Sometimes life gets in the way of living. Day in. Day out. Wake up and go to school. Come home and go to bed. We wish for excitement, romance. Passion.

But I've lived. I've fought demons--humans as well. I've seen death, destruction. I've seen true love and compassion.

And passion. If you want passion, try watching a sister fight to save her brother's life. Try sibling rivalry with swords. Try an evil hanyo trying to kill you for power. Try a mother's love for her adopted child. Try two people with no families, no homes, and no guarantees of a future loving one another.

And try loving a hanyo who loves someone else. Passion comes in many forms. Love as well as sadness.

My adventures are over. I've returned to my time. Inuyasha has embraced death. Sango and Miroku have gotten married. And Shippo, my dear Shippo, has stayed in the past. He's promised to wait out 500 years without me, in hopes of seeing me again. 500 years without a mother. Will he love me the same? My feelings will have no time to change, no time to analyze. But he will grow, change. Maybe fall in love. His adventures are only beginning. Mine have just ended.

I've grown. I've learned. People can be good or evil or any mix between. But no matter what others may do to us, we have to stay true to ourselves. We have to strive to remain good. Eternity can pass but our hearts will remain the same. Hatred kills. Love can save.

Did I feel a spark of love when I pulled the arrow from Inuyasha's heart? I don't know. But I felt compassion. Compassion drove Kikyo to help Onigumo. Compassion drove us to save Shippo. Compassion is the seed of love. It just needs water and sunlight and it will grow into something beautiful. Ignored, it will wither and die.

I've decided that my adventure is over. I've saved the world. But I never hated Naraku, as I will never hate anyone again. Children hate. Unhappy people hate. Instead, I will feel compassion for everyone I meet.

Someday, I will fall in love. I will never forget that I was taught love by a dog-eared boy, but I will love again. I won't look for it. I will accept everyone I meet. I will accept every offering of friendship. Sometimes that friendship will grow and I will fall in love. Sometimes my heart will be broken. But always, I will love. I will not be bitter. If it wasn't meant to be, it won't be meant to be.

I will be content in my old-new life. I will go to school, I will meet new people. I may travel the world. Sometimes, many times, I will miss my old life. I will miss my friends. But I will accept that my adventure is over and be happy in the present.

I feel the end of my journey approaching and open my eyes to the brilliant blue energy around me. This is the last time I will see it. I savor the color, the wash of the energy over my body, as my feet touch the ground.

My adventure is over.

Sometimes life gets in the way of living, but we must strive to never let that happen. We won't be around the ones we love forever, so appreciate them while they're there.

~*~*~*~*~*~*

There's that. Thinking about extending it into a story, maybe a cross-over with YYH… but I might leave it as is…

Remember that today is all we're guaranteed. Take a good look at the people around you and ask yourself, "If they were gone tomorrow, would I regret things left unsaid?" Tell people you love them and never give up. Someone always loves you, even if you can't appreciate it right now. Trust me, life gets better, don't choose to end it. Live, and experience something new every day. Hug a dog while you cry and have them lick the tears away. Dip a fry in a frosty and decide whether or not you like it. I know how it feels when nothing seems right, nothing seems good. Please don't give up.