Disclaimer: I don't own it, I swear.

Now for Kikyo's long awaited reappearance!

A Choice

Kikyo looked like a spoiled child, that's the only way Inuyasha could describe her. Which was sad all things considering because he was very good at descriptions.

She was at home sitting up in her bed watching some drama or another on TV -well, actually the TV was turned on to some drama or another and it was muted- with a half empty smoothie sitting on her bedside table. She had on one of her flimsy nightgowns that she bought at Victoria's Secret but any sexiness it might have held was ruined by the large bruise dominating most of her face.

Her eyes were black and the actual eyeballs were bloodshot. Her nose had been repositioned as best as they could but it was still crooked.

The spoiled child look was created by the fact that she had pillows surrounding her on three sides, propping her up against her padded headboard. Her arms were crossed and she was glaring up at him as best she could with a black and blue face.

"So, I guess you're not okay?" Inuyasha asked with a raised eyebrow when she refused to answer the question he had asked when he first entered. He had an itch on his nose but he really didn't want to scratch it, it might set her off.

"Of course not." she said her voice sounding funny. "Not only is my face ruined but you start drawing the girl who ruined it? Traitor!"

"She looks just like you." he said shrugging. Well, that was only half true but he had given up trying to go into the details of art with Kikyo a long time ago.

"I know." Kikyo resisted the urge to roll her eyes. It hurt when she did that. "Why do you think we were arguing."

"I don't need the details." Inuyasha told her as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He wanted to sit but Kikyo kept no chairs in her room and she wouldn't let him sit on her bed. "I saw it on youtube." He wished Kagome had been facing the camera and that the cell had a better resolution. It would have been nice to see what she looked like angry.

Kikyo sighed. "I know. It seems like everyone has."

"Just the university." Inuyasha said helpfully.

Kikyo tried not to groan as that hurt too. "So how are my paintings coming?" She changed the subject. She hoped he would say not so well with an inferior subject.

"Not to well." he admitted not mentioning that they were his paintings and Kikyo gave an internal cheer. "Kagome's...difficult to draw." He had tried working on Sunrise around lunch time based off the sketches he had but something just wasn't coming out right that same...thing was missing. The sooner he found it the happier he would be.

"Not as good as me." Kikyo concluded with a nod. Inuyasha didn't bother to correct her. "The biggest exhibition of my career so far and I'm not even the model."

Inuyasha blinked. He had wanted to go draw Kagome at the cafe again but had felt obliged to visit Kikyo. Now that he was here he wondered why. She only ever gave him a headache. Her complete conviction that the paintings of her were hers made him angry. Especially when she called them hers in conversations.

"I'm actually thinking of scraping the Sunrise and Sunset paintings and starting over." he admitted. The only problem with that plan was that starting over would mean he would have to rush to finish the painting. And of course every day he thought it over was a day he could use if he did decide to use it. He only had 2 months until the exhibition. He had to decide soon.

"What?" Kikyo growled then yelped in pain. "What do you mean?" she glared at him, using a quieter voice now. "Those paintings were incredible."

"Yeah but they don't work well with Kagome." he shrugged and he saw the fire erupt in her eyes.

"They're not her paintings! They're mine!" she hissed. "It doesn't matter what works well for her!"

"They're my paintings." he reminded her for the thousandth time. "And yes, it does matter. I can't make an inferior painting. Not for the exhibition."

"Inferior..." Kikyo repeated calmly.

Inuyasha groaned and braced himself.

Kagome laughed delightfully as the ocean tickled her exposed ankles. It was so nice to stand next to the water and not be stared at.

Sango was having a splash war with Miroku in the water as Kagome let her toes sink into the wet sand at the shore. The beaches had finally opened and all around her was the sound of children playing and laughing and of parents cautioning them not to swim out too far. The smell of sunblock filled the air, that special sweet scent that reminded her of sunshine.

"Kagome!" Miroku cried as Sango overwhelmed him. "Help!"

"I side with the winner." Kagome called back.

"Mean!" he cried as he sunk down into the water.

"Coward." Sango laughed as she paused. She readied herself for when he would rise back up.

Instead, she shrieked in surprise. A shriek that was cut short when Miroku grabbed her ankles and yanked her under.

Kagome laughed when they both broke the surface with a gasp.

"Victory!" Miroku yelled.

"Gorilla tactics." Sango corrected.

Kagome sat down and let the waves crash into her as she watched her friends and let the sunshine soak into her skin.

Miroku swam over to her before Sango could restart the war to claim her victory back and sat next to her. "So, how are your paintings going?"

Kagome groaned as Sango swam over as well. She laid down in the water to she had to look up at her friends. "Their not mine, their Inuyasha's. And why must everyone bring that up?"

"'Cause it's hilarious." Sango smiled as ducked as Kagome through a fistful of sand at her.

"I think he's getting frustrated." Kagome admitted. "He looks angrier and angrier every time he draws me."

"Maybe he'll give up soon." Sango said hopefully.

"Not likely." Kagome said tilting her head as she remembered his face this morning. "He's getting angry but also...determined. Like he's going to finish no matter what."

"What's he so angry about?" Miroku asked as Sango washed the sand off her shoulder and back.

"Who knows?" Kagome shrugged.

Inuyasha slammed the door shut just in time to hear the TV remote crack into the wood.

He sighed and walked away.

Funny enough, Kikyo's threats and demands that he finish Sunrise and Sunset cemented his decision.

He was going to put the other two away, maybe finish them later, but he was sure now. He was going to start over, make a brand new painting for the exhibition. The only problem was:

What should he do it over?