "She's in the forest of the well, if you still need her."
"INUYASHA!!!" they all exclaimed.
"I'm sorry, Miroku, Sango, Shippou, Kaede..... I need some time alone. I only came to tell you I'm still alive." Inuyasha told them, and he turned to leave. No one stopped him.
"I think he's still upset about Kagome's arrow. I don't blame him." he heard Miroku saying. He just kept on walking until he came to the well.
A month passed, and Inuyasha never left the well. He stayed there, almost willing Kagome to come out. Several times, he considered just jumping in there, and telling Kagome exactly how he felt about her. But he knew that would do no good, she'd never listen. And to tell the truth, he wasn't even sure the well still worked, it hadn't been used for a while. Twice a day, though, Inuyasha ate the food Shippou brought, always thanking him, but never saying more than thanks. He didn't feel as though he could talk much more. Twice everyday, Shippou always told Miroku that he never said more than thanks, and Miroku just frowned.
Kagome's scent was still all over the well, and Inuyasha inhaled the sweet scent he thought he'd never smell again as of a month ago. Inuyasha hadn't really done much of anything and usually was always sitting, but today, he stood up. He inhaled Kagome's scent for what he thought would be his very last time. Tears flowed from his eyes. Last night had been a new moon. His human side was still getting the better of him, even though he fell asleep a human and woke up a hanyou. He turned from the well, to finally return to Kaede's hut, and let go of Kagome once and for all. He walked slower than ever, and turned back several times, so he really got nowhere. He blew a kiss into the well, and whispered, "I love you Kagome." and he turned, and began walking slower than a snail.
Kagome stood in the doorway of the well, and walked down the stairs to the actual well. She flung the boards off of the top, and looked down into the well. It was dead silent. The jewel shard that hung around her neck glowed brightly, revealing the empty bottom of the well. And there was a brilliant flash, and then things were back to normal, the shard still glowing, but then Kagome heard a whisper. Softly, Inuyasha's voice carried up to her. "I love you Kagome." Tears in her eyes, Kagome's heart wrenched painfully, and she cried out, "INUYASHA!" and without a second's more hesitation, she catapulted into the well.
Inuyasha was almost to the edge of the forest when Kagome's scent suddenly got ten times stronger. He turned around to see Kagome climbing out of the well, tears rushing out of her eyes and his eyes got wide.
"My eyes aren't playing tricks on me this time, I can smell her, too! KAGOME!!!!" he shouted and he ran to meet her. She ran right into his arms, and they embraced for a long long time. Inuyasha held her tightly to him, and Kagome held him tightly too, still crying into his arms, still shaking from the way she'd jumped into the well, but she felt so good.
"Inuyasha...." Kagome whispered, hugging him tighter, and he returned her tightened grip.
"Kagome, why?" he asked her, pulling away from her.
"Because you love Kikyou." Kagome replied, turning away from him.
"NO! I DON'T LOVE HER!" Inuyasha exclaimed.
"You... you don't?" Kagome asked.
"Of course not! Kagome.... I love you!" Inuyasha exclaimed. Kagome turned around and looked up at him, her eyes shining.
"You do?" she asked. Inuyasha nodded.
"Of course I do! How could I not? You're perfect!" Inuyasha said, embracing her once more.
"Oh Inuyasha! I love you so much!" Kagome told him. Just then, Shippou came in with Inuyasha's food, and saw him embracing someone.
"Kikyou?" Shippou asked, then he saw the girl up closer. "KAGOME!!!" Shippou shouted. Kagome looked over, and saw Shippou drop his bag of food and come running up to her. She scooped him up, and hugged him tightly. "You've got to come back to the hut with us!!!" Shippou exclaimed.
"Of course!" Kagome said, smiling.
Back at the hut, Kagome and Inuyasha walked in, holding hands, while Shippou rested on Kagome's shoulder.
"KAGOME!!!" Kaede, Sango, and Miroku exclaimed.
"Did you finally go and get her Inuyasha?" Miroku asked him, grinning slyly.
"No, she came back by herself." Inuyasha replied, smiling.
"Oh Sango, how I've missed you!" Kagome said, hugging her friend. She then hugged Kaede, and shook Miroku's hand, knowing that his lech side probably hadn't changed. Kagome then returned to Inuyasha's arms, and rested in them, happily. After the excitement died down, Inuyasha and Kagome took a walk.
"Kagome?" Inuyasha asked.
"Yes?" Kagome answered immediately, but softly, happily.
"Promise me you'll never leave me again if you can help it." Inuyasha said.
"I promise, with all my heart." Kagome agreed. "I love you more than you can ever imagine, Inuyasha."
"I can imagine, Kagome, because I love you even more." Inuyasha told her. And in the moonlight by the river, Inuyasha leaned over, Kagome stood on her tiptoes, and for the first time ever, they kissed. Softly, but passionately, and they both silently reassured the other of their love.
One year later
Naraku and his incarnations were dead, and Kagome, Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku, and Shippou finally gained the entire Shikon Jewel. Kagome purified it, and it disappeared forever. Their lives weren't perfect, but they were just fine according to them. Before the battle with Naraku, Miroku had proposed to Sango to show his love incase he was killed, but they were now happily married, and the only woman Miroku touched was Sango. Shippou was going to grow up into a handsome young kitsune, and Kagome and Inuyasha were happy. They returned to visit Kaede's hut a month or so after Sango and Miroku's marriage. They left them to catch up with Kaede and Shippou, and took a short walk. Inuyasha fooled around with the band in his coat the whole time, and he was really nervous. Kagome could tell.
"Inuyasha, you seem a bit perturbed tonight, is everything alright?" Kagome asked him.
"Uh, yeah! Everything's fine. I just have something I've been meaning to ask you for a while, that's all. I've been dying to ask you all night." Inuyasha replied, stalling, until they got to the spot where they'd shared their first kiss. They were almost there, and he wanted everything to be perfect.
"Well, what is it then?" Kagome asked him. She honestly had absolutely no idea. Inuyasha just smiled, and they reached the spot where the moon shown through to the river, and they stood facing each other. Inuyasha knelt down, just like Miroku had instructed him to, and he took Kagome's left hand in both of his hands. Kagome's eyes widened as she realized what was going on.
"Kagome, I've loved you for a long time now, and, you see, I just can't imagine spending my life with anybody but you." Inuyasha felt his butterflies and nerves melt away with the melting look in Kagome's eyes. "Now, about that question I wanted to ask you...." Inuyasha said as he pulled out the ring he'd been hiding in his red coat, "Will you marry me?" he asked her.
"Yes! Yes, I will!" Kagome let him slip the ring on her ring finger, and she fell to her knees and kissed him, and they held each other for a while until they both fell asleep under the clear night sky, with the beautiful stars and glowing crescent moon.
Inuyasha walked in through the door. "Kagome? Kagome?!" he called out. He didn't know if it was of any good or not. Kagome had gone home. She had been upset about something. Not something, him. She'd been upset over what he'd done. He knew that now. He didn't want to believe it, but he knew he'd hurt her when he'd defended Kikyou that way. The look he had seen on her face. It was heart shattering. He knew that he'd hurt her from the minute he'd discovered the scent of her tears. When she ran off, it almost tore his heart out. But how was she ever going to know that he loved her? He was always screwing up and defending Kikyou. 'Kagome would never understand. Even if she knew how I felt, she wouldn't care, she doesn't love me, she only thinks she does. That's why it's so important to keep my promise to Kikyou.' Inuyasha thought. But trying to convince himself of what he thought was going to be hard.
Kikyou had put Kagome through so much. They were one in the same, very true, so it is. But there was one thing that keeps them both apart. Kagome is only an 'imitation' Kikyou. Kikyou's reincarnation, Kagome. 'Everytime Inuyasha looks at me, he sees her.' Kagome thought, tears streaming down her face. 'If I have to deal with this pain for much longer, I'll never be able to go back to the Feudal Era again!' Kagome thought, and then she had an idea. 'I know. I'll go to the Feudal Era.... I'll say good bye to everyone, and explain that I can no longer return. I'm sure they won't miss me. It won't matter anyways. Who knows, I may even wake up and discover that this was all one bad dream.' Kagome had decided it.
"What do you want, Inuyasha?" Kagome said, her voice soft, almost wounded sounding.
"I want you to come back to the Feudal Era with me, so hurry and pack, please?" he asked, as nicely as he could half-humanly muster.
"There's no need to pack anything." Kagome said, her voice still soft. Still wounded. It hurt Inuyasha's ears, not because of the pitch, but it hurt because it hurt his heart.
"Then, should we go?" he asked, his voice now softer as well.
"Sure." Kagome's voice got no louder, and no less hurt, infact, it seemed like he'd made the wound deeper.
As Kagome and Inuyasha walked back from the well, Kagome decided that this would be her final trip to Feudal Japan. She put her hand in her pocket, and discovered that the jewel shards were there. 'After I've said good bye, I'll have to give these back to Kaede, so that she can give them to Miroku, or Sango maybe.'
"Kagome, your back!" Shippou exclaimed, then he looked upset. "Without goodies."
"I'm sorry Shippou, but the reason I'm here without treats....." Kagome trailed off.
"Are you alright, Kagome?" Sango asked her. Outside, Inuyasha's sensitive hearing picked up the conversation just fine.
"Sango, Miroku, Shippou.... Kaede.... I've come to say good bye." Kagome said finally. As everyone's eyes widened, Kagome searched her other pocket. Four small school photos, and a lollipop. "Here." Kagome said. She handed them each a photo, and Shippou the lollipop.
"Why are you leaving Kagome? Are you ever coming back?" Shippou asked, hopefully.
"I'm afraid not, Shippou. I'm really sorry, but I can't stay here anymore... The pain is too much." she replied. She reached into her pocket once more, and it glowed pink for a moment. Then she pulled out the jewel shards. She took Kaede's hand, and put them there. "Please, keep these safe, alright?" Kagome smiled, and she turned to leave, taking her bow and one arrow. When she got outside, Inuyasha was standing at the bottom of the tree he normally perched in by Kaede's hut.
"And where do you think you're going?" he asked her, his voice hurt, his eyes swelling with tears. He held them back.
"I'm going back home, Inuyasha. Don't try to stop me, and don't come back for me." Kagome said. It hurt her so much to say that, and it took all of her will power to tell him that she didn't want him to come after her.
"But Kagome, I don't understand!" Inuyasha shouted at her, before she could leave. "WHY?!" He asked her.
"Because I can't stand the pain anymore Inuyasha!" Kagome shouted, and she ran off. Inuyasha headed her off at the Sacred Tree.
"Kagome, please, don't leave, I can help you if you let me." Inuyasha pleaded.
"NO!" Kagome shouted, and she drew her arrow, notched it, and pinned Inuyasha to the Sacred Tree one more time.
"Ka-Kagome?! Don't LEAVE ...... me......." Inuyasha trailed off. Kagome started crying freely, and she ran the rest of the way to the well, and hopped in. She took off the uniform she'd been wearing, and threw it in the wash. It was soaked with tears, and a little bit of blood. She'd accidentally cut herself when she notched the arrow because she had been shaking so badly. Her tears continued to flow as she walked up to her room, and she lay down on her bed.
Kagome's mother went to put the clothes in the drier that Kagome had left when she'd fallen asleep. She heard a soft clang at the bottom of the washer, and a slight pink glow eminated from the same spot. Leaning in, Kagome's mother picked up a single, pure jewel shard. 'I wonder if Kagome knows this is here? I'll tell her at dinner before she goes back to the Feudal Era.'
"Kagome? Are you coming down to dinner?" Souta called up to his older sister.
"Yeah, I am, I have to tell you guys something really important that can't wait." Kagome replied, sounding muffled, because her face was pressed into her pillow.
"Is she coming to dinner?" Kagome's mother asked Souta.
"Yeah, she has something important to tell us, she said it can't wait." Souta replied.
"Thank you Souta." Kagome's mother replied. 'I'll just give her this shard after she tells us what's so important. I'm sure she'll be happy to have it back.' she thought.
"Mom, Grandpa, Souta, I have something important to tell you guys. From now on, I'm no longer going to cross into the Feudal Era. So anything from there that could possibly upset me or bring back memories.... Please, don't bring it up for a month or so, alright? It's already hard just being here without seeing that stuff." Kagome told them. She looked at their shocked faces for a moment, ate some rice, drank some tea, cleaned up after herself, and politely left the table with tears in her eyes.
"I guess I won't be giving her her jewel shard back for a little while." Kagome's mother said to herself, watching the door shut behind Kagome. She saw from her window, her daughter walked out to the well, jumped in, and climbed back out, tears streaming down her face. She was holding the necklace that the jewel shards had once hung from. It was broken. She came back into the house.
"Mom?" Kagome asked, her tears slowing a little bit.
"Yes, Kagome? What is it darling?" her mother asked, a bit worried.
"Will you please keep this from me until I seem as though I'm alright again?" Kagome asked her.
"Of course, dear. I'll keep it for a while." she replied. When Kagome left for the final time to the upstairs, Souta looked at their mother.
"Do you think Inuyasha will come back for her?" Souta asked.
"Oddly enough, I don't think so. Kagome seemed to think that nothing would be bothering her from now on." Kagome's mother told her son cautiously.
Back in the Feudal Era, Shippou gazed at Inuyasha, watching him fall into a deep sleep. He jumped up onto the drowsy hanyou, and Inuyasha smiled a bit. "She's gone for good Shippou, and I'll never be able to tell her how much I love her. She pinned me back to this tree..... Please, tell Miroku and Sango exactly how I feel..... Tell Kaede.. I don't despise her....And for the record..... I never hated you, even when I picked on you. Good bye Shippou. Remember me? Please?" Inuyasha said, as he fell into the deep sleep that once held him for fifty whole years. Shippou actually began crying softly, and he ran as fast as he could to go and get Miroku and Sango.
"SANGO!! MIROKU!! KAEDE!! COME QUICKLY!! IT'S INUYASHA!!!!" Shippou exclaimed. They all went running, and found the sight before them to be heart-wrenching. They saw Kagome's last Sacred Arrow embedded in Inuyasha's heart, pinning him to the tree where he had once slept for fifty years.
"Oh my! Did Kagome do all this?" Sango asked, tears in her eyes.
"Ye must not fear for Inuyasha. Sango, Miroku, please, go and find my sister Kikyou. She would be able to reverse this spell." Kaede said, although she, too, was visibly upset. Miroku was kneeling before the tree, saying a quick prayer for Inuyasha.
"Of course, Kaede. Sango, shall we be off then?" Miroku asked.
"Mm hn." Sango agreed. "Kirara!" she called, and the small demon transformed, taking Sango and Miroku upon its back.
"Shippou, ye can stay with me. I have a feeling we may need to advance our ability to protect ourselves and this village." Kaede said.
"Alright Kaede." Shippou replied. He didn't feel like talking. He had been the one to hear Inuyasha's last words. It was him. And because Inuyasha was dead, no one could go after Kagome. Shippou began sobbing so harshly, that Kaede was forced to bring the young kitsune back to her hut in her arms, softly consoling him as they went.
One and a half months later....
"Alright mom, I'm off to school!" Kagome said. She was doing alright now, but she never forgot Inuyasha.
"Kagome? Can you come here for a moment? Quickly, so you're not late!" Kagome's mother called.
"Sure!" she said, and she ran over to the other room where her mother was standing. "What is it?" Kagome asked.
"This is something I thought you may want back. Open it later?" her mother replied.
"Thanks mom!" Kagome said, she kissed her mother on the cheek, and ran out the door. 'I'll probably be late anyways, but what does it matter? With my luck, Hojo will be waiting on the corner like always to give me a ride to school.' Kagome thought, opening the paper around her mother's gift. She read the note.
Kagome-
I had this fixed during the time you were healing. I hope I waited long enough to return it. I found it in the wash on the last day you returned from the Feudal Era. Please, keep it safe! Love you!
-Mom
Kagome finished opening the package. She gasped as she rounded the corner. The chain that she had once kept the Shikon Jewel shards on had been fixed, and there was a single shard of the Shikon Jewel resting in her palm, glowing softly.
"Kagome? Are you alright? You seem lost somehow." a male voice said. It was Hojo.
"Oh, Hojo! I'm just fine, I'm sorry, I didn't see you, I was remembering something that this necklace reminded me of." Kagome said. Her face was smiling, but her eyes were secretly crying. 'Oh, Inuyasha, I thought I could forget you by leaving... But all I can think about is how much more I fall in love with you everyday!' Kagome thought. When Hojo looked away, she frowned, and thought, 'I thought I'd given Kaede all of the jewel shards.... But that must have been what the pink glow was for in my pocket. One must have heard my deepest wish. A way back to the Feudal Era. But I thought I'd never go back....' her thoughts trailed off.
"- Saturday at 6?" Hojo was asking her. Kagome looked up at him momentarily before looking back down at her feet.
"Hojo, I'm sorry, but I have to go back home, I don't feel very well, I think I'm not going to be in school today." Kagome told him.
"I can take you home, if you like?" Hojo offered kindly, smiling worriedly.
"Hojo, I'm sorry, no." Kagome said, turning on her heel, and sprinting back to the shrine.
Half a month later in the Feudal Era
"Are you going to sleep forever, Inuyasha?" Kikyou asked silently. She then reached up, and removed the spell-binding arrow Kagome had shot. Inuyasha slid to the bottom of the tree, and aroused slowly. His vision was blurry.
"Ka- Kagome?" he asked. His vision straightened out, and he saw that it was in fact Kikyou, and not Kagome, that he'd awoken to. "I'm sorry Kikyou... I thought for a moment-" Inuyasha started.
"No, Inuyasha, you were hoping." Kikyou interrupted. "You love her, don't you. You don't love me anymore." Kikyou spat, and she spun on her heel and left.
"No, you're wrong!" Inuyasha called after her, but she kept on walking. Inuyasha slumped back against the tree. "I do love Kagome.... But she'll never come back, even if I go to get her." Inuyasha stood up, and walked back to Kaede's hut. There he heard Miroku and Sango telling Kaede that they failed to find Kikyou.
"It doesn't matter." Inuyasha said walking in, "She's in the forest of the well, if you still need her."
"INUYASHA!!!" they all exclaimed.
"I'm sorry, Miroku, Sango, Shippou, Kaede..... I need some time alone. I only came to tell you I'm still alive." Inuyasha told them, and he turned to leave. No one stopped him.
"I think he's still upset about Kagome's arrow. I don't blame him." he heard Miroku saying. He just kept on walking until he came to the well.
A month passed, and Inuyasha never left the well. He stayed there, almost willing Kagome to come out. Several times, he considered just jumping in there, and telling Kagome exactly how he felt about her. But he knew that would do no good, she'd never listen. And to tell the truth, he wasn't even sure the well still worked, it hadn't been used for a while. Twice a day, though, Inuyasha ate the food Shippou brought, always thanking him, but never saying more than thanks. He didn't feel as though he could talk much more. Twice everyday, Shippou always told Miroku that he never said more than thanks, and Miroku just frowned.
Kagome's scent was still all over the well, and Inuyasha inhaled the sweet scent he thought he'd never smell again as of a month ago. Inuyasha hadn't really done much of anything and usually was always sitting, but today, he stood up. He inhaled Kagome's scent for what he thought would be his very last time. Tears flowed from his eyes. Last night had been a new moon. His human side was still getting the better of him, even though he fell asleep a human and woke up a hanyou. He turned from the well, to finally return to Kaede's hut, and let go of Kagome once and for all. He walked slower than ever, and turned back several times, so he really got nowhere. He blew a kiss into the well, and whispered, "I love you Kagome." and he turned, and began walking slower than a snail.
Kagome stood in the doorway of the well, and walked down the stairs to the actual well. She flung the boards off of the top, and looked down into the well. It was dead silent. The jewel shard that hung around her neck glowed brightly, revealing the empty bottom of the well. And there was a brilliant flash, and then things were back to normal, the shard still glowing, but then Kagome heard a whisper. Softly, Inuyasha's voice carried up to her. "I love you Kagome." Tears in her eyes, Kagome's heart wrenched painfully, and she cried out, "INUYASHA!" and without a second's more hesitation, she catapulted into the well.
Inuyasha was almost to the edge of the forest when Kagome's scent suddenly got ten times stronger. He turned around to see Kagome climbing out of the well, tears rushing out of her eyes and his eyes got wide.
"My eyes aren't playing tricks on me this time, I can smell her, too! KAGOME!!!!" he shouted and he ran to meet her. She ran right into his arms, and they embraced for a long long time. Inuyasha held her tightly to him, and Kagome held him tightly too, still crying into his arms, still shaking from the way she'd jumped into the well, but she felt so good.
"Inuyasha...." Kagome whispered, hugging him tighter, and he returned her tightened grip.
"Kagome, why?" he asked her, pulling away from her.
"Because you love Kikyou." Kagome replied, turning away from him.
"NO! I DON'T LOVE HER!" Inuyasha exclaimed.
"You... you don't?" Kagome asked.
"Of course not! Kagome.... I love you!" Inuyasha exclaimed. Kagome turned around and looked up at him, her eyes shining.
"You do?" she asked. Inuyasha nodded.
"Of course I do! How could I not? You're perfect!" Inuyasha said, embracing her once more.
"Oh Inuyasha! I love you so much!" Kagome told him. Just then, Shippou came in with Inuyasha's food, and saw him embracing someone.
"Kikyou?" Shippou asked, then he saw the girl up closer. "KAGOME!!!" Shippou shouted. Kagome looked over, and saw Shippou drop his bag of food and come running up to her. She scooped him up, and hugged him tightly. "You've got to come back to the hut with us!!!" Shippou exclaimed.
"Of course!" Kagome said, smiling.
Back at the hut, Kagome and Inuyasha walked in, holding hands, while Shippou rested on Kagome's shoulder.
"KAGOME!!!" Kaede, Sango, and Miroku exclaimed.
"Did you finally go and get her Inuyasha?" Miroku asked him, grinning slyly.
"No, she came back by herself." Inuyasha replied, smiling.
"Oh Sango, how I've missed you!" Kagome said, hugging her friend. She then hugged Kaede, and shook Miroku's hand, knowing that his lech side probably hadn't changed. Kagome then returned to Inuyasha's arms, and rested in them, happily. After the excitement died down, Inuyasha and Kagome took a walk.
"Kagome?" Inuyasha asked.
"Yes?" Kagome answered immediately, but softly, happily.
"Promise me you'll never leave me again if you can help it." Inuyasha said.
"I promise, with all my heart." Kagome agreed. "I love you more than you can ever imagine, Inuyasha."
"I can imagine, Kagome, because I love you even more." Inuyasha told her. And in the moonlight by the river, Inuyasha leaned over, Kagome stood on her tiptoes, and for the first time ever, they kissed. Softly, but passionately, and they both silently reassured the other of their love.
One year later
Naraku and his incarnations were dead, and Kagome, Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku, and Shippou finally gained the entire Shikon Jewel. Kagome purified it, and it disappeared forever. Their lives weren't perfect, but they were just fine according to them. Before the battle with Naraku, Miroku had proposed to Sango to show his love incase he was killed, but they were now happily married, and the only woman Miroku touched was Sango. Shippou was going to grow up into a handsome young kitsune, and Kagome and Inuyasha were happy. They returned to visit Kaede's hut a month or so after Sango and Miroku's marriage. They left them to catch up with Kaede and Shippou, and took a short walk. Inuyasha fooled around with the band in his coat the whole time, and he was really nervous. Kagome could tell.
"Inuyasha, you seem a bit perturbed tonight, is everything alright?" Kagome asked him.
"Uh, yeah! Everything's fine. I just have something I've been meaning to ask you for a while, that's all. I've been dying to ask you all night." Inuyasha replied, stalling, until they got to the spot where they'd shared their first kiss. They were almost there, and he wanted everything to be perfect.
"Well, what is it then?" Kagome asked him. She honestly had absolutely no idea. Inuyasha just smiled, and they reached the spot where the moon shown through to the river, and they stood facing each other. Inuyasha knelt down, just like Miroku had instructed him to, and he took Kagome's left hand in both of his hands. Kagome's eyes widened as she realized what was going on.
"Kagome, I've loved you for a long time now, and, you see, I just can't imagine spending my life with anybody but you." Inuyasha felt his butterflies and nerves melt away with the melting look in Kagome's eyes. "Now, about that question I wanted to ask you...." Inuyasha said as he pulled out the ring he'd been hiding in his red coat, "Will you marry me?" he asked her.
"Yes! Yes, I will!" Kagome let him slip the ring on her ring finger, and she fell to her knees and kissed him, and they held each other for a while until they both fell asleep under the clear night sky, with the beautiful stars and glowing crescent moon.