DISCLAIMER. I don't own Inuyasha. I wish I did; he's darn cute. n.n

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A month later, Kagome stared out over a lush field with the two women that had quickly become her best friends, willing herself to revel only in the wonderful taste of their shared picnic lunch. But as she glanced at Kikyou, she realized it was of no use. What good was it to be happy when you had no one to share your joy with?

"It's so odd, you leaving," Sango muttered, playing around with the uneaten food in her hands.

"Huh?"

"It's like. . . you belong here now. I know you have to go, but in my mind, I'm still wondering. . . ."

"Wondering why?"

Sango grinned, barely. "Yeah."

"Someone has to take Kagura down, and who better than the one she's attacking in the first place? I stayed to help rebuild the school with the rest of you, but now that that's done, it's my duty to bring her down. The whole reason I came here was to learn how to fight her. . . . I knew I'd have to leave at some point."

"I guess."

Kagome forced a smile onto her face, laughing at a pitch not quite right for her vocal range. "At least Inuyasha will be freed of an annoyance!"

"DON'T tell me you're that blind."

The other two startled at the sound of their comrade's voice. Kikyou had risen from her calm position on the ground, eyes flaring in the mid-autumn evening sun's orange glow.

"Kikyou, what --"

"I thought you were more than a vile liar! My arrows were kept from your heart for that reason alone! Don't tell me you don't know!"

"Know? Know wha -- KIKYOU!"

She had fled.

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Inuyasha dragged his feet down the newly erected steps of Elmsmagick Academy. He wasn't sure why he was going where he was going, but he was going there.

He was, that is, until the figure of one of his friends could be seen racing towards the area he stood in.

"Kikyou!"

She looked up, and rage was on her face such as he had never seen before.

"You! What are you doing here?"

"I WAS going out to say goodbye to Kagome and spend some time with you and Sango. . . . Kikyou, what's wrong?"

"Why do you want to know, you, who cares for no one except her?"

His eyes grew wide, and suddenly the look on her face spoke oceans to him.

"Kikyou. . . that's not true. Why would I bother asking you what was wrong if I didn't care about you?"

"Because. . . you. . . !"

He cut her off, taking tight hold of her hands. She was speechless, she, who through her jealousy had cared for no one but him.

"Kikyou. . . I do care about you. But can you also allow me. . . to care about her. . . differently?"

She squeezed his fingers in hers, then let go.

". . . Yes."

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Now Kagome was alone, left to watch listlessly as night's shadows fell over the field that barely minutes ago had shifted with the waves of her cheerless laugher. She left tonight.

Would she be hated by Kikyou for the rest of her life?

"Kagome?"

A shadow with Inuyasha's ears came closer to her, drawing net to her own, shorter, shadow. The two rippled over the slope of a steep hill overlooking a pond alight with fireflies.

"Hi." The voice coming from her throat was strangled, not her own.

"I came to say goodbye. Miroku and Shippou have to be in class right now, but they wish you luck. And Shippou sends you a hug."

She smiled at the thought of Shippou jumping violently into thin air and telling his companion to send the motion to her.

"Goodbye to all of you."

"Listen, Kagome. . . . I have something else to say to you, too. . . ."

She looked up for the first time, and his eyes were wide and sincere, determination shimmering in his irises. His lips hung half-apart on words not yet said.

Moving closer to him, she wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him as tightly to her body as possible, not breaking his eye contact. He ducked forward, their noses now mere millimeters apart.

She laid a cool, pale finger over his lips. "Tell me when I get back."

His eyes widened in surprise. "You're coming back?"

"I can't leave a conversation unfinished, can I?"

For each of them, the smile they shared was their first real one in weeks. She slipped out of his embrace, walking calmly down the road leading away from Elmsmagick and from him.

The night wind felt good on her face, carrying the promise that someone would be waiting, hoping, living for the day of her return.

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-- the end --
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x Big thank-you's to Dixy-Angel (sorry about the wait), Esta, DragonCrystal, inu-dog-dem, and Blossom of Death (VERY cool pen name.)
x ImCrazyAndProudOfIT - Toutousai is the swordsmith that crafted Tetsusaiga and Tenseiga.
x Insane Chipmunk - Thanks for the criticism bit on Kagome's crying. It's good to know what you're doing badly as well as what you're doing well, and since I'm pretty inexperienced with doing Kagome's kind of character, it helped me get a better grasp on her. XD
x Electric Fire - Indeed, it is freaky how the practically-twins compete for him. I actually prefer him with Kikyou now, but when I started this (which was. . . a long time ago) I was all "KAGOME IS DA BOMB! KAGSxINU 4EVA, BABY!" So yeah, you can see where that ended up.
x Jess-chan - Sorry for the long wait. . . . :sweatdrop: Hope you liked it, though. And thanks for all your awesome reviews!

Wow. . . I haven't written the words "the end" since like January. It feels. . . weird. Thanks to everyone who reviewed or emailed me through the course of this -- you guys rock!

Peace-ouT,
Lilacs