A/N: Hello, once more. I decided I wanted to make a touchy-feely one shot about how Kagome and Inuyasha felt being apart for three years. I really hope you guys enjoy~!

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT, in any way, own Inuyasha. Viz Media, Shonen Sunday, and Rumiko Takahashi do. But... I own a cookie! IT'S MINE!

"Even if I am right by your side, you'll never know. It makes me anxious to no end"*

It had been nine days already. Three times, he'd gone into the well, and to his utter disappointment, landed on the hard-packed dirt below. Three times, she had looked into that same well, seeing neither the crystal blue sky, or the dirt below. Just darkness. Nine times, he sat on that same branch of the old tree. Their branch. Nine times, she sat at the trunk of the tree, looking at the shrine around her. He constantly thought of her. She constantly thought of him. They were alone.

Her vivid blue eyes stared into the bright, sunny horizon outside of the glass in front of her. Her cat pawed at his little plastic bowl, yowling for the food that should've been in there by then (though, he could've done with a little less feeding, by the looks of it). The girl looked away. He wasn't coming for her. The old springs of her bed creaked and groaned as she sat on the pink-adorned furniture. Her eyes looked to the crumpled, almost unrecognizable piece of metal on her white nightstand. She never knew why she kept that old clock... She gave a slight smile. How silly their arguments had been back then.

" "It's my fault," he said, with not a stutter, flinch, nor a hesitation. He simply said it as if it had come out of his mouth many times before. Kagome looked at him, stunned. Inuyasha... apologizing? This was simply too rare for her. Before she could even begin to form a word in her mind, the Half-demon looked shocked himself. "What's with that face?! I guess you ARE angry."

"N-not anymore..." The girl stuttered, unsure if this was trickery or truth. Inuyasha held out something reflective. A tiny, crushed clock lay on his palms. "It really is my fault," Said he, ears twitching as he talked. He put the crumpled old technology into Kagome's hand.

"Umm... You're saying it's your fault... About the clock..." Her eye twitched slightly.

"Well, yeah," replied the red-cheeked Half demon, looking away slightly. "Is there anything else to apologize for?" He asked in his usual rude tone. Kagome sighed. She should have expected this. Oh, well. She looked at the ashen faced man. "Now that I'm here..." She rested her head on his shoulder. "Let me stay beside you a bit longer."

"Keh.". "

She smiled as she looked at the old, broken clock a bit longer. "That was the silliest of our arguments..." she mused out loud, her voice quiet and wavering. "Yet, that argument brought us so much closer." She chuckled slightly, but the quiet chuckle soon dissolved into a choking sob. She clenched her fists. "Inuyasha... where are you...?"

"Kagome... Where are you...?" asked the white haired hanyou to himself, in an almost broken voice. He was staring into the dried up well, his chin resting on the old wood of the shaft above the ground. It had been one year already. One year since Kagome had been taken away from him. But, was that really the right term for it? Taken away just sounded to him like he needed to do something, but he couldn't, and if he couldn't do anything about it... he felt useless. He clenched his fists, biting back the swell of anger. "Why... Why do you have to be stuck over there? And away... from me...?" He felt a large lump forming in his throat...

No. He will not cry, not now, not ever again. Yet, why shouldn't he? It had happened again. The one he loved, the one he went to all lengths to protect, to show kindness to, and to care for, was gone. The same thing had happened... With Kikyo...

Kikyo...

So many fights, so many tears, so many emotions were still rooted to that woman. Kagome's jealousy, though not burning, like Inuyasha's jealousy towards Koga, was still the center of their fights. Yet... Was that all it caused?

" "While on the other side, I was thinking a lot," she said, only now averting her gaze from the ground to look at Inuyasha. "About you, Inuyasha, and Kikyo... And about me..."

"Kagome, I-" started the hanyo, but his statement was cut short.

"I know. Because I understand your feelings, I thought I couldn't stay here anymore." Her gaze was back to the ground near the well, as she sat, perched on the wood. Why was she being like this? She seemed so enlightened, yet, almost sad to Inuyasha. But... was she really saddened?

"Kagome... Until I met you, I couldn't trust anybody."

Kagome looked at the hanyou. His voice was serious, unwavering, his eyes holding no anger or regret. "But you cried for my sake. You were always by my side, for me. I enjoy it when you're here. I feel at ease. However..." He took a deep breath, almost hesitant to continue. "I mustn't laugh and enjoy things. Kikyo... Kikyo died following after me. I have to risk my life for her in return."

"Yes... I can't compete with Kikyo. After all, because I..." she looked to the ground once more, her voice carrying the emotion her face lacked to tell. "... am alive." Inuyasha looked at her, silent still. "I thought a lot about Kikyo, too. Kikyo and I are totally different. I'm apparently Kikyo's reincarnation also means that I am not Kikyo. My heart is my heart." She gave a small chuckle, a slight smile on her lips. "But you know, there is just one thing about Kikyo's feelings that I understand. Like her... I want to see you again, Inuyasha."

The smile melted off her lips as she looked back to him with her blue eyes wide. "Somehow, when I thought, "Aren't both Kikyo and my feelings... Our feelings to see you the same?" She looked back to the ground, as Inuyasha remained silent.

"That's why I gathered my courage, and came to see you, Inuyasha. I want to be together with you. There's no way I can forget about you." She stood up. "I have one thing to ask..." She walked closer, bright blue eyes bearing into gold. "May I be with you?"

"You'll... stay with me?" Inuyasha's heart was racing, but his face remained calm.

"Yes..." replied the girl, her smile returning."

"I thought..." he spoke into the well. "I thought you said you'd stay by me Kagome." He looked around to see if anyone was near. If anyone heard this, he'd never get the end of it.

"Kagome, I miss you."

"Inuyasha, I miss you."

She spoke softly, in a broken way, as her eyes gazed upon the old tree. It had been two years now. Two lonely, cold years. Now that she was able to focus on school, her grades had been able to improve quite well. She'd thought, at first, that she would probably only graduate by luck. She was now sure that she would be able to graduate.

She looked right at the tree. Right at the arrow mark. That was where she met him.

"I remember how rude you once were," she began, talking quietly. "Your expression held no kindness; no light." She gave a slight smile. "Your eyes changed, Inuyasha. You were so kind to me, so concerned, so caring... You kept saying that I was the one who changed you..." Her smile never wavered as tears rolled down her cheeks. "I only showed you the light I knew was in your heart. The only thing I did was guide the way for you. You, Inuyasha, were able to find that light... You..." she sniffled a bit, not bothering to stop her tears, or even to wipe one away. "You were able to change so much, Inuyasha... I... I feel... Pride in you. I know you can't hear this... But, I... I love you, Inuyasha!"

"Kagome," was the kind voice behind her. Kagome turned around. Her mother was standing behind her. The girl ran to her mother, and hugged her tight.

"You really miss him, don't you?" said Mrs. Higurashi as she stroked her daughter's raven hair.

Kagome allowed herself to completely break down this time. She didn't want to hold back the tears anymore. "I... I never knew... it would hurt this much..."

"I never knew it would hurt this much," his voice, stoic, yet cracked and hard, rang quietly in the empty foliage of the tree around him. "Three years, Kagome. What in the world happened?" His silvery-white hair flowed behind him as the cherry-blossom-filled air blew sweetly. His topaz eyes were closed as he breathed in the blossom-scented air. When his eyes opened again, his gaze was only to the blue sky above. "You taught me so much, Kagome. You taught me to cry for others. To trust. To love, even. I learned to care and protect, and that's what I did for you. It... It wasn't enough, was it? It wasn't enough to keep you with me." He then looked to the ground far below him.

"I know you're safe with your family now. I just... I wish I was able to see you again. To see you be safe, to see you be happy. To see you smile. I guess I don't deserve that much... Kagome, wherever you are, don't prevent yourself from living a good life." A single, silvery tear fell from his eye. For the first time in four years, he cried. Really cried. What was happening to him? "At least... She's safe..." He repeated quietly. It wasn't enough to know in his heart, but he knew, somehow, he'd have to bear without her.

'The reason the well won't connect...' rang the voice in Kagome's mind, as she looked down at the well. She'd already graduated, already said her goodbyes. '... is probably because of my feelings. When the Bone Eater's well disappeared, and I was plunged into that darkness... I was so scared, and sad.' She gave a sigh. 'But I didn't know that I had been in that darkness for three days. And that made Mama, Jii-chan, and Souta scared and sad as well.' She continued to stare into the empty well shaft. 'I felt terrible, and was so happy to return home... And then the well closed. Inuyasha... I've thought about you all the time since then...

'The reason I went to Sengoku Jidai... The reason the Shikon no Tama disappeared and the well stopped connecting. What I had to do is done, and now I am forever in my... no, this world. A world without Inuyasha.' Her bright blue eyes closed. 'Inuyasha... I want to be with you.'

Her eyes slowly opened. "H-huh...?"

"Kagome? What's wrong?" rang a soft voice behind her. It was her mother. She slowly and gingerly walked forward. Her hands now rest at Kagome's shoulders as she side-hugged her.

"Mama..." said the girl softly. "The sky..."

The bottom of the well showed neither darkness, nor dirt, nor water. It showed a beautiful cyan sky. She knew what she had to do now.

"I know." replied Mrs. Higurashi softly.

The girl, though she had fallen backwards in time, knew she was bounding towards tomorrow. Her future in the past.

To her heart.

To his heart.

He was with her once more.

The hanyo was with the girl who had come through the well, and saved him from becoming... cold.

It was never a coincidence that they met.

They were looking to the sky.

To their tomorrow.

A/N: It is just amazing what I can accomplish with inspiration. This is my interpretation of what their feelings held. Yes, I realize the quotes are off, but that's because I copied them from my FAN-TRANSLATED manga.

Annotation:

(1): Whoever can name the series, chapter, and character this quote is from, gets a follow AND a shoutout in my next story.

Okay, so, if this gets enough reviews, I WILL write an after-the-series thing, continuing the whole epilogue thing.