Author's note: Hi, everyone! :D And finally the forth chapter of "Towards tomorrow" is finished! Wow, this chapter was really hard to write! I have no idea how many times I have rearranged, rewritten, deleted and changed the story as I wrote it. There were so many times It just didn't feel right, but now I finally can say myself happily done with this chapter. As you most likely all ready have noticed, this chapter is much longer than my previous chapters, and that's for a reason, I assure you. I would like to thank *tn65loverinuy620jd* *extremeracer19* and *FallenFan77* for your great review last time! It really means a lot to me! ^^ Once again it wouldn't been possible without an inspiration song, and this time it's "Passion play" by William Fitzsimmons.
And I would really appreciate it if you reviewed at the end of it.
Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha nor its characters. It all belongs to Rumiko Takahashi! (even though I wish I owned it... XD *silently crying*)

Chapter 4: The gift

As the two friends entered the village, they were surprised of how much had been done already. White lanterns were hung up all around the village. Some people had their hands full trying to fasten thin ropes from one house to the other, while others were busy decorated them with beautiful orchids and lilies in all kinds of unbelievable colors.

As they walked past the busy villagers, Kagome couldn't believe that all of this was for her. She hardly knew most of the people there, and yet they acted like they had known her all their life. She couldn't help but feel guilty. She knew that there was so much more they could have done on a beautiful day like this, than preparing this celebration for her.

She knew how swollen her eyes must have looked at the moment, but she tried to cover it as much as she saw possible by pulling some of her hair into her face every now and then. Other times she made sure to keep her eyes on the ground in front of her. If she couldn't see them, it worked the opposite way too, she believed.

Halfway into the village, Miroku and the kid's came into view, apparently helping some of the villagers with something. They seemed to have noticed them too, because Miroku waved them in their direction. As they approached, the twins Kagami and Ayu came running over to their mother who bent down to meet them. They ran into her arms laughing, and Kagome couldn't help but smile. "They really are attached to you, aren't they?" She gently laughed as she crouched down beside Sango.

"Well, I guess you could say that, but it's really Miroku who is good with the kids." Sango smiled as she kissed the top of each of the girls head before getting back up and walked over to her husband, her children sprinting beside her with their small hands tucked into the sides of her clothing. She lightly kissed the monk on the lips, and Kagome felt the urge of turning her attention elsewhere. She loved the pair of them, and was so happy to see them finally able to show their love and affection for each other, but to suddenly see them that close made blood rush to her face.

"Us too, mama!" Ayu and Kagami jumped up and down below them, trying to reach their mothers attention. "Haha, but of course. We can't leave you two out now, can we?" Sango laughed as she once more bent down to plant one sweet kiss on each of the girls, earning a bright laugh as they started running circles around their parents.

"Oh don't say it like that, Sango." Miroku smiled gently "We both know that they prefer you over me all the time" He wrapped his arms around Sango's waist to pull her closer "But I can't blame them now, can I?" he smirked as a bright blush formed on her cheeks. "M-Miroku! Not out in the open!" Sango hissed through her teeth, as she tried to push him away.

Kagome laughed at the sight. Some things never changed, did they? Suddenly everything went black as she felt herself being pulled slightly backwards and into something soft. Her heart skipped a beat as she recognized the hand covering her eyes. "Really now, why don't you two get a room?" Inuyasha's voice stated, but he didn't remove the cover.

She felt herself start to panic. What if he noticed the sudden heat change in her face?! Her thoughts were running wild as she tried to figure out a way to get herself out of the situation. She heard Miroku laugh and felt the hand being removed, light finding its way back to her eyes once more.

As she regained focus again, a bright red Sango came into view, her hands pressed up against Miroku's disappointed face. "My oh my, Inuyasha... You never fail to disappoint me..." Miroku shook his head as he reluctantly let his arms fall to his sides.

Kagome just kept her eyes forward, her body as stiff as a pole. As long as he didn't see her face, she assured herself. As long as he didn't notice. She had an idea of how she looked at the moment, and she didn't plan for them to notice. "Well, I'll go and see if I can find Kaede-baa-san. See you guys around then." She laughed nervously and started to make her way away from the gang.

"Kagome-chan? I can accompany you, you know!" she heard Sango call after her. "No that's fine! I need to learn my way around the town anyways, I might as well do it now." She assured her friend and continued down the village.

Her steps quickening as her thoughts rummaged in her head. What was wrong with her? She had waited three long years to see him, but now she couldn't even look at him? She shook her head in frustration. She really needed to get a grip already.

Inuyasha landed gracefully in front of her, making her halt in her steps and loose the balance in the process. He lightly grabbed hold of one of her arms to prevent her from falling, her body almost colliding with his chest. She quickly pushed herself back a bit to create some space between them. Why was her heart doing this to her?
"You startled me for a second there" she nervously laughed, her eyes ending up facing her feet below her.

"You can't jump in on me like that, you know... I might get a heart attack..." She grumbled as she tried to step back a bit more, but soon found it impossible to get any further since he still had a good grip around her arm. He didn't say anything, but she could feel his eyes on her.

"W-what is it?" Kagome stuttered as she felt more self conches for each passing second. Why wasn't he saying anything? Suddenly his face came into view below her, his golden eyes met her hassle ones. She had to withhold a scream as she quickly turned around, facing away from him.

This was just too much for her to handle all ready, and feared her heart could beat out of her chest any second. She heard her name being called and looked up to see Kaede, Miroku and Sango heading their way and couldn't help but feel relieved as she felt his grip loosen, eventually letting go of her arm. She hadn't noticed she'd been holding her breath for all this time.

She was about to walk over to them when she felt her feet leave the ground as she was swept into the air, leaving the village below her. After recovering from the shock she found her eyes glued to the hanyou above her as the wind swept her hair in all directions. Her heart really wasn't build for this. "I-Inuyasha! What are you doing?!" she stuttered, failing to keep her voice steady. The half demon just kept his eyes in front of him, pretending to not have heard her.

"This isn't funny anymore! Put me down!" panic starting to mark her voice, but she got no reaction from Inuyasha as he lightly landed on the ground only to kick off into the air again. The only difference now was him tightening his hold around her body.

"Really, Inuyasha, what's wrong with you?" she tried to push herself out of his arms, but she already knew it would be a waste of time as it only made his iron grip stronger. She heard him growl as he kicked off from the ground again. "What's wrong with me?!" his sudden voice startled her, and as she looked up her eyes met his. "I'd rather like to know what's wrong with you!" he growled once more, anger and something else reflected in his eyes.

It was the first time since her return that she actually managed to get a proper look of him. Her eyes widened. She really hadn't noticed earlier. As the wind brushed his hair to the side, a barely visible scar appeared in the middle of his forehead, ending slightly by the middle of his right eyebrow. She didn't know he was capable of scars.

Without thinking, she reached up and lightly stroked the already healed wound. She felt him wince under her touch and her hand removed itself as fear shook through her like a wave. "I'm so sorry, Inuyasha! Are you in pain?!" she tried to apologize as she pulled her hand completely back to her body, tightly grasping the other to prevent it from shaking. Suddenly the wind slightly lost its force as Inuyasha appeared to have halted.

She tried to measure his face for any signs of him being in pain, but he turned his head in the opposite direction. A heavy silence washed over them before he spoke again "You didn't... hurt me, Kagome..." his voice came out as a whisper, but he didn't put her down, oppositely he held her closer all of the sudden.

"Inuyasha?" she tilted her head a bit, her eyes still filled with concern. He gently sat her down beside him, but he still chose to face away from her. "You just startled me..." he silently continued and she watched his fists clench slightly "I didn't mean to..." Kagome started but Inuyasha cut her of "I know that!" his voice rising slightly but she saw he regretted it soon after as he let his shoulders fall again "I know that, Kagome... It's just me..."

"I don't understand..." she hesitantly went over to him, placing her hand carefully on his shoulder. She felt him stiffen underneath her touch and was about to remove it again when he turned around once more, his face finally visible to her eyes "You..." she started, but her words was lost to her. His eyes were filled with sorrow as they met hers. "You have no Idea..." he started as his hand slowly traveled over to hers "I... I really started to believe that you were lost to us" his long fingers wrapped around her hand so carefully, as if she would shatter by the slightest touch. "Lost to me..." he silently whispered and Kagome felt the tears start to burn her eyes.

Inuyasha hesitantly brought her hand up to his face, cupping his cheeks, her smaller hand underneath his own. He closed his eyes as he drew a deep breath "How could I ever live on without you?" his voice came out as a whisper, and felt him lean into her touch, his warm soft skin gracing the palm of her hand.

Everything suddenly turned blurry. She felt the warmth escape her eyes as she let her head fall onto his chest, letting them spread down her cheeks. "I thought I'd never get to see you again..." her voice cracking at the end. She soon felt his strong arms wrap around her body, pulling her tightly against his own. Hesitantly she guided her hands to the back of his haori, burying them in his clothing.

She heard him hush her under his breath, his face buried deep into her hair as gentle strokes graced the top of her head. The wind breathed knowingly over them as they just stood there in silence, cherishing a moment no one could fully understand.

They had no idea how long they held each other, but knew it would never be long enough. As they eventually gave away, their bodies moved slightly away from each other, both their eyes glistened as they smiled tenderly to the other. Inuyasha still let his arms linger around her waist.

Kagome let her hand slide over his face, as if learning his distinguishing features all over again. "You're really different, you know that?" she smiled up at him. She felt him place one of his own hands gently against her face, his thumb carefully stoking her tears away. "Are you really the right person to say that?" he gently laughed, his eyes closing even so slightly and she felt a sting of guilt wash over her.

"Sorry about before..." she whispered and let her eyes fall. "To tell the truth, I had no idea how to face you after so long. I can't remember how I used to act around you at all, so instead I ended up ignoring you..." silence swept over them, birds lightly hummed in the distance. "I was beginning to believe you didn't want to see me at all" his voice stated, making her look back up at him, her eyes widening by his words. "Of course I wanted to see y...!" she halted her sentence as his smile came into view.

She heard him laugh once more, making her blink in confusion. "Sorry, I didn't mean to tease you" he lightly stroke her face with the back of his hand, earning another confused look from the girl. "It's just so unreal to actually have you here with me right now." His eyes softened as he guided his hand back down to hers. He let his forehead collide with hers gently, closing his eyes at the touch. "I can't remember the last time I've felt so warm"

Blood rushed to her face once more "You really are the strange one after all..." she silently grumbled, earning another laugh from the hanyou. "Yeah, yeah, I know..." he smiled as he pulled back to get a better look at the girl in front of him. "Let's head back to the village, after all you are the guest of honor"

"Yeah... I haven't really forgotten that..." she let out a sigh and shook her head slightly. "But I can't say I'm comfortable with the idea..." his hand tightened around hers as he spoke "Don't worry about it. It's good to actually have something to celebrate for once" he reassured her with a smile. She smiled back as she nodded, but saddened slightly by that sentence.

They walked in silence as they made their way back, enjoying each other's company. The grass below them was still wet from the morning rain and she felt her red shoes slightly start to slip of her, but she tried to ignore it as best as she could. The sky above them barely held any clouds, the breeze cooling her already moist feet but she really didn't mind it the slightest, after all it was already fairly hot outside.

She lightly glanced over at Inuyasha. He walked quietly beside her, his arms crossed in his characteristic way inside the arms of his haori, his golden eyes on the beautiful sky above them. The wind breathed through his long silver hair, his ears slightly twitching by the touch. She couldn't help but smile.

He lightly glanced over at her, question filled eyes met hers. "What is it?" he gently asked, but she just slightly shook her head and faced the village in front of them "It's nothing. I'm just happy to be back"

As they entered the village, Kagome felt the nerves start to set in. She really didn't like the idea of her being the centre of attention, and especially not to so many people at once. Inuyasha's words came her mind then 'It's good to actually have something to celebrate for once' and let her shoulders fall a bit. She lightly clapped the sides of her cheeks, pulling herself together and drew a deep breath.

"Lady Kagome-sama" she heard somebody call, and turned her head in the direction of the voice. An older lady came into view, a tender smile on her face "Yes?" Kagome replied as she completely turned her body around, and she felt Inuyasha do the same. "I'm sorry to bother you, but Lady Kaede-sama is looking for you. I was asked to give you this message" the older lady spoke as she handed the note over to Kagome. She lightly accepted it and thanked the old lady. The older woman bowed her head honorably before she took off and disappeared into the crowd once more.

Kagome looked at the note in her hands. "What that about?" she heard Inuyasha ask as he moved closer. She lightly raised her shoulders "I don't know but since Kaede-baa-san sent it, it must be important" She unwrapped the note and read the letters written on it. It was clearly Kaede's handwriting.

Kagome looked back up at Inuyasha "I'm supposed to meet her at her house, that's all that's written" He lightly blinked "Well, if that's the case, let's head over there no..." he started, but was interrupted by another voice. Mijori came running over to them "Inuyasha, you need to come with me now" her eyes attached to the hanyou. The pair of them blinked and looked at each other before their eyes went back to Mijori again.

"What is it, Mijori-san?" Kagome lightly asked, but Mijori still had her eyes on Inuyasha. 'Maybe she didn't hear me?' Kagome thought as she looked back up on Inuyasha. He seemed just as confused as she were. "Can't it wait? I'm about to escort Kagome over to Kaede's at the moment" He spoke, question still lingered in his eyes.

"No it can't. I'm sure lady Kagome can find her own way around town, right?" Mijori stated as her eyes fell on Kagome. This threw her back. She really didn't expect this at all. "I'm sorry, Mijori but I..." Inuyasha started, but Kagome lightly placed her hand on his shoulder, shaking her head.

"It's ok, Inuyasha. I'll be fine, after all how hard can it be? I'll just ask the villagers for directions, so go run of with Mijori-san" She warmly smiled causing Inuyasha to blink. "Are you sure, Kagome? It won't take long to take you there" he stated, but she just shook her head once more before removing her hand. "I'll be fine, Inuyasha. Go now, it must be urgent. I'll see you later but be careful, ok?"

His eyes lingered on hers a moment before turning back to Mijori. Kagome heard him mumble something under his breath, but didn't quite catch it. She waved them goodbye and watched them take off in the opposite direction. Suddenly Mijori looked over her shoulders, her eyes narrowing slightly as they met Kagome's before turning her attention back to Inuyasha once more. Kagome just stood there dumb folded as her hand lowered and fell back to its place. 'I guess not everyone is happy to see me' she thought, but she couldn't think of a reason for Mijori not to like her.

She eventually found her way over to Kaede's hut and lightly knocked on the side of the entrance. She received a 'come in' and lightly pushed the straw curtain slightly to the side before entered the small hut. Kaede and Sango sat with her children further inside the hut, smiling as she approached them. "There you are, dear one. We begun to believe you weren't coming back to the event tonight." Kaede laughed gently as she let one of Sango's children down from her lap.

Kagome suddenly remembered the incident earlier on, how Inuyasha had grabbed her and flown of right in front of them. She felt her face heat up and threw her hands forward "NO, NO, NO! You completely misunderstood that! We were just talking, I swear!" She barely managed to keep her voice steady, but blinked as she heard them start laughing.

"Don't worry, child. I meant no harm with what I just said" Kaede assured her before continuing "It's good to see that the pair of you are the same as always" she smiled comforting at the girl. Kagome stared at the older miko before retaliating the smile "Thank you, Kaede-baa-san" she tenderly spoke as she walked over to them.

Kaede blinked "What for, my child?" her eyes followed the girl as she sat down beside Sango. "Everything I guess. For being there for us all this time." Kagome smiled up at her, lightly tilting her head to the side in the process. "Oh, Kagome-sama, I'm the one who should thank you" Kaede shook her head as she continued "Without you we would never have lived to see the living day. I just wish that it wouldn't have resulted in you leaving us like that."

"Don't worry about it, Kaede-baa-san. I'm finally back now, so let the past be past, don't you agree?" Kagome gently spoke earning another smile from the older miko. "You certainly are right, my child. This is not a time to delve in the past."

Kagome nodded and suddenly remembered why she'd come here "Kaede-baa-san, I got your note before. Was it something important?" she asked as she lightly held the note up in the open. "Ah, yes. I had completely forgotten about that." Kaede smiled and pointed to the corner near the entrance. Herbs and heavy bags were neatly placed up against the wall "Jinejin and his mother visited earlier today. They were overwhelmed to hear about your return." she smiled at the sudden joy spreading in Kagome's face.

"Unfortunately they couldn't stay long enough to see you, but they promised to visit more often in the future" She paused as she went over and picked up something from where she had pointed at earlier, before she went back over to where Kagome sat. "Jinejin wanted you to have this" Kaede lightly spoke as she held out a beautiful white longbow. Kagome stared at it for a moment before looking back up at Kaede again. "For me?" Kagome stuttered, realizing Kaede possibly meant her. When she nodded, Kagome slowly extended her hands, receiving the longbow from Kaede.

She stared in awe at the beautiful bow in her hands. It was so light, so different from her past bows. Thin patterns were neatly carved into the wood, and below the shaft of the bow she could make out a small bird spreading its wings. She felt her eyes fill with tears. "Jinejin's mother told me he just finished it a few days ago, and that was one of the reasons they decided to visit today, unknowingly of your return. Apparently he have been working on it since the day you disappeared, hoping that he one day would be able to deliver it to you" Kaede tenderly spoke as she placed a gentle hand on the girls head.

Kagome looked up, some tears slipping past her eyes. "Don't cry, my child. Jinejin told me he saw it as a sign that they had chosen to deliver the bow on the day of your return, and couldn't stop smiling as he and his mother made their leave." Kaede spoke, a gentle smile painted on her face. "He worked so hard, spending all his free time on it. He really believed you would return, you know?"

"That bow is made out of one of the legendry threes that grow up in the mountains south from here, but they are extremely rare. Apparently Jinejin came across it when he searched for herbs there. He spent nearly half a month to get it loose from the ground without harming the wood. He really putt his love into it. You won't find a finer bow" Kaede spoke as she lightly removed the tear stains on Kagome's cheeks.

"I can't believe he did all this for me..." She silently whispered as her eyes fell to the bow once more. She felt Sango's hand lightly grasp her shoulder and slightly turned her head in her direction, her friend's comforting smile appearing before her eyes. Kagome smiled sadly back at her before turning her attention back to Kaede. "I really have to thank him when he returns" she smiled before she rose to her feet.

A sudden ripping sound made her freeze in her actions and turned her attention back to Sango, who already had discovered the problem. "Please tell me that wasn't what I think it was..." Kagome silently whispered as she felt a sudden coolness on her backside. Sango started laughing and was quickly followed by Kaede.

"What are you guys laughing about?" she felt her blood run cold. She quickly turned her eyes to the entrance where a question filled Inuyasha stood, his hands hanging loosely by his sides. "You!" Kagome screamed "Get out now!" She tried to cover her backside as much as possible, but it was no use. "Whoa! What did I do?!" He stuttered, clearly missing the point. "GET OUT! NOW!" she screamed once more, starting to throw what was in her reach after the half demon.

"Hey, what did you do that for?! Whoa!" he barely escaped being hit by the frying pan, his hands protectively crossed above his head. "OUT!" Kagome hissed through her teeth, and finally Inuyasha took the point and escaped the hut with his life still intact.

Kagome stood there breathless for a moment before she heard them start to laugh again. "It's not funny! Help me out here!" She hissed, her hands doing all they could to cover the missing part of her skirt. "Don't worry, Kagome-chan" Sango dried her tears that had formed in the corners of her eyes "I'm sure Kaede-sama have some spare clothing for you to borrow"

"I'll go and fetch them right away, you can just wait here in the meantime" Kaede said as she already was on her way through the exit. Kagome breathed out and threw herself back to where she sat earlier, a glooming look painted on her face. Sango just continued laughing.

Kaede shortly returned with cleanly washed clothes for Kagome to use, and both she and Sango left the hut for her to change. Kagome looked at the clothes left for her, and could help the tight feeling storming through her. 'Kikyo' she lightly brushed her hand over the smooth fabric for a second. Naraku had been so cruel to set Inuyasha and Kikyo against each other, both ending up killing the other. Inuyasha had really tried so hard, but in the end he hadn't been able to save her as she left this world for good by the hands of Naraku.

The old memories swept over her and felt her eyes start to burn. Such a cruel faith, but they somehow managed to avenge her by putting an end to Naraku and his evil plans. She shook her head tiredly. In the end it all was because of the Shikon no Tama. It grants the wish of the barer but never really fulfills it. Both Kikyo and Naraku had wished upon it with what their hearts truly desired. Naraku had wanted Kikyo, and Kikyo had simply wished to see Inuyasha again.

In the end everything had ended with pain and sorrow for both of them, Including Inuyasha. Over 50 years of war was all over now, at last... She dried her tears and lightly shook her head 'didn't you tell Kaede earlier that it was no good delving in the past?' she thought to herself. She started to undress and putt on the clothes Kaede had left for her.

It was strange to wear those kinds of clothes again. She glanced down her body, the red pants completely covering her feet. She bent down and picked up her own clothes from the floor and neatly folded them. Her eyes saddened a bit as she did so, after all it was what was left of her real time. She didn't bring anything else, but she was prepared for it anyway. She was going to spend the rest of her life in the Faudal era, she got this opportunity and gladly took it. After all this was where she belonged.

She smiled and rose to her feet, leaving her clothes where she sat earlier before grabbing her new bow and headed for the exit.

Outside the hut, she found a really annoyed Inuyasha leaning up against the wall, his arms crossed in front of his chest. His eyes were closed, but she knew he wasn't sleeping. She smiled slightly before joining him, her back pressing up against the wall beside him. "Sorry, about before, Inuyasha" she lightly apologized, watching how his ears twitched at her voice. "Really now. What did I do anyways to deserve that?" he grumbled as he opened his eyes.

"If I could tell you, I wouldn't had to chase you out now, would I?" she laughed, earning another groan form the hanyou beside her. He glanced over at her before turning his attention to the people in front of him, not really minding them. "You changed clothes?" he asked, but there was never really a question there, more like a statement.

"Yeah, might as well get used to them as I'm going to live here from now on." She smiled and let her eyes lift to the sky above them. The sun had begun to set, leaving the sky with beautiful shades of orange. "I see..." she heard him mumble and glanced over at him once more. He had closed his eyes again, but a smile lingered on his lips.

-

And there it is, people. The next chapter will be up as soon as it's ready, and finally Kagome's celebration is up! After all, I have mentioned it through the past three chapters, so it's time to get it started already! XD
I Hope you liked it, and I hope you will leave a comment with your thoughts about this chapter. If you liked it or not, I don't mind, just want to hear from you ^^
See you!