Kagome walked through the forest, not really looking where her feet were taking her. She just walked. She had left Sango and the others behind with Kyate and gone on alone to think. I can't believe it she thought to herself. He's gone; Naraku's gone. After all that hardship, all that fighting and all of that sorrow, he's finally gone. It's over. She walked on, her shoes squeaking against the dewy grass of the forest floor. The sunlight filtered down through the gently waving leaves of the great trees making a dappled path that her feet instinctively followed.

Now what, she thought, her eyes staring ahead but not really seeing. With the Shikon Jewel gone, there is nothing left to tie me to this world…other than him. She sighed and tears began to well up in her eyes. The sound of the leaves rustling in the afternoon breeze was the only sound that accompanied her as she walked mechanically on. How am I going to say goodbye? She kept walking, avoiding the little flowers in the grass as she stepped. The breeze blew around her, and she inhaled deeply, savoring the scent. The air was cleaner here than in Tokyo of the present. She wanted to remember it as well as she could. She loved the fresh, untainted air that came from the mountains. Whenever she caught the scent, she thought of Inuyasha. He had the same freshness about him, a sort of vitality that clung to him. She closed her eyes, letting the wind envelop her as she moved through the trees.

Suddenly, the trees thinned and she reached a small clearing where an immense tree stood towering above the others around it. Kagome's breath caught in her throat and her heart skipped a beat as she saw a figure sitting cross-legged beneath it.

"Inuyasha," she breathed, the tears threatening to overwhelm her. He looked up, startled, his ears twitching.

"Kagome," he said, wide-eyed, "what are you doing here? I thought you'd be back with the others." He scowled up at her and stood. Kagome had to work very hard to keep her emotions in check. He looked so peaceful and handsome in the cool green light, his silver hair blowing gently in the breeze, caressing his face in a manner that she longed to do.

"I just needed to be by myself for a little while," she said avoiding his gaze. I wanted to put this off for as long as I could, I don't want to say goodbye!



Inuyasha furrowed his brows and crossed his arms inside his red kimono. "Well, that's stupid. You shouldn't be out here wandering aimlessly around, you should be back with everyone else celebrating," he said.

"Oh thanks Inuyasha, I'm glad to know you care so much about my feelings!" she spat at him. Inuyasha glowered at her and put his nose in the air.

"Well in the mood you're in it doesn't matter what I say, you'd still bite my head off!" he exploded. Kagome made an exasperated sigh,

"Oh just leave me alone. Besides, why aren't you back celebrating with the others? You have as much a reason to be happy that Naraku is gone as anyone does. What are you doing out here sitting by yourself?" she said, walking closer to get a good look at his face.

"I just wanted to be alone for a while," he said quietly, looking away.

"Oh," said Kagome, taken aback by his sudden change in demeanor. This was strange for him. Inuyasha hadn't gone off like this in a long time, not since he had gotten past Kikyo's death. She thought that Inuyasha had gotten over her, but that could have been just a fanciful dream. She looked at Inuyasha and thought she saw a hint of longing in his eyes. She glared at him. That woman, Kagome quietly fumed, would she ever leave them in peace. Even in death? She then chastised herself. Kikyo had come full circle and had turned out to be a good person. She had taken the jewel with her into the underworld, forever away from the grasp of those who would use it for evil. Kagome hoped that in time, her hold over him would fade, but she may have to resign herself to this shadow that held sway over him. Maybe he would never truly let her go, Kagome thought glumly.

The wind picked up at that moment and blew her hair into her face, obstructing her view of him, but when she moved it, she could see that his face was twisted in anguish. Kagome stared at him, not knowing what to say. He looked so vulnerable at that moment, she could barely take it. He was supposed to be the strong one. Her protector. He had promised that he would never leave her side and that he would always protect her, but now, all that was about to change. They had never thought beyond defeating Naraku. And now that he was gone, there was nothing holding him to her. She had decided to stay with him, even though his heart belonged to Kikyo, but now, there was nothing left. She must return to her own 

time, to her family, school, and Tokyo. A world without him. A world where she could never see him again.

Kagome looked up at the ancient tree that still stood near her home in the present. Its wide branches reaching out over the two figures below like a caring protector, trying to keep away the hurt that threatened to drown them both. She thought of the time she had sat beneath the tree in the present, just leaning into it and thinking of Inuyasha, how she could almost hear him through the 500 years that had separated them. How her heart had longed to be near him, just one last time, and of how overwhelmed with joy she had been to see him again, after she thought she never would again. She looked at his face as he continued to stare off into space, I don't know if I have the strength to leave him again, she thought.

Inuyasha looked at her then, his gold eyes piercing though her, seeing deep into her heart. His silver hair blew back across his shoulders then as he turned to face her. He reached his hand up to her face and brushed away a tear that she had not even noticed as it fell across her cheek.

His face was a mask of pain as he looked into her eyes.

"Don't cry, Kagome," he said softly. She looked back into his eyes, brilliant pools of golden light, and threw herself into his arms, shaking as sobs broke forth uncontrollably. He said nothing for a long time, holding her tightly in his strong arms, letting her cry against his chest. Then he pulled her gently from him and held her by the shoulder, forcing her tear-stained face upwards.

"Kagome," he said, his eyes shifting uncomfortably, as though he did not know how to say what he wanted to tell her. "Do you, I mean," he shuffled his feet, then took a deep breath, his confusion banished by his determination; "do you want me to go with you? To the future? It's ok if you don't I mean, you know, if you want to just, forget about this time, I know it wasn't easy on you to be here," he said. Kagome looked hard into his face to see if he was just toying with her, but she saw the seriousness in his eyes and face, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration, waiting. She gasped as she realized, He means it! He would really come with me!

"Inuyasha!" she said as she threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. "Yes, I want you with me, of course I do. But," she looked around her, and then back in the direction she had come, where the village sat at the edge of the forest, "what about them, I have to leave, back to my own time, but you, what about you? You could always stay," she said, shuddering inwardly at the thought. No, stupid. Stop 

that right now. He shouldn't be with me just because I want him, it won't mean anything unless he wants it too, she thought.

"Kagome," he said, smiling a little, "I made a promise. That I would always protect you, and that I would never leave you ever again. I keep my word."

"But what about, you know, your ears, oh; it was ok at the Cultural Festival, but what about normal everyday life? How are you going to fit in? Oh, I don't know," she said, fidgeting.

"Kagome, shut up, you worry about the stupidest things," he said. He tilted her head up and kissed her soundly, forestalling any more protests. Kagome's heart pounded so loud she could hear nothing else but its rapid beating in her ears. Then she let her fears, worries, and all thoughts leave her and gave herself over to the kiss that she had waited so long for. To the person she had waited so long for.