Chapter 2

Flashback Continues

Kagome awoke the next morning alone in the hut, with the exception of Kaede who was still sleeping. The older woman would usually have been up and about at a far earlier hour, but lately she had been stricken with illness. Though they all hoped for the best they new the woman's days were coming to an and. Kagome sighed sadly as she watched Kaede sleep restlessly, shaking her head to get rid of her sad thoughts. She then remembered the walk she had taken the previous night and began to think about how much her life would change today. In preparation for the talk she would have with Inuyasha she decided to have a bath. She grabbed her yellow bag and headed to the hot spring. Once she reached the hot spring she quickly undressed and bathed, wanting to have this chat over and done with as soon as possible before she lost her nerve. Once she was done she dressed her self in a simple white summer dress with pink hearts dotted all over it.

"Oh the irony…" she thought to herself as she got dressed.

Once she was dressed she returned to Kaede's hut to drop off her bag. Then she set out in search for Inuyasha. She walked through the forest, taking the path that would lead her to the God tree. She didn't have to go far though until she began to hear voices. Following the sound of said voices she soon found her way to a small clearing. And there in the middle sat Inuyasha and Kikyou, she felt a small twinge of pain but she quickly forced it away. They had yet to notice her presence and she was trying to think of a way to make herself known, when the wind picked up and blew her scent across the clearing. Inuyasha jumped as he caught her scent and turned to face her, Kikyou turned as well giving her a look between shock and mild annoyance.

"Kagome…" he said her name in shock and slight fear.

"Hello Inuyasha, Kikyou she replied

"Kagome! I…" Inuyasha began but she lifted her hand to silence him.

"Inuyasha…do you think I can talk to you for a minute?" she asked.

He nodded at her and turned to look at Kikyou.

"I will wait here for you Inuyasha." she told him. Smiling at her response he got up and began to approach Kagome who had already begun to walk into the forest. He followed behind her wondering what she had to say to him. In all honesty he did feel bad about leading her on. But he couldn't let go of Kikyou, he just couldn't leave her. Inuyasha was so wrapped up in his thoughts he had failed to notice that Kagome had stopped walking and was now facing him.

"Inuyasha I've decide that I'm going to return to my era" Kagome started keeping her eyes locked with his.

"Oh okay, when will you be back?"he asked.

She mentally sighed to herself as she took in his words.

"He's not even going to put up a fight." she thought to herself sadly.

With that thought her resolve strengthened and she told him exactly what she had decided to do.

"Inuyasha I won't be coming back…" she saw the shocked look on his face and hurriedly continued before he could begin to protest.

"Inuyasha my purpose here is done. Naraku has been defeated and the jewel is whole once again. I am no longer needed here."

"But Kagome you can't! You're my… my best friend! You can't leave!" he shouted at her angry and hurt.

"Inuyasha I truly care for you but I still love you. And the only way for me to move on is to completely separate myself from you. You've moved on and now I need to do the same."

He looked down at his feet sadly. True he had moved on and he knew he would never be able to return her love. But he still cared about her; she was still the most important person in his life, second only to Kikyou. He understood her plight, and though begrudgingly he had to let her go. In an unusual show of affection he grabbed her and wrapped her in a tight hug.

"I understand Kagome…I'll miss you" he said softly as he held her. Burying his nose in her hair to smell her one last time and commit her scent to memory.

"Thank you Inuyasha and I will miss you as well." she replied her voice so soft it came out as a whisper. Kagome held tightly to Inuyasha, trying to fight back her tears.

Inuyasha inhaled deeply on last time before he released her. They said farewell one last time before they parted ways. Kagome walked slowly to the village her eyes downcast as everything sunk in. She was sad that she was leaving but she couldn't stay here. She knew from the very beginning that there could be no future for her in the past. As she walked to the village she finally let the tears fall. And the more tears that fell the lighter she felt. Every step making her feeling as if she where going to take flight at any moment. Though sad she was she could not help but feel that this was for the best.

Once she had arrived at the village her tears had dried and her sadness reached a new level when she realized it was now time to say goodbye to her friends. Not wishing to drag it out she quickly gathered her things and said her farewells. Miroku and Sango had been shocked but understanding, Shippo had cried his little heart out begging her to stay. Only serving to make her feel worse and almost bringing her to tears once again. She wished Sango and Miroku well and asked them to take care of Shippo. They agreed and they both embraced her tightly. She then went too little Shippo telling him that she loved him and that she was sorry. Kagome picked him up and held him for what seemed like an eternity. She then released him and gave him all the candy she had left. They escorted her to the well and with once last look over her shoulder she disappeared from there world.

End Flashback

Kagome sat up and looked out the window the bathroom, the bright light of the moon distracting her from her thoughts. Making her remember her moonlit walks through the forest, she missed them greatly and had not been able to find anything else that could soothe her once she had returned to her time. She got out of the bath and quickly dried herself off. Wrapping the towel around her body she entered her bad room and dressed her self in a pair of white pajamas. Sitting on her bed she thought about what to do. Since she had returned home her insomnia had gotten worse. She woke up at all hours of the night constantly, so much so that lately she hadn't bothered to sleep at.

"Maybe a walk would help…" she thought.

A walk in the park wouldn't do though, she had tried that before. Though it was an hour away she decided a walk through the county side was in order. It was a two hour drive but it was as close as she could get to the enchanted forests of the Feudal Era. Nodding her had in confirmation Kagome grabbed her keys and crept downstairs. She put her shoes and headed to her car, wondering why the thought of journeying to the country side had never occurred to her before. She laughed at herself for not thinking of it earlier. She got into the car and began the long drive to the country side.

The door to the study opened casting light into the darkness that encompassed the room. A man sat a desk in the middle of the room, facing the windows. Lazy amber eyes looked out at the moon, the disturbance of someone entering his domain leaving him unfazed.

A man with dark green eyes and short brown hair bowed before he addressed him.

"It would seem that she is venturing to the country side milord." the man stated.

"Hnn." was his only reply.

The man turned to leave but was stopped by the voice of his lord.

"Raiko…" he began as he turned from the window to face his servant.

"Yes milord?" the man now identified as Raiko asked.

"Cancel everything I have scheduled for the next week."

"Yes Lord Sesshomaru." he replied. Once again he bowed and then left the study to accomplish his task.

Sesshomaru turned to the windows once again to gaze at the moon.

"Soon miko, soon I will have you." he thought to himself as he let a smirk grace his lips.