To believe in hopes and dreams long past

With hate and remorse meant to last

Life is just one sad song

Going forever, soon there is none

Love is just a waste, pointless to the seams

For there is nobody in the entire world who would stay and live on dreams.

~*Clear as Crystal*~

"Inu....Inuyasha..."

Kagome's tears silently streamed down her cheeks hidden in shadow, misty eyes trained on the wrenching scene ahead. Her clothes were ripped and torn, numerous cuts leaking crimson red, but those were not the only things torn. The memory flashed back to a couple hours ago, when the hard endured night had began, a sharp cry of anguish poured from her soul as she knew, he didn't want her anymore. It all blazed back, and the meaning of pain was clear. Clear as crystals..

"Kikyou.." Inuyasha whispered, head erect as he stared off into the distant forest, eyes clear and dancing with an unknown fire that was so familiar-it was love. "Inuyasha-wait!" Kagome stumbled to keep up with him, but the hanyou had gone, the parted bushes the only reminder of his passing.

Plodding on for several hours, it seemed, the girl came to a stop with heavy breathing slipping through the open air. Voices clashed with that sound, and in an instant, Kagome slunk to the safety of a tree's trunk, and peered out into the forested area with bright curiosity and a feeling of hopelessness.

Illuminated in a sparkling halo of moonlight, her incarnation and love stood together, lips locked in a passionate kiss, and all Kagome could do was watch. Her heart was breaking. Her love was breaking. Everything was dropping to life-size before the girl's very eyes. In a horrified daze; she turned slowly, fluid movements barely detectable. With a scream of anger and misery, Kagome dashed off into the forest beyond, the memory taunting her in her thoughts. Without noticing where her feet stepped, every passing second was part of the nightmare. Inuyasha betrayed her. There was no love in that, and that was all her mind was intent on believing. In a false move..

"KYAAAAAAHHHHH!"

A stumble, and she pitched head over heels only to smash her head into an awaiting rock on the path. Her troubled mind slipped into oblivion, where it lay in rest for a long, long time.

Warmth overlapped her senses. The dark veil clouding the girl's mind was lifting, her eyes flickered open, and a dazed moan came from her throat. It was daytime; the sun's rays reaching out to lap at her face in comforting warmth. "She's awake." a strong voice called from somewhere to the right. Kagome blinked. That voice was so familiar, yet she couldn't quite grasp it. Pushing her body into a sitting position, the girl wondered for the first time..

Who am I?

The inability to answer such a simple question was frightening. Kagome was pushed out of her thoughts when a small bundle of fur collided with her side, squealing in pure ecstasy. "Kagome! Kagome! You're back!" a child's voice cried as it grasped its small paws around her shirt, a smile alightened on his face. Kagome's eyes widened and she backed away at the sight of a bushy fox tail curled around the fox kid's feet. His expression was instantly changed the definition of 'hurt' at being pushed aside, and ignoring Kagome's shivers, Shippou turned around sniffling, running up to his friend. "MIROKUUUUU! KAGOME PUSHED ME!!" Miroku rolled his eyes in Kagome's direction. "Shippou-kun, you know she didn't mean it." he sighed, quite used to the fox's complaints by now. It was hard not having Inuyasha around, now he was stuck with Shippou day and night. The kitsune whimpered pathetically and rubbed at his eyes. "But...but...it hurt! And that's not Kagome! She's too mean!"

Meanwhile, the abandoned girl in the corner was lost in thought, wondering how she had come before this pair. 'Kagome? That sounds familiar.' a voice spoke gently in her mind. Kagome opened her eyes and gazed at the two, who were now in argument and looking peeved off with each other, though there was a bright playful feeling in the conversation that proved they weren't truly fighting. She faintly remembered having the same type of fight with someone else...someone else....she hated that someone else. For betraying her. With a deep sigh, Kagome leaned back and locked her arms behind her head. This finally seemed to draw their attention. Miroku dropped the hold he had on Shippou's tail, and stood up importantly, but anyone could tell he was embarrassed. "Lady Kagome? Are you alright?" he inquired, gesturing with an arm towards Shippou. "I thought you and Shippou..were, in a way, bonded." Miroku said slowly, hoping nothing he said would trigger the immense anger that Kagome usually stored up when she was insulted. And now he had just asked her a question that sounded like she was crazy. He cringed.

Kagome looked up at her name. Her eyes traveled up to the person who was talking. As soon as 'Miroku' finished his statement, he shuddered a little, but Kagome was confused beyond belief. "Shippou? I don't know this, this...creature!" she exclaimed, pointing towards the kitsune, who whimpered and hid behind Miroku with a pained expression. Miroku smiled at Shippou gently for a moment. Then he turned back to Kagome. "Nothing? Nothing at all?" the monk questioned, searching her expression for signs of lying. "Not love?"

Kagome shook her head.

So this means..Miroku gasped, barely audible, then shifted his gaze away from Kagome's face. "Please excuse me." he stated, edging towards the door, then pulled it open and dashed outside.

"K-kagome?" the kitsune squeaked on the verge of tears, drawing his paws together in front of his chest and looking earnestly at his adoptive 'mother'. Kagome's expression softened; she couldn't bear to see the little kid cry, no matter how weird he looked. She held out her arms as Shippou scooted closer, and she wrapped them around the boy, furry tail and all. With a smile, Kagome whispered in his ear a promise of candy and storytelling in the morning, as the kitsune drifted off to sleep..

Outside, Miroku was lost in a fantasy. Kagome forgot Inuyasha! "It's too good to be true.." he whispered passionately. "I finally have a chance with her, without a jealous hanyou boyfriend guarding her and Kagome agreeing with him. It's like my prayers have been answered.." Miroku sighed, trailing his arms out to the sides expressively. A bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, and heavy rain began to fall. "So I was wrong."

Kagome let her fingers fall from Shippou's side when the man 'Miroku' came in through the door, drenched. He straightened up and grinned at her, upon seeing the kitsune nestled in her arms. Kagome shook her head, then opened her mouth. "I don't remember anything. What do you think happened?" she asked quietly, hugging Shippou close like a teddy bear. Miroku smiled sympathetically and sat down beside her. "I wish you could remember, how much we loved each other." he whispered in her ear, slipping an arm over Kagome's shoulders. The girl's eyes widened; she had been in LOVE? 'All too easy..' Miroku thought earnestly.

Then he woke up.

"What was I thinking?" Miroku muttered, putting a hand to his forehead. "I knew something was weird when it started storming for no reason." He opened his eyes...directly into a very mad pair of chocolate brown ones that were now fiery red. "What...do...you...think...you're...DOING!?" Sango hissed between clenched teeth; Miroku noted she was now fingering the giant boomerang slung over one shoulder in a rather possessive manner. He gulped. "Sleeping?"

CRACK! "Sorry, wrong answer!"

Sango grinned devilishly, pulling Miroku's chin up so they were face to face. "And what, might I ask, were you doing with Kagome and you sleeping arm in arm?"

What!?

Miroku gulped again, this time feeling the girl's oversized weapon full force in the back of his skull. Sango looked pleased as he fell to the ground, then unhooked Miroku from the death lock Kagome had on his shoulders. She sighed and ruffled Shippou's hair, deep in thought. 'God...Miroku's just too much to handle sometimes. I mean, KAGOME..Inuyasha's gonna kill the hentai whenever he finds out.'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Inuyasha?" Kikyou pulled back from their embrace, still smiling in the beautiful way that was all her own in Inuyasha's vision. "Yes?"

"Did you bring it?"

"Only if you did." Inuyasha replied teasingly.

Kikyou rolled her eyes at him, but showed him the leather bag she had brought in secret. Inuyasha's smile grew wider. He held out a hand on which a chain dangled, silver flashing in the moonlight. Kagome's chunk of the Shikon no Tama glittered in a pink half-sphere on the bottom. The miko pulled closer to him, holding out her palms, and smiled once more as the jewel was dropped. She pulled out a smaller piece, one that matched the other shard cluster perfectly. In her hands, the Shikon no Kakera melted together, back into the full Shikon no Tama. "That's it?" Inuyasha asked her, doubtfully. Kikyou nodded, then slipped the jewel back into his hand. "Use it wisely." she said softly, stepping back. Inuyasha's eyes glittered; the choice was finally his. His fingers curled around the gem. "Not yet, Kikyou.." Inuyasha whispered quietly, fingering the smooth stone with a sad tone to his voice. Kikyou's expression instantly changed to fury. "I GAVE that to you!" she hissed. "And you'll use it; or else I will for you.."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kagome yawned. Once again, the bliss from sleep had overcome her. She fluttered her eyes open; only to find she was face to face with someone. "EEEEEE!!!" the girl shrieked, scrambling away, before she recognized the face as Shippou's. With a sigh of relief, the presence of another person in the room made themselves known. "Back in the land of the living, Kagome?" a soft female voice from nowhere startled her. Kagome shot up into a sitting position, and held a stick she had found out for defense. Something moved in the corner; she instantly whirled around and was about to bash whatever it was's head in. "Wait, Kagome!" A girl in her teenage years, wearing a light pink kimono and had a large boomerang slung over one shoulder that Kagome did not recognize, moved out into the light. She smiled halfheartedly at Kagome, brown eyes sparkling mischievously as the memory of Miroku lying, looking almost dead, in the hut's corner came to mind. "W-who are you?" Kagome stuttered, lowering her 'weapon'. "You don't know?

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Mwuahahahahaha! Cliffhangeriness! Be niiiice, this is my first ficcy, n' you know..do I write weird? Just wondering.