Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, its plot-line or characters, only the characters and plot-line I'm trying to brainstorm.

Chapter 7: For the Best

When did it get this late?

Ten years have gone by. Christmas, birthdays, and Thanksgivings have passed in a blank of an eye since she last stared into those golden pools that once engulfed her with hope. The presence that gave her purpose.

The last time she spoke to him she was running away. She could not deal with the fact that he had married another. Their future together had been cut short.

Now, here he was.

A memory. A dream. His existence has haunted her.

The endless calls she received from him were ignored. The cards he sent went unread. Kagome tried so hard to erase him from her heart.

She could never hold down a stable relationship with the guys she was interested. Her heart had chosen him since the day their eyes met.

Golden eyes. Ebony locks. Dog tags. Childish dreams.

The noise of the park dissipated. In this moment there was only two souls. Kagome had dreamed of the day she would face him. All the nasty and sarcastic and angry things she would scream to him. She would rejoice in causing him pain, but the man she was sitting with right now was not the same man that left her crippled with hatred.

His golden eyes were older. His pale skin seemed rougher. He…

"What happened to you Sesshomaru?" she finally broke the ice. The hate and pain that boiled her very blood was over taken by concern.

"Life," his tone was accusing with a smirk. "The life without you," His eyes sparked with life, with hate.

It seemed he was the same asshole she had left. Her anger quickly resurfaced

"Well excuse freaking me! I was just trying to break some of that ice in the air…Anyway I'm not the one who married another demon!" Kagome snapped. She had said it. The elephant in the room was out.

The sun was setting. It was a chilly December day. Her hair danced in the winter breeze. They sat on a wooden bench. She felt like he would never speak but the silence was finally broken.

"Kagome, much has changed…but I'm glad you have not. This Sesshomaru is…" he stopped speaking but his golden eyes pierced through her, stripped her raw.

Before she could even breathe she found herself lifted from the bench and held in a tight embrace. How she had longed to be held in his arms. But, wait. Why now?

Kagome forcefully pushed him off of her. "Are you going to tell me what the heck you think you're doing? Do you thinking it's okay for you to come waltzing back into my life after TEN freaking years, and that I would be okay with it? Who the heck do you think you are kidding?"

Tears began to swell her eyes. NO! She would not cry. She could not cry. She would not give him the satisfaction of seeing her tears. However, no matter her protest the tears fell. All the emotions she had kept bottled in swirled through her. They needed an escape. She needed a release. She needed him.

Sesshomaru just embraced her. Tightly, like the world depended on it. He stroked her head. Inhaled her jasmine scent. Everything was alright. His empty heart was filled with her.

She looked up at him and saw it. She saw that boy she met in that sandbox. The teenager she crushed on. The man she had always loved.

"Why does hurt so much? Why is it so confusing?" she whispered between sobs.

She had always been fed fairytales' about damsels in distress, knights in shining armors, and dragons. The hero saves the girl and love blossoms. Happily ever after. But, those were lies. There wasn't some clear cut path to follow for love.

"Kagome, my Kagome," his lips graced her forehead.

The unspoken words exchanged that moment were the ones she had longed for.

"Sesshomaru, I'm angry with you. I'm angry with me. But I…I…" before she could get the words out their lips collided. It began as a soft, tender and sweet affair. Their passion grew. Longing, lust, and pain engulfed them. Passion.

"Miko, I'll always protect you," he said as their lips broke apart. His forehead laid against hers. Their bodies were intertwined.

When she was younger Kagome would have thought this moment would never come true. They were worlds apart. But, the hope she had always kept in the depths of her heart always knew the truth.

Life is not a one way street. There are stop signs, dead ends, and detours. But once you've found something true, something real, you have to fight for it. You can't help who you fall in love with. You can't change the circumstances. All you can do is keep on driving and take charge of the road.

"For the best," Kagome smiled.

"For the best," Sesshomaru kissed her forehead.

The past was a memory. A lesson.

But they were here now. Today was a new day. They gazed into each other's souls with hope for the future.

THE END.

A/N: So, I hoped you guys liked it! I know this story has A LOT of mistakes but I'm okay with that. It shows how much I've grown (hopefully) and how much I still have to grow and learn. This story was written on a whim. There was never a real plan to where it would go. I just kind of kept writing. My experiences in life thus far carried it. This story does not make much sense, but that's life. Things just happen. This is a story of them making the best out of it. Sometimes you're not ready. The timing is off but it's not impossible.

Thanks to those who stuck with it 'til the end! Life happens but you just have to keep cruising like a pro.

-Starfier