Disclaimer: Inu not mine pouts

((AN: Heh I wrote this last February and decided I'd go ahead and post it... my first real attempt at Inuyasha fic.. probably heavily clique but I didn't think about that when I wrote it))

The woman sighed as she walked along the road that provided easy access to the ocean. She could feel is cool breeze tickle her neck, and tug at her tightly pulled up hair.

Other tourists wandered the park and looked at its beautiful attractions gleefully, but she just stood under the trees looking sullenly at the encaged nature.

More sincere then the other travellers, she looked more fitting in an office in Tokyo instead of the beautiful garden. Her dark hair was pulled into a tight bun behind her head, that let barely a wisp of hair fall free. She wore a black suit jacket, and a proper skirt... no where near in comparison to those that the young girls around her wore.

Truthfully she seemed too old for 22. Her eyes held too much sorrow and too many memories to be so young. She was beautiful, and did not appear half as old as she felt. But she looked timeless, more then young, a statue that never changed, and could never be broken.

Watching another woman nearly her own age chase after a young man nearby she looked away painfully.
Why? Why did I have to lose it all? Couldn't... couldn't I have just stayed behind? Why did I have to be separated for such a long time. What did I do to deserve this?

Silently she wished she could have changed the ending. Everything. If it meant that Naraku had won even... so long as no one was injured. Or if it meant that the Shikon no Tama was never fully re-forged.

But that's impossible. It had to be. Had to. Just as for everyone to be aright we had to kill Naraku. Just like I had to go through the well.

Had to.

Didn't I?

She forced herself to walk, holding tightly to her heavy bag that held her work, trying to clear her mind.

"It would've been selfish Kagome. Selfish. You know that."

But she also knew her heart had broken open when she found out that the well would no longer take her across time.

"Take care Kagome! I know you defeated Naraku but don't let your guard down!" her mother waved at her from the door.

"I never do Mama! And Inuyasha wouldn't anyway! Sayonara!" she smiled and ran into the well house ready to drop down.
She jumped over the edge ready to fall through, when she hit hard ground.

"What?" she touched the ground again. "I don't understand." She touched the dirt and pounded on it. "But why-" she reached for her neck and felt her throat go dry.

"The jewel. I purified it and then we-" she bit her lip.

"But I came back! It let me come back... so that doesn't explain why-" she felt tears coming to her eyes. "I have to go back! Miroku and Sango and Shippou... they won't understand... Inuyasha... Inuyasha.. INUYASHA!"

She felt tears coming harder as she pulled herself out of the well and running into the house.

"Kagome?" her mother came from the other room.

"Mama!" she wailed and ran to the woman's arms.

"What's happened? Back so soon but-"

"Mama.. I can't go through. The well won't work anymore... I.. I can't go back."

She had been unable to perceive it. She kept expecting Inuyasha to come through her window and yell at her for not coming back sooner.
First it was just the pain, knowing that Sango and Miroku would be married soon and she couldn't see them. Knowing that Shippou was getting older and she had no way to watch him grow. Knowing that Inuyasha was probably doing his famous pout.

Daily she tried to go back...

And then she realized she'd never see them again.

And she realized how much she missed the dog eared hanyou-

And that he was gone from her life

Forever.

That was when she finally broke down.
She had loved him. She knew that, after over a year she had come to term with her own feelings and knew she "liked" Inuyasha. The thought of losing him had depressed her to know end. But realizing that he was gone brought something else.

That made her realized she didn't just "like" Inuyasha.

She loved him.

And now they separated by over 500 years, with no way to ever see each other again.

She had tried to go back to normal. To accept her life as she had. For a while she even went on dates with Hojou who never gave up on his constant adoration., but the dating had only lasted for mabye a week.

She couldn't help it. Every time she thought about romance, Inuyasha face came to her mind, and in the end she broke it off.

Those first months had been the worse.

His face haunted her everywhere, she found herself waking up late at night, sweating from dreams where she watched Naraku devour him, or Sesshoumaru kill him. Sometimes she was lucky and could feel him hold her, just once. Or found herself sitting with him in the God tree, but those just made waking more painful.

When she found that she could forget by burying herself in work, she turned away from her social life and went at school with a fury.
And most of the time she succeeded.

Usually.

But then there were the days like today.
Looking up at the sky she sighed again, silently she wished she could escape the park. Its confined area reminded her nothing of the time she had seen it. A time when the trees seemed endless, and a person was allowed to travel any path they choose.

Days where youkai ran free.

Kagome continued to walk along the sidewalks until something caught her eye.

Out of the way from the normal roads, a small path led away. It looked unused for some time, but was not fenced off like most of the area. In some ways it reminded her of the old trails that she and the others in her company use to take.

Could it be? she thought.
She almost ran to the beginning of the path and smiled, not caring if anyone saw she darted along the area. As she got a little further she found traces of others using it, perhaps someone who knew the secret at the end... or mabye some just adventurous people who wished to get away from the normal world.
Kagome didn't know what spurred her, all she knew was she could feel the peace and harmony of this untouched world that lay hidden in the park.
After a while she stopped and took down her hair, letting the long strands fall down her back. She unbuttoned her front jacket, letting it hang about her loosly and no longer restraining her movements. Readjusting her satchel she took off down the wooded road.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome's voice spoke up in the silent woods that surrounded them.

"What wench..."

"What's over there?" she pointed to towards the thicker trees.

"Trees Wench... Keh why do you ask stupid questions?"

"No! I meant behind them. Like I feel the presence, of, well... I don't know... Its like when I purify something only not-." She furrowed her brow wondering if that made sense.

"Keh."

"Well?"

"How should I know!" The dog demon said ears twitching.

"I think that's a path up ahead"

"So?"

"Why don't we go look?"

"Cuz we're looking for jewel shards wench. Stick to business." He sniffed.

Kagome yawned, "Yeah but its getting dark. And Miroku and Sango said they were staying at the Exterminators village.. and well.. we need somewhere to stay-"

"Keh"

"I know you don't like being out on the new moon"

"Wench did you have to remind me? I'd also rather not be by any civilization thank you . As it is you dragged me out here when you know I'm not going to be able to protect us."

"I just thought you wouldn't want to be around Miroku and Sango tonight"

"Hentai"

"No! they just needed some time alone!"

"Feh" he glowered and didn't look up.

"I really think we'd be safe if we go by that aura"

"Since when are you so good that you can read auras!"

"Since now- We could at least risk it."

"Fine. If it gets you to shut up. But if it's a trap don't blame me" he turned down the path and leaped along.

Kagome gasped seeing what lay at the end.

A shrine covered in cherry blossoms, where the trees surrounding it had dropped their burdens. The same flowers covered the yard and path, whereas the shrine sat crystal clear and clean. Freshly kept for travellers but for some reason deserted.

The ocean lay behind it, off cliffs that soared.
And a barrier of peace and harmony lay on the entire area.

The place hadn't changed in five hundred years.

True, it was older, but it has the same beauty it held then. The same magnificence was never touched. It was how she had seen it with Inuyasha, exactly the same.

And she barely could restrain herself from breaking down.

A few young lovers had found there way, guided by some spirit she imagined. Watching them watch the sunset she felt tears start to trickle down her cheeks,

"Its beautiful" she said watching the stars come out.

A mortal Inuyasha pouted next to her, "Keh."

"Well it is." She leaned against him a little, shivering just slightly in the wind.

"Feh your going to get sick wench."

"Its just a bit chilly"

He took of his fire rat coat and placed it around her shoulders to her surprise. "But surely you feel it too since your-"

"I'm not as weak as all that" he said with a snort.

She leaned a bit closer to him, and he took her in his arms gently holding her as the two fell asleep watching the stars over the sea.

She bit her lip to keep from crying.

The memories had flooded back, and forced her to sit under the tree, the same one she remembered sharing with Inuyasha. It had been one of the few moments she had had alone with the Hanyou, and the thoughts ached.

"I would've stayed" she whispered, "If I had known I would've stayed."

She tried to stop the tears, the tears she had refused to let out after that initial year. But they refused to dry up. It wasn't until the last sliver of sunlight lay on the horizon that she was able to control the flow and replace her mask once more.

"I should go back" she frowned knowing the distance was farther then she suspected, and she had no wish to stay in the shrine alone tonight. Not this time.

She forced herself to stand, to gain the energy to move away and carry her bag from the place her dreams stood.

She slung the bag across her shoulder and walked away, turning her back before her heart could retaliate.
As she walked, she noticed another figure, man or woman she couldn't tell who seemed to be looking longingly at the ocean. She wondered what they're story was, another lost lover perhaps? It gave her the strength to keep moving though. To see others who could survive even after the sorrows life put on them.

Bearing the load, she hustled in a dream state towards the other end of the field, but a breeze caught up causing her loose hair to cover her face. She tried to move it out of the way in time, but instead she collided into a figure, and she felt her cheeks redden as she looked up recognizing it as the person who'd she'd seen earlier. She began reaching for her things.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't see you-"

"No its mine. I wasn't paying attention" The figure looked up. A young man, quite good looking eyed her with a lost expression. But what caught her attention was not his looks, or thoughts, but golden eyes that seemed all too familiar.

Her heart stopped, and time froze.

When his hand brushed hers he stared stunned. And then said in a voice filled with hope, sorrow, and half a whisper, "Kagome?"

It was as if they dared not move, for if they did then it would be a dream. A beautiful dream, but a dream.

"Inu- Inuyasha?" she murmured.

"Oh God it is you. Kagome..." The face melted. Illusion, time or whatever had caused the changes shifted. He still had black hair cut fairly short, and he was still wearing a suit, but it was Inuyasha, she no longer doubted.

Letting out a stifled cry she reached out and clung to him letting all the held back tears run freely as she buried herself in his jacket.

Instead of pulling away he embraced her in his arms. He ran his fingers over her hair and just let every thing about her be taken in. Her looks, her smell, her tears... all of it. For the first time in centuries the Hanyou let his emotions take over and he held the woman he had waited so long to see.

"It is you" she said again. "it is it is it is..." she was sniffling now looking up in his face, her own eyes gleaming with the light of the heavens.

"Yes.. and its you" he said with a smirk.

He pulled away too soon.

"I- I shouldn't have. Its been so long."

"mmm" she said resting her head on his shoulder, "But your here now."

"Yes... How- How long has it been for you Kagome?" An odd look was in his eyes.

"7 years-" she said in almost a whisper.

"Oh. I didn't know when... I didn't' want to come while you were still in and out of the well.."

"I understand-" suddenly though as she ran another finger through his hair it hit her, "Wait. How long- Have you-" her eyes widened.

"Feh-" some of the older Inuyasha came through as his pout made him turn away.

"You.. you didn't.. I mean- Inuyasha, that's five hundred years!" she felt her throat choking up.

The Hanyou shrugged. "It was long, but that was all."

"You really waited."

"Feh"

"Inuyasha?"

"Do you have to pester me?"

"Why?"

"Feh"

"Why!" She looked at him tears in her eyes again.

"Oh Kagome don't cry over me again... please" softness broke in his look. That caught her attention.

"You said please... you never-"

"Feh you learn a lot in 500 years wench." his eyes showed a bit of sorrow at that.

She smiled slightly, "Some things never change baka."
He broke a smile and touched a strand of her hair when Kagome interrupted him again, "But. Inuyasha... Why? Honestly... I want to know. "
"Feh. Does it matter that much?"

"To me." she said quietly.

"Then-" He pushed back another strand of hair this time his amber eyes looking deeply into her own. She felt her breath catch as he bent down and gently brought her chin up. She felt his lips on hers, and she pulled herself into the kiss feeling fire run through her in torrents. She wrapped her arms around his neck and just let herself live for the moment.

His arms held her up in his embrace and waves of passion ran deep. She felt her heart remerge fresh and renewed by the one moment, and when he finally broke away she couldn't stand without his balance.

"Why? Thats why-" the man said solemnly, "Because I felt like I was dying when you didn't come back, and I thought I was when I couldn't go through. Because I swore then and there that no matter how or what way I would live and find you again. Because Kagome? I couldn't die knowing you wouldn't even be born for centuries to come."

"Inuyasha-" she said breathlessly.

"Why Kagome?" he asked with a bitter smile. "Because after 500 years I've realized something. I love you."