Everything in the world had frozen in time. Nothing and no one existed as Inuyasha and Kagome made eye contact. The entire world was forgotten as Kagome pushed through the crowd and ran to him.
"Inuyasha!" she shouted again as she bounded toward him.
He leaped towards her and they met in midair. Wrapping their arms tightly around one another, they held each other close as Inuyasha's feet gently touched the ground. "Ka-Kagome," he whispered as he buried his face in her hair.
The world seemed right again in Kagome's mind. Everything would be all right because she had Inuyasha back. As her mind righted itself once more, she pulled away from him slightly. "Inuyasha, you're Rocketman?" she asked staring into his golden eyes.
He touched her cheek and smiled. "And you are Dog Girl. I never would have thought it would be you," he replied.
The sound of a straightened throat interrupted their reunion. As Kagome turned in Inuyasha's arms, she could hear and feel the hanyou growling. "What are you doing here, fleabag?"
Koga's arms were folded across his chest and he seemed annoyed. "I could ask you the same thing, mutt-face."
"Guys," the miko said as she tried to dispel the fight she knew was coming.
"Yeah, well, don't even think of touching Kagome, you worthless piece of shit," the hanyou snarled.
Koga snorted. "I'll touch her if I want. She's my woman. You, however…"
"Guys…" Kagome's voice fell on deaf ears.
"Ha! Don't make me laugh! I'll gut you so fast you're head will spin!"
"Inuyasha! Sit, boy!"
To Kagome's surprise, it worked. She had barely enough time to move out of the way before he had fallen hard on his face. "Oh," she gasped. "You still have the beads."
"Why wouldn't I still have the beads?" Inuyasha growled. "Kaede said you were the only one who could take them off, and you didn't before you left!"
She helped him back to his feet and he dusted off his jeans. Now that she was looking at him, she could see that he had, indeed, aged. Though Shippo and Sesshomaru may have exaggerated a bit, the hanyou seemed to be closer to middle aged. It seemed as though he was just beginning his middle aged years, which, to Kagome, wasn't so bad.
There were wrinkles where there hadn't been any before and his hair seemed to thin out a little, but not much. He looked thinner, too. Gone were his Robe of the Fire Rat and his hakama. He also wore shoes as opposed to running barefoot. His nails were trimmed as well.
"Why didn't you come to the shrine? You knew I would be there," she inquired.
He shook his head. "It's a long story," he told her. "Perhaps after the launch we can go to my place and talk?"
She smiled and nodded. Her smile faded fast as Inuyasha glared at Koga. "So, why are you here?" he asked gruffly.
"Feh," the wolf demon scoffed. "I'm here by your invitation, Rocky."
Inuyasha's eyebrows wrinkled in confusion. "I never invited you," he commented.
Kagome closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Before Koga could say anything else, she responded, "You did, Inuyasha. Koga," she hesitated before continuing, "Koga and I are… Well…"
The hanyou's eyes widened in realization. "Wait," he interrupted. "Don't tell me. You said online that you were engaged. Is he…? Damn, Kagome. Really? Koga?"
The miko frowned. "What do you expect? Koga and I met again a few months ago and we've gotten to know one another again. He was the only person I could talk to about that time," she huffed. "He was the only one who understood me. I didn't know where you were or if you were even still alive. I didn't have Shippo, either. Honestly, Inuyasha, if you would stop fighting with him and actually take the time to get to know him, you and Koga would probably be good friends."
Koga snorted. "You're stretching, babe," he said as Inuyasha puffed, "Doubtful."
Kagome shook her head and threw her hands in the air. "I swear, you are both like a couple of children the way you act," she fussed. "It's been five hundred years. Let it go! Whatever grievances you have now, get over it and move on! You're supposed to be mature adults."
"Babe…"
"I don't want to hear it," she said as she turned away from both of them. "Grow up!"
The two men followed her as she walked towards one of the windows. Inuyasha spoke, "Why Koga? I understand your need or desire to move on, really I do. I'm not surprised that you are engaged. But why Koga? He's… he's…"
She turned her head to face him. Her eyes softened as she stated calmly, "Because I love him, Inuyasha. You don't know the man he has become or how well he treats me."
"But I…"
"I love you, too," she said, cutting the hanyou off. "I've tried going back into that well. I've tried ever since the day I left. When I finally accepted that it wouldn't open up again, I waited for you. You never came. There was so much I wanted to say. So many things I wanted to talk to you about and you weren't there."
Inuyasha hung his head. "I cannot offer any viable excuse," he told her. "All I can say is I couldn't stand to see you again knowing that I would lose you once more. It was… it was easier for me to go on pretending that you were already gone. I… that doesn't excuse my actions. I just hope one day… you can forgive me."
She touched his shoulder causing him to gaze up at her. "I all ready do," she told him. "After my conversation with Sesshomaru, I thought a lot about what he said and what had happened. I cannot imagine the pain you have gone through. There's so much…"
She was interrupted by the ring of Inuyasha's cell phone. He grasped her hand. "We'll finish this later," he said as he looked to the window. "It's starting."
Kagome nodded as she turned to Koga and took his hand into hers. He smiled at her as he lifted their joined hands and kissed the back of her hand. The three of them gazed out the window and watched as the shuttle began its take off.
Author's Note: Short chapter, I know. A bit lacking, too, in my opinion. I really didn't want to have a fight between Inuyasha and Koga at the Kennedy Space Center. (Would not have been very respectful.) I don't think Kagome would want it, either. Besides, kinda shows they've matured, at least a little. Don't worry. More will be up soon. (I hope. This bug is wonderful.)
