"Inuyasha… is it okay? For me to stay with you?"

He recalled her hopeful promise – one phrased in the form a question. He bit back the whine in his throat as he recalled her vow. Looking back, he should have held her close and never let her go. He should have kept her with him when they re-emerged from the well on her side ten years ago. He shouldn't have let her run off without him.

It wasn't supposed to be like this.

She was supposed to have already been home for years now. They were supposed to be married and living in a hut just outside of the village full of hanyou children and living a happy life together. Instead, the old field that held the magic well had dried up of her scent, and a certain silver-haired hanyou now found it hard to recall the details of her face. Still, he knew he loved her, and so still, despite not remembering the exact shade of her eyes, or how many tiny freckles adorned her face after a long days' walk in the sun, he sat here waiting for her return.

The village pitied him; Miroku and Sango and their brood of five children tended to his well-being after Kaede-baba passed 3 years ago, Shippou occasionally popped by to try something new to shake him out of his stupor, even Sesshoumaru made the rare appearance. Nothing mattered though.

He missed her. He missed all of her.

A flick of his dog-ears told him that someone was approaching the clearing. He scented the air and huffed as the lanky child strolled towards the half-demon. Miroku's only son stood at half of Inuyasha's full height, tall for his age of seven summers. Soft brown hair, like his mothers', framed his face with fringed bangs. He wore his hair in a high ponytail akin to his uncle. Wearing his father's face and matching violet eyes but holding his mother's personality, Inuyasha was most fond of the boy out of the slayer brood. The hanyou could tell the young boy was concerned – he always was when he found the half-demon sitting by the well.

"Yasha-ojii? Do you want to go practice with me? Reiko-chan and Seiko-chan won't let me practice with them because I'm a boy, and Harumi-chan can't even hold her weapon properly yet. Mama also won't let me practice with Yumi-chan because she's still learning to walk." Inuyasha huffed once more; Sango was too soft with her girls.

"Maybe later runt." With a sigh he turned back to the well, peering into its depths waiting for a sign. The boy beside him did his best impersonation of a growl before getting up on top of the well. Sad amber eyes followed the boy's movement; had he ever known a time where Inuyasha wasn't so melancholy?

"Ojii, you can't just keep waiting! Your sulking is really starting to get pathetic! We all know you miss Kagome-sama, and I know she misses you too. I'm sure Kagome-sama will come back as soon as she is -" His tirade was cut short as he watched his uncle's eyes widen before he started to growl. The seven year old watched as his hero stood up and stormed off – most likely to brood for the rest of the day. With a sigh, he turned and headed back to the village to await the scolding he was going to get from his mom.

Instead, he found his father in the treeline, a sad smile on his face as he peered down at his son. He was weathered – the years had been kind on his family, but he was tired of the heartache suffered by his best friend. "Kosuke, I know your intentions were pure, however perhaps we shouldn't tell your mother of this." The young boy nodded.

"Papa, why does 'Yasha-ojii keep waiting for Kagome-sama? It's been forever." Miroku merely smiled down at the boy and patted his head.

"If you should ever have the chance at meeting Kagome-sama, son, you will understand. Now come, lunch is ready." Kosuke nodded up at his father and then ran off towards home, his stomach grumbling at the mention of food. Miroku turned his attention to the trees, catching a glimpse of red. He nodded in the hanyou's general direction, then turned to follow his son.

Sango watched on as Inuyasha strolled through the village, wondering for the millionth time if and when Kagome-chan would come home. Her hanyou friend was hurting at the loss of the woman she called her best friend. His head was downcast, ears drooping slightly, and even his shoulders seemed to sag a little bit more each year that went by without the young miko. But even as she watched his normal sulk, Sango couldn't help but notice he also seemed angry today – which meant only one thing. With a huff, Sango fixed Yumi to straddle her hip, and walked over to her hanyou friend.

"Alright, which one was it this time?" Her silver friend growled at the reminder, not bothering to face her as he continued walking.

"Keh. Runt thinks he's as smart as his old man." Sango frowned. Usually it was Kosuke who berated his sisters for trying to sway the hanyou's heart. "I couldn't forget the wench even if I wanted to. I dream of her, every night, Sango." The demon slayer paused at this new information. Inuyasha wasn't one to share private information, and she knew when to keep her mouth shut. "Always different dreams. Sometimes, she blames me for the well sealing, others she smiles and tells me she's waiting. They fluctuate between nightmares and dreams and I fucking hate it." At that, the hanyou growled. "I can never tell if its real or not. And at the end of it all she always disappears and I wake up alone. I can't stop feeling guilty for wanting her here instead of with her family. I just want her to come home." Sango nodded, pity forming deep in her belly. Inuyasha had been alone for most of his life, and even though he had the village, the young woman walking beside him had a feeling that until Kagome-chan came home that loneliness would stay with him.

"Inuyasha… she will come back. She has to. You two were destined for one another."

His heart physically ached at Sango's words.

"Inuyasha…" Her voice caressed his senses to awaken. Amber eyes opened as he came face to face with her. How he was now on the ground instead of high in his perch overlooking the well, he didn't know. Amber orbs turned to saucers as his brain tried to register what he was seeing. She was there; no older than when he had left her, wearing the same short uniform she had so long ago. Her facial features were hidden under her bangs, but he could see her smile; her glorious, warm, beautiful smile. He took a tentative sniff to try to confirm what his other two senses were trying to tell him.

"Inuyasha…" His name came as a whisper on her lips as her smile grew. "Wake up, Inuyasha." He stood, allowing his feet to move on their own. Within the distance of a couple of steps he was before her, but damn it all, he still couldn't see her face.

"K-Kagome…?" She reached a hand out and giggled, her black tresses dancing in the light breeze within the clearing as her fingers beckoned him to her. He reached for her; if he could just touch her maybe then his mind would believe. It seemed though the harder he tried to grasp her hand the farther her fingers seemed to be.

"Ba-ka." He could hear the mirth in her voice. "Come on, Inuyasha! Did you not miss me?" She tried her best to form a pout, but her smile would not fade. Idiot, didn't she already know how much he missed her? He moved to tell her such before a new scent filled his nose, causing him to pause. From behind her, a new face emerged, one much younger, shorter, and obviously human. He froze in his quest to reach for the woman who had ensnared his heart so long ago and looked down at the small child. She was an exact copy of what he could remember of Kagome, right down to that stupid uniform she used to wear. She even had the same smile. The little girl looked up at Kagome after tugging on one of her stockings.

"Mama, who's the doggy-man?" The smile dropped from Kagome's face as she knelt down beside the youngling. Inuyasha watched on, his heart breaking with every word she spoke.

"He's the one who broke your Mama's heart." His heart beat started to accelerate as the girl nodded her head. He could see her face now, her eyes resembled Kikyou's – cold, hard, and unforgiving. "You don't miss me, do you, Inuyasha? You haven't even bothered to come and get me for ten years. Did you think I would wait for you?" Kagome smirked as tears welled in the hanyou's eyes. No! This couldn't be happening! They were meant for each other! It had been their love that had led him to her in the jewel!

"Ka-Kagome…" He couldn't believe it. He had waited all of these years… for what? To be slapped in the face by reality? He bit back a whine as his eyes turned to her pleadingly. "I-I would have come! I tried every three days! That stupid well just wouldn't let me through! Kagome, you gotta believe me!" Kagome seemed to soften a bit at that statement, and for a fraction of a second he saw her eyes warm before the mask sunk back in to place.

"The well only remains sealed because you will it to. If you had believed you could get through, you would have." Inuyasha took another step back, her words biting into his chest similar to Kikyou's arrow.

"Why? Why come back here after all of this time just to tell me this? Why didn't you come back sooner if you knew how?! I waited for you! I loved you! I still do!" He was angry now, raw. He would rather have been blissfully unaware and miserable than feel the emotions coursing through him at that moment.

"Because I'm not really here, Inuyasha…" Shocked eyes met those same sad, lonely brown eyes as reality sunk in. "I never was." From a distance, he could hear her voice, different from the one right in front of him; pleading and desperate.

"Inuyasha! You have to wake up! Inuyasha!" His heartrate accelerated once more as panic began to set in. He made all of this up? It's just a dream? A final whisper in his dreamland was all he heard as the images before him began to blur.

"Osuwari!"

He woke with a start, cursing as a throbbing pain coursed through his chest. He clutched the area above his heart tightly, willing the pain to subside. His breath was laboured as his eyes darted around the clearing below, looking for some sign she was there, that it hadn't all been a dream.

"You're always saving me, aren't you?"

Golden eyes widened as Kagome's voice echoed through his head. The pulsing in his chest subsided, and his breathing became lighter. It was as if the mere memory of her calmed whatever ache remained.

"Kagome…" He remembered the panic and absolute fear he had felt when she had been pinned by her own arrow. She hadn't even flinched when she saw it was coming after him. She hadn't thought of her own safety; just his. In many ways, Inuyasha hadn't understood just how often the young girl saved him, mostly from himself. She always protected his heart and tried her best to heal the old scars on it. Deep down, he knew she would never betray him like his subconscious seemed to think. Damned his nightmares. He needed to have faith. She would return to him. With a sigh, he settled back in for the night, hoping that at least this time, his dream of her would be a pleasant one.

Dreams still plagues him a week later. Never could all of his senses confirm she was there. It's how he knew he was dreaming. Always different, although almost all of them held the tiny little girl who resembled his miko. And every night, when his dreams would take a turn for the worst, he would always hear her voice as if a distant memory, and the pain in his heart would soothe itself; her voice had become a balm to his hurts. That dreaded word she always spoke had turned into a godsend – even if it woke him with a jolt every morning. Sango and Miroku were at a loss for what to do with their tired friend. Nothing would remedy his nightly escapades in dreamland, where the face of the girl from the future would be both a blessing and a curse.

"Shouldn't you two be doing something else? Like bug the runt?" Inuyasha groaned internally at the twins' fascination with his love life. He had come out here to vent; chopping enough wood to keep the entire village warm for the winter. Instead, the girls managed to find him, and were now trying once again to dig more information out of him; a trait they both earned from their father.

The twins were as different in personality as they were in chosen skill sets. Strong-willed, spirited Reiko had taken after her mother. She now donned her own slayer outfit that, while smaller than Sango's had been, looked very similar in style. It had royal purple accents – something Miroku had paid through the nose for, but he was wrapped around his daughters' fingers; they were never left to want for anything. She was a skilled swordsman, opting for dual wielded blades as her choice of weapon. It worked to her advantage that her father was spiritually inclined; many youkai now feared the reiki infused blades at her sides. Her hair was cropped short, much like her sister's.

Seiko on the other hand, had chosen the peaceful life of a miko. Kagome's story had inspired the young one, and so she learned the ways of the bow. She wore the traditional miko garb – albeit her hakama matched the colour of her sister's accents.

"Maybe it's a sign." Both ignored the elder demon's question as they continued to discuss his love life. The hanyou snorted, continuing to chop wood as the twins looked on. Of the two, Seiko had always been the romantic, while Reiko kept her sister rooted to the ground.

"Sei-chan, it could also be an omen. Maybe Ojii's head is trying to tell him that he needs to let Kagome-sama go." An ear flicked at the thought as a whine climbed to escape his throat. Still, he listened to the girls' chatter.

"Rei-chan, how cruel! It could very well be Kagome-sama trying to come back!" He had to admit; it was times like these that he found himself favouring the air-headed twin. "And she will come back! Maybe there's an evil preventing her from doing so?" The younger of the two twins scoffed.

"You're being ridiculous, Sei-chan! Kagome-sama was a powerful miko, no mere demon could hold her away! If she really loved Inuyasha-ojii as mu-" Her retort died on her throat as the hanyou turned around, beet red and looking to kill.

"Keh! Why the hell do you two know about this?!" Both twins turned to look at each other, having a silent conversation. They had been able to do that since they were young; Sango often called it a twin thing. They both cautiously looked back at the hanyou before twin sets of brown eyes blinked at him before closing and smiling.

"Otou-san was telling Shippou-chan!" Both twins replied at the same time, their unified answer causing him to growl. Damned lecher couldn't keep his mouth shut for the life of him! Not to mention his wife was no better! Those two were going to answer to him one of these days! With one final glare at the twins' devious smirks, Inuyasha sent both of them a scowl before setting out to find the lecherous monk.

When he woke up on the ground in the morning from yet another nightmare, he understood how he had gotten there. His nose was facing the dirt, arms and legs sprawled out as he felt the pull of the subjugation beads. He stopped breathing for a moment when that last thought finally processed through his head.

The subjugation beads. They were active.

Her scent invaded his nose, so delicate and fragile, yet spicy enough to indicate she had a hidden temper.

Scent.

Suddenly, as wisps of his last dream still clung to his memory, he was afraid to face her. She blamed him at nights for their separation. He was afraid to hear that she had left him behind and moved on. He didn't want to see the hurt and anger in her eyes as he had dreamt, didn't want to see the small child that resembled her so. Her voice was quiet as it danced to his ears; she seemed nervous.

"I know you can move now, Inuyasha. I didn't do it too hard." He closed his eyes, trying to shut her out.

Sound.

"Keh!" He heard her sigh, felt the air move around her as she knelt down. In a moment she had her hand on his head, stroking his hair.

Touch.

His senses couldn't lie to him a second time, could they? She was touching him this time. This wasn't a dream, at least he prayed it wasn't. When he finally lifted his head and pushed off of the ground to stand up, he took her in for the first time in ten years.

She did not resemble the lanky teenager of the past; she had filled out quite nicely, and was now rather shapely. Her long wavy hair was now pulled into a low ponytail that draped over her shoulder. She had laugh lines crinkling her eyes, which were no longer wide and child-like. She wore a simple white cotton blouse with a baby blue cardigan on and a navy knee length skirt to match. Around her neck, Inuyasha saw something painfully familiar – the heart locket she had given him so long ago. He had been stupid to think she would still look as she had ten years ago – he saw how much Sango and Miroku had aged over that time frame.

Her eyes were not mirthful like they had been in his dream. Nor had they been a mirror's of Kikyou's. Instead, they captivated him; swirling with shades of uncertainty and sadness. He could feel how anxious she was; he felt the same. A slow, tentative smile spread across her face, just big enough to push her cheeks up closer to her eyes by a fraction.

Sight.

"Hello, Inuyasha." Her voice then broke the dam of emotions within him, and suddenly, he was up and she was within his embrace. He let out a choked sob as he gripped her to him fiercely. She was here, and tangible. She would never leave his sights again. Her own emotions warred against his as their auras clashed against each other. Anxiety. Relief. Joy. Yearning. Hope. Love.

He didn't wait for her invitation as she pulled her head back to look at him. His body moved of its own accord, his lips descended unto hers hungrily. Passion rose to the front of his mind as she kissed him back, each fighting to bare their souls to one another. Tasting of honeysuckle and jasmine he groaned into her mouth, amazed that she could taste better than he could have ever possibly imagined. He felt it when their auras ceased their clashing and instead melding into one another, complementing each other. Her reiki accepted his youki into its embrace as a long lost lover would, just as his had hers.

Taste.

Never, in all of his nightmares had he been able to confirm she was really there with all of his senses. They had never steered him wrong, and if this was a dream, the Kami's be damned, he didn't want to wake up. The young miko pulled back, gasping for air, her chest heaving with every breath as he stared at her flushed face and swollen lips. It was then that he smiled down at her, one fang protruding from under his lip. Her breathing was laboured, but still she looked up at him, determination in her eyes.

"Inuyasha, I must be quick." His grin diminished. Quick?

"But you just got here… you-you aren't staying?" The girl shook her head and smiled sadly. Her hand reached up to cup the half-demon's cheek. A clawed hand reached up to grasp her hand, holding it fiercely.

"I want to stay. I want it more than I want to breathe. If I could give anything to stay, I would. But the longer I stay the more I put you in danger. I already have." Her eyes trailed to his chest, the same spot he hurt after every dream. Her other hand pressed itself to that spot as tears pooled in her eyes. "I've caused you so much hurt." Chocolate flickered back up to molten amber. The only thought in Inuyasha's mind at that moment was how sad the girl looked.

"You need to let me go, Inuyasha."

A snarl left the young demon's lips as he glared at his wench. Never. He let her go once, and then it took ten years for her to return. "No." It was then that trickles of streams dripped down the young miko's face. Her heart ached at his words and she had to shut her eyes to hold her resolve.

"You must." At her whisper Inuyasha crouched down to her eye level, willing her to just look at him. His eyes blazed with passion.

"I have waited ten long years to be with you, Kagome. I have dreamt of you, every damned fucking night. You plague my every thought, my every wish, every breath. To let you go would mean I let go of who I am. We were born for one thing in this world, wench, just one; each other, and I'll be damned if I'm just going to stand here and watch you walk away from that." His voice calmed to a pleading tone, a harsh whisper as he whined, "I need you with me, Kagome." Her shoulders wracked with sobs as the hand over his heart clutched the robe of the fire rat like a lifeline.

"I-I can't, Inuyasha!" Her eyes were open now, begging him to understand. Instead, he held firm.

"Why the fuck not?! You belong, here, with me!" He was desperate. Damned the well, if it took him destroying it forever and having her miserable he'd do it. At the thought he clutched her hand to his face tighter.

"Because you never came for me!" His retort died on his lips as he remembered the previous nights' escapade in dreamland. Her sobs had stopped, and it seemed even the forest around them grew silent. She averted her eyes from his face as she dropped her hands to hug herself. "You never came for me, Inuyasha." She whispered brokenly. He sank to his knees, her words sending him in to shock.

"B-but the meidou sent me- " This time Kagome knelt in front of him, sympathy rolling off of her as she grasped his hands.

"It sent you to hell, Inuyasha, just as it did to Sesshoumaru-sama when Rin-chan died." His eyes were unseeing as new, horrible memories filled his head of his time in the darkness. Days of wandering alone in the darkness, hours of being attacked relentlessly from both ghosts of his past and demons he had already slaughtered. He remembered the fear he felt as exhaustion hit him and he could fight no longer, the pain of being raked alive. He remembered when it stopped, and he healed, only for it to happen all over again. They all caused him to shudder.

"The Shikon-no-Tama showed me what happened to you." Once more, her hand was on his cheek, causing him to focus on her. "I refused to allow you to be stuck there forever, Inuyasha. I couldn't, not when I had the power to change it." His eyes snapped to hers, the words left unsaid speaking what she could not say.

"Kagome, what did you do?" His brows were turned upwards as unshed tears came to his eyes. His tone was begging, pleading for his assumption to be incorrect. Her hand once again came up to rest on his chest, just above his heart.

"You know, Inuyasha. It was a selfish wish, I know, but I would do it again if need be." Tears spilled freely from the hanyou's eyes as he glared at her.

"You idiot! You fucking idiot! How could you be so fucking stupid?!" His words were yet again a harsh whisper as he pulled her to him, locking her in his embrace. Kagome clung to him.

"How could I not, baka? You were dying! How could I not save the one I love when the ability to was right in front of me?" She cried, pouring ten years of loss and longing out of her system. "How could I not give the Tama a place where it will always remain pure; inside the heart of the very definition of love? The son of a youkai and a human – two species harbouring hate for one another, yet somehow they miraculously blend inside of you, Inuyasha. You, who has the strength of a youkai to protect, and the compassion given to him by his human heart! You, who hurts and has been hurt time and time again, yet still finds it within him to love and give second chances! Inu-" She moved then to cup his face, holding his heartbroken gaze with her own. "How could I not choose to be with you, always? Not as a woman would be with a man, but as one being, living in your heart? How could I not save you, when you saved me every single day I spent on earth? I would fight Naraku for eternity if it meant keeping you alive and safe! How-" Her words were cut off by a searing kiss. Tears poured freely down the proud hanyou's face now as he took in Kagome's silent words. She poured them into the kiss, giving selflessly what Inuyasha took greedily. Their foreheads were left touching when they parted, although neither moved to open their eyes. Both hanyou and miko let out a sob.

"I love you." The words spilled out of his mouth before he even had a second to think of them. Instantly his eyes snapped open to find her shocked ones sparkling with joy. Had she really never known? His resolve was firm as he spoke the words again, begging her to understand the magnitude of power she held over his being. "I love you, Kagome." She laughed and sobbed at the same time as her thumb lovingly stroked his cheek.

"I've waited twelve years to hear you say that." He smiled down at her.

"Keh. You just weren't listening, wench. I've been saying it for at least eleven and a half of those." And it was true. Words meant nothing compared to his actions. Her face held a breath of surprise before she laughed again. Suddenly, Inuyasha's face grew solemn again as they stood; he pulled her into another hug. "I can bring you back, Kagome. Your wish was selfish, you said so yourself. The Tama still lives." She nuzzled his chest and squeezed him just a bit tighter to her person.

"Don't you dare. Without the jewel you'll die, baka." She felt him chuckle.

"Without you I'm as good as dead anyways. Tell me you want to live again, wench." More tears fell as he realised just how much he needed to hear her say it. Slowly, she pulled herself away to gaze at her beloved half-demon one last time with a small smile.

"You have to wake up now, koi." With her resolve set she climbed up on to her tiptoes, leaning forward once more. Her eyes closed just as she placed her lips on the tip of his nose. Inuyasha's eyes shut at the barest of touches. In his heart of hearts, he began to do something he never in all of his life thought he would do – beg.

Shikon-no-Tama, I wish...

"I'll always be right here. Dream of me, and be happy." All of his love for her poured into his wish as he clutched at his chest. He clenched his eyes tighter as he felt her begin to fade away. The time for crying was done; now he just needed to desperately believe in the Shikon.

Please…

When he woke up for the second time that evening, alone, he realised there was no longer an ache in his chest.

Don't worry, Inuyasha... I'm with you by choice.

For the first time in ten years, Inuyasha smiled.

*Owari

A/N

I want to leave this here. I feel like this should be left up to the reader's imagination. I just don't know if I'll be able to leave it as a one-shot. I wrote the last section of this story long before the rest of it was worked out in my head, but I'm happy with the result. Please let me know your thoughts!