I know…SORRY! Been a few weeks longer than I said, but finally I'm updating! I'm sorry about my writing style, to those people who dislike it, and I thank all those people who are still reading! Christmas was awesome, and New Year's was pretty good too! Hope you all had happy holidays! Enjoy this installment!

Immortal Surprise

CHAPTER THREE

Standing in front of the well, Kagome triple checked that she had everything she wanted to bring with her. It was really going to be the last time she was going to be able to see her family in a very long time. It could be a short time for them, but for her, it'll be a few lifetimes. With a solemn nod, she closed her huge yellow backpack, and she turned to say her farewells to her first family. Her mother came forward first, looking slightly tearful.

"You do your best, Kagome, and remember to follow your heart, okay?" she asked, obviously trying not to cry, holding her daughter shoulders in place as she looked at her.

"I will, mama." Kagome said before she sniffled in her own difficulty in not crying. Suddenly, Mrs. Higurashi pulled Kagome into a tight hug, but it was the silent sobs that surprised the others. No one had heard her cry like that in a very long time.

"Oh, be careful, Kagome, and.…and we're going to miss you so much, honey," she explained in between sobs, and for once it was Kagome who was being strong. Tears fell from her eyes, but she did not break down.

"I'm gonna miss you guys too, mama, and I will." she said with more calm to her voice that she felt possible, but when she pulled back her mother's smile let her know that she understood. Her mom always understood. Taking a step back, Kagome turned her tearful attention to the person who then took a step forward, her grandfather. "Oh, grandpa," she said sadly as she saw his expression. He looked so determined.

"You graduated from high school, somehow, so I don't need to keep making up excuses for you. Though, if your friends call, I'll make something up," he grappled for something to do for his granddaughter. Anything to do to help. It's what he always did, he tried to help. Albeit, most of the time it didn't turn out helpful, it was the thought that counted. Taking a step forward, Kagome wrapped her arms around the old man sorrowfully.

"I'm gonna miss you too, grandpa," she said sadly, but smiled at how he seemed to let go of his last hope of forcing her to stay. With a sigh, he pulled back, surprising Kagome. Raising a finger for her to wait, he scurried off. Blinking in her own confusion, she did as asked and waiting. A moment later, her grandfather returned with a small box.

"You'll see demons in this new place too, I just know it! So take this, but only open it in dire need. That's what the legend says anyway…" he trailed off tapping his chin in thought, but this entire situation just made Kagome sweat drop. "I'm not really sure what it does, but I'm sure it'll help!" he concluded with a knowing smirk, but Kagome didn't respond, just shoved it into her already full bag. Ignoring her grandfather's prideful expression, she moved on to her brother, who remained silent.

"Souta?" she asked, as his head suddenly went down, finding something interesting on the ground it would seem. Tipping her head, she continued to stare at him. "Umm, Souta? I gotta go now, ya know? The full moon is tomorrow night and we gotta prepare and…" she started to ramble because she wasn't sure what else to do, but all she could was trail off when Souta finally did look up. Tears were streaming down his face, eyes were puffy, snot was visible, and his sleeves showed signs of dampness. This was all a surprise.

"It's….Kagome….Sis, don't…." he kept starting and stopping as he obviously tried to calm down himself. Every time he started though, he'd cut himself off with a sob. This all left Kagome confused. She'd thought that her brother would be the tough one, the one who would be able to handle her leave, but here he was. Without a warning, Souta took off in a sprint and threw himself at Kagome. Catching him barely before he knocked her over, Kagome wrapped her arms unsteadily around him. "Please, don't die." he said finally. All Kagome could do was gasp. As if her surprise spurred him on, Souta continued. "I won't know if you do, I know that. Cuz you probably won't come and we'll probably never see each other again and nobody will know cept us that you're still alive. But, just, please, sis, don't die. I don't wanna be an only child, I wanna be able to tell people you're somewhere else, doing amazing things. I don't want to tell people that my sister's dead!" he explained angrily, giving Kagome a squeeze, as he did his best to get a hold of his own emotions. Rubbing soothing circles into Souta's back, Kagome took a moment to collect her own thoughts before she finally responded.

"I can't promise you that, Souta, just like I couldn't promise that with Inuyasha. I just know that I'll do my best to stay alive because I don't plan on dying," she explained with a soft smile. Her brother needed to know that because Inuyasha was gone didn't mean that she would give up on life. She would mourn his death, yes, but there was nothing that would make her want to end her own life. Pulling Souta back, Kagome smiled down at her brother. "What brought this on, anyway, squirt?" she questioned in silent worry.

"Nightmare I had last night, I guess." he explained with a light blush staining his cheeks. A laugh broke from Kagome without her permission, and she messed up his hair a bit to show how silly that thought was to her. "It wasn't funny! It was really real, I swear! There was this giant monster and an old man in front of you in this ugly room and the old guy kept screaming something and then you jumped off some cliff after the old guy and-" he explained his dream, waving his arms to show effects, and would've continued if Kagome hadn't cut him off. Throwing her arms around her brother, Kagome laughed.

"Souta, I promise not to jump off a cliff after some old guy, okay?" she promised with a grin, but laughed a bit more when she heard him mumble something. "What?" she asked unsure if she should continue laughing or if she'd really hurt his feelings.

"Whatever. See if I ever worry about you." he grumbled, but the smile begging to cross his face gave him away. With a laugh and a shake of her head, Kagome went back to her place in front of all three of them.

"Well, I love you guys, and I hope someday that I can come back here." she said forlornly, but was quickly thinking of all the possibilities. "Or at the very least let you know I survived and am happy where I am," she grumbled with a grin, but without further conversation than that, she threw the giant bag over the lip of the well, jumping in after it.

Sorry that one was kind of short, but I figured I should do a chapter on just her saying goodbye to her family in her own time. Not very many people do that, which I think is kind of sad, but oh well. Hope you enjoy this small-ish chapter. Read, enjoy, and review!