Author's Note: Thanks for all the love and support on this fic. Sorry for the delay on this chapter. When my computer crashed, I didn't expect to lose everything. But guess what? I did. Hope this makes up for my absence!

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When they arrived in Kyoto, instead of heading in the direction of the Inari jinja, the two of them went towards the Gion Shrine. From the station platform, Kagome could see its tall, red roofs like fiery beacons among the white landscape. Although the snow was coming down rather quickly, there were a lot of people about, most likely in the city to pay respects at the multitude of shrines and temples in the vicinity. Children were laughing in their brightly colored parkas while parents attempted to keep their young ones from escaping them in the crowds. Someone was selling o-cha nearby that smelled warm and delicious. Because of the number of people, Kagome found herself clutching at the sleeve of Inuyasha's jacket so they were not separated among the masses. He did not shake her off, so Kagome did not let go. Instead, she followed his lead until they had left the station in exchange for the gray, slushy streets of the city. There was no need to hold onto him any longer, so Kagome dropped her hands from around his elbow, not wanting to make him uncomfortable. But before she could pull completely away, the tip of his pinky brushed her hand, then his palm as it loosely latched onto hers. Its warmth sent heat traveling through Kagome's entire body, much like the first time she had held hands with...

"Inuyasha?" she said, asked, quietly. He didn't look at her, but his hand did not release hers either. She was content to leave it at that, allow her hand to relax in his, her fingers tucking themselves around his digits in return. It wasn't exactly like InuYasha's had been, but it radiated the same feelings of trust and belonging that Kagome had missed so much. Although she barely knew the boy next to her, she felt as if she had been with him her entire life. There was only slight uneasiness with entering into this strange relationship. Everything else was almost habitual.

Upon reaching the Yasaka-Gion Shrine, they were met with more people, all gathered in clusters around certain buildings and offering sites. From the insides of these lacquered buildings of crimson and gold, Kagome could hear monks chanting. Incense was heavy in the cold air. Above, the sky churned gray, promising more snow than that which was already falling. Around them, people pushed forward towards the offering sites, nudging Kagome along with them. She soon found herself pressed against Inuyasha's back. It wasn't uncomfortable, but it certainly was awkward, especially when his hand did not release hers.

"There are so many people…" Kagome said quietly, her cheek brushing against his shoulder when she turned her head to look about the place. They had walked into the mess too quickly and it seemed as if there was no escape.

"Let's go, then," Inuyasha replied, and Kagome then found herself pulled along behind him. With much squeezing through and apologies, they made it free of the crowd and Kagome breathed a relieved sigh as they walked far away from the multitude of worshippers.

"Where are we now?" Kagome asked. With the crowd behind them, they were left on what appeared to be the opposite side of the shrine. There were few people gathered around the silent worship halls and teak pavilions. Overall, it was rather quiet and serene; much different from the main avenue where they had just been. On the opposite side of one of the man raised walkways, there was an empty courtyard covered in a sheet of untarnished snow.

"This must be the Eastern side," Inuyasha replied, breath rising before him in the winter air. "It's normally only popular during the spring and summer when they do processions or ceremonies."

"I wonder why," Kagome said.

"There isn't much out here," Inuyasha answered. With the hand not holding hers, he indicated the mazes of walkways with few shrine houses. Kagome could see why many sightseers would not make it their primary visiting spot, as there wasn't very much to look at. She could also see why the worshippers were not present on this side: there were not very many religious buildings or offerings sites, but rather storehouses and meeting rooms that were only put to use six months out of the year.

"This must have been used for meditation back in the days. It's set up for it," Kagome said, recalling that Mushin, Miroku's master, had kept a shrine similar to this one. The main temple was in the middle, with smaller worshipping spaces on the western side of the building. The eastern side had remained rather plain, with places for meditation, ritual purification, and (in Mushin's case) entertainment.

"Probably," Inuyasha answered and said nothing more after that. Kagome took the initiative and began to walk around the raised platforms, Inuyasha accompanying her at a comfortable pace. As they left the main area for the more serene courtyards, there was an increase in the number of snow-covered trees and small shrines to Shinto deities. The entire setting was very peaceful. Despite the cold and the bare branches, Kagome felt close to the earth, much like she had back in the Sengoku-Jidai. It had been a long time since she smelled air so fresh, trees with so much life. In the distance, Kagome swore she could even feel the presence of those majestic mountains and, further beyond, the steely winter sea.

"It's nice out," Kagome commented. Inuyasha didn't answer her and after a moment, his feet planted firmly in the snow. She stopped so that her hand did not fall out of his, turning towards him in question. He was staring straight ahead, but not at her, those golden eyes fixed upon something beyond where she stood. Behind her, Kagome realized what it was that held his attention so: a woman was walking on a far pavilion, dressed in formal priestess attire; much like Kikyou had worn habitually in the feudal era. Her hair was swept back over her shoulders, held by a traditional white tie. She looked just like the miko Kagome had tried so hard not to hate. Her heart clenched and trembled with a twinge of jealousy. Kagome's hand fell out of his as the two of them silently watched the young woman walk from one shrine house to the other. She could not muster up the strength to say anything. Was Inuyasha not to be hers in this life either? It took all Kagome had not to cry.

"There's going to be a wedding," Inuyasha said, startling Kagome from her self-misery.

"A…wedding?" Kagome repeated, sniffing as she turned to look at him again. He merely nodded, his eyes still focused on the lacquered walkway. "But it's the middle of winter." Even as she said this, Kagome caught sight of a procession making its way down the same path the priestess had taken. At the front, a man dressed in a black montsuki was escorting an elegant woman dressed entirely in a white shiromuku. Her brocaded kimono was made of the most beautiful silks: the sleeves and obi so long that they trailed upon the ground behind her. Behind them, a small group of family followed in solemn silence. Incense was burning heavily from a censer waved back and forth by the accompanying priest.

They made slow progress towards the shrine house, or perhaps it just seemed slow in Kagome's mind, which made her eyes watch the scene with observant envy. Everything about the ceremony was what she wanted. She, Kagome Higurashi, who was going to say InuYasha, I want to stay with you forever and remain with the hanyou who meant more than the world to her. She could have been the one in that dress, holding the hand of the man she loved, walking toward a future she had wanted with all her heart. She could have been the one to say I do. But that…was beyond her reach.

InuYasha, you aren't here.

No, because he had died. Her eyes felt hot, burning in the cold, December air. InuYasha was gone. He had died that day—on a day much like this—with everyone else she cared for. He had fought with all his strength, will all his soul to save her from Naraku. He destroyed himself out of his love for her. It reminded her of InuYasha's father, whom she was told died in order to protect Izayoi from danger. For demon blood to be so pure, Kagome knew that kindness and love had to flow through those veins as well. She knew the extent of that love, but because of that sacrifice she was now without what she wanted the most.

"She's…beautiful," Kagome said quietly, tears sliding down her cheeks. Every wound that she had tried so desperately to close tore open. She felt the weight of her reality settle in. It was everything she had tried to keep from thinking about, feeling concerned over. It was the realization that this world—this time—was not hers. She belonged there; she had always belonged there. She had always belonged with InuYasha, even before they had ever met. It was her destiny to meet him, to love him, and then, maybe it was also her destiny to finally lose him. It was her destiny to mourn his loss.

It was her destiny to never be that woman in white.

After this, InuYasha, what happens? Kagome asks, that day, in the gray-dawn dark before the fire, orange light upon the branches and leaves in September, crisp morning. InuYasha before her, golden eyes dark, down, glowing with illumination in the sunrise.

What do you mean 'what happens?' Is your brain broken or something? He asks in reply and doesn't look at her. His voice makes her want to ask exactly what he means, but she doesn't, because the night is too quiet and Miroku and Sango are sleeping nearby. Shippo is snoring slightly. Kirara is purring. The darkness is coming as the sun begins to rise.

InuYasha, I'm being serious. What happens? Kagome asks again, wanting him to say it out loud. It had been unspoken, a silent agreement: a relationship that happened because it was meant to. Kagome never wanted to break that, but she has to. She has to know if InuYasha wants what she wants.

How am I supposed to know? I ain't a mind reader, InuYasha answers, gruffly, defensively. He hates to talk about things like this, Kagome knows, but she has to ask, because she has to know. She feeds the fire to give him time, listening to the wind as the morning settles in. It's close. Dawn will bring the end to everything, she has a feeling.

What do you want to happen, then? Do you want me to stay, InuYasha? She asks, seriously. He looks at her, but then away again. Is it the light, or are his cheeks flushed? What does it mean? What does this unspoken agreement mean? If today, InuYasha has the chance to choose, what decision will he make? The hanyou grips his sword. She does not back down, leaning forward, peering at him beyond the flames. She wants to know.

Do you even have to ask that question? He asks, voice so soft she almost doesn't hear him over the crackle of the fire.

Say it again, she says, moving closer to him.

Say what again? He asks, looking at her, for real this time.

Tell me that you want me to stay, she says.

Kagome.

Tell me that you want me to stay, she says again.

I want you to stay, he says. She smiles, before him, the fire to her back as her arms move around his shoulders. His hands against her back, holding her, her knees warm against his, chilled nose buried in his hair.

I want you to stay, he says again. Before she can say anything at all—that she wants to stay, to be with InuYasha for the rest of her life—the red dawn breaks through the trees and—

That was the day InuYasha drew his last breath.

A click sounded from beside her, a technological zoom and shutter snapping, opening and closing. It wasn't like the snapping of twigs or the movement of a strong wind through the trees. It was the sound of her era: that cold time where the Goshinboku stood proud and tall through ages, but in all times where InuYasha ceased to exist.

Didn't he?

That sound again, closer, making her turn to see the black eye of a camera staring her directly in the face. She didn't register that the wedding procession had already passed and that they were standing out in the snow, where Inuyasha had his camera pointed at her and she was standing there, weeping openly for everyone to see. Hastily, she turned away from the lens, hiding her face from view, embarrassed, ashamed, and humiliated all at once.

"What are you doing?!" she asked. Her voice was higher than it had been in a while: the same tone she used when InuYasha would rifle through her bag, looking for ramen or other presents she brought back from her time. His face upon being caught was always so adorable and it became more endearing to her as the years went by. She shook, wounds raw and open now, bleeding, becoming infected with the knowledge that there was nothing there. InuYasha wasn't there with her and she was empty.

InuYasha! Why aren't you here? She wanted to scream.

"I'm sorry," he said, and sounded it, but Kagome couldn't look at him. She was too afraid to see those eyes that looked so much like his staring back at her. The one thing that had given her so much hope before suddenly left her afraid. There was no one who could replace InuYasha. Even if he was like him, looked like him, spoke like him, he would never be him. No one could be InuYasha.

No one at all.

"I-I can't! I can't believe you!" she shouted, her voice echoing in the empty courtyard. She rubbed her eyes on the sleeve of her coat until her face felt raw, but the tears kept coming, spilling forth onto the soft, blue scarf around her neck. He did not make to touch her and he didn't come any closer. In a way, Kagome was glad, afraid she would crumble and fade away into nothing if he did. And yet, she also felt this sense of loss inside of herself that he did not pursue her. It made her frustrated, like everything that was moving forward in time, where everyone had their match, their someone, and everyone had that opportunity for happiness.

Where did ours go, InuYasha?

Were they truly destined to be apart from the moment they met? Kagome's hands clenched into fists at the unfairness, the unjustness of it all, and she hated herself for finding that she hated the lady in white; she hated those nameless people on the trains who had their happy lives; she hated everyone for being able to move forward when she could only remain stationary. And she hated the boy behind her for having his name and his face and his eyes and it just wasn't fair…

"I…" She gritted her teeth and tried again, in a stronger and louder voice: "I never…" She turned around to face him, the words coming forth before she could stop them: "I never want to see you again, Inuyasha!" His expression did not change when she said that, although it seemed his eyes darkened considerably. And for a moment, in the gray afternoon, Kagome thought she saw a shimmer of silver encompass him from behind, where a ghost-like apparition of InuYasha stared back at her. That look in his eyes she then understood: sadness, hurt. Her words had lashed out and left a wound greater than any whip or weapon. Then it was just Inuyasha, with no trace of the hanyou she had so dearly loved. And then, she finally let that darkness turn inwards.

She hated herself.

Without another thought about her actions, her state of mind, or him staring back at her with those familiar eyes, Kagome turned and ran back towards the station. She pushed through the crowds without apologizing, hurrying down the steps, down the slushy streets and back to the warmth and safety of the train station. Panting and repeatedly wiping her wet eyes, Kagome went onto the platform to wait for the next train back to Tokyo. Clutching her return ticket, she kept a watchful eye over her shoulder, wondering if—half hoping, half dreading—that he would follow her.

He never came and she boarded the train alone.

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Don't hate me. Happy times are coming, I promise.

Word Count: 2,845