Make you stay while I wait
This is how a heart breaks

Inuyasha deeply regretted his life decisions as he climbed up the stairs breathlessly. Since when was he so weak that he couldn't even climb up freaking stairs? Surely, surely he'd had worse injuries before. What was a little starvation to having an arm thrust through your chest, huh? Still by the time he got to the top it was all he could do not to collapse. It was bad enough that he was panting and his heart was beating so hard he thought it was trying to escape. It was beyond irritating. Leaning against the cold stone wall by the entrance to the shrine, Inuyasha tried to get a hold of himself and closed his eyes. This was literally pathetic. He should've just stayed put in Kagome's room but...but...

God, the smell of her blood mixed with the scent of his reincarnation was enough to make him want to curl up and die. Of heartbreak. Of grief. Of pain. The back of his mind silently wishing Kikyo had been successful in killing him before his friends had managed to 'rescue' him. And why they thought it had been a good idea to send him to this era with Kagome and then seal the well was beyond him. Did it never occur to them that the crazy bitch would've done something to make him hurt Kagome?

Swallowing thickly, he took a steadying breath and pushed himself off the wall before glumly making his way back to Kagome's house. Maybe the smell would've lessened some before he got back there. Or maybe he could just curl up in her bed underneath the blankets and hope Kagome's natural scent would block out the unpleasant reminders and memories. It bothered him immensely that the miko still wasn't back yet. Did he really hurt her that badly?

Inuyasha had to hold back the tears that wanted to fall at the thought and he glanced miserably at the well before his eyes widened in surprise. The sutra on the door was gone. With a shaky breath, he looked back at the inviting home and his shoulders sagged. The opportunity was there. Calling to him to put an end to this once and for all. It would be easy - so easy - to just hop in the well without having to explain to Kagome's mother or Kagome herself why he needed to...

Exhaling slowly, he stared wearily at the unobstructed entryway to his world.

Maybe Kikyo didn't have a back up spell, he reasoned silently. Maybe he could end this without sacrificing himself. Kagome would forgive him once she knew, if she didn't know already, that he hadn't meant to hurt her. His reincarnation had known after all which could only meant Kagome figured out (finally) the beads were the problem. That...that could be why she told him. So she could have someone else's opinion on what happened. Maybe his reincarnation was there because his soul or the fates knew she needed help. Maybe...maybe this new him wasn't supposed to be with Kagome but was a means to an end. They could...they could be together. He could be...maybe it would be alright.

Exhaling slowly, he turned towards the newly unobstructed well and tried to force his feet to move forward. This path was the very last thing he wanted to do. He wanted to find Kagome. To feel her fingers combing his hair. To hold her against him and have her presence block out all the ugliness. To recapture that fleeting belief that she loved him. To have her kiss him senseless and get lost in the moment. To hold onto the happiness he got to experience when she was there.

But that wasn't going to happen.

It never would.

Kikyo had seen to that.

Closing his eyes, he tried to convince himself that this was the way. This was the only way to keep Kagome safe short of destroying the well on the other side to keep her here. She was all that mattered. It was all speculation past that point if he was being honest. Hopeless, painful speculation he couldn't afford.

Casting one last look at Kagome's bedroom window, he sighed before heading towards the well house. Whatever happened it was for her and if he had to die...it was a price he was willing to pay.

~o~o~o~o~o~

Miroku narrowed his eyes at the single soul collector once again floating above the tree line in the distance. It was closer than it had been daring to venture these past two days. Kikyo was coming as surely as the sun would set.

He had kept his barrier up and ready to prevent the soul catchers from coming closer to the well. Had set up numerous sutras around the village. Sango too had her own defenses up with enough booby traps to stop even the strongest of demons from coming closer. The problem was the woman herself.

Miroku couldn't very well Suck her into his wind tunnel with part of Kagome's soul still trapped inside that false body. Sango would need to get precariously close and outside of their defenses even with her boomerang. He had no doubt that Kikyo anticipated this. That she had some trick up her sleeve as dasteredly as what they had come to expect from Naraku.

Letting out a long exhale, Miroku shrugged his shoulders and rolled his neck. The danger that InuYasha had somehow killed Kagome was still looming as well. With her seals in place, it might very well be that InuYasha was on a murder spree on that side of the well without the ability to stop. If that was the case, he could hardly imagine how they would be able to save their friend from himself if he did return to his senses. The guilt alone would probably drive InuYasha mad.

As if on cue, Miroku felt the telltale tingle of the well's magic and he stiffened not knowing what to expect. Sure enough InuYasha jumped out, albeit unsteadily, and tried to sprint away only to slam painfully into the barrier.

"Dammit," InuYasha cursed softly as he crumpled to the ground and shuddered once before getting to his feet and sending a murderous glare at the monk, "Let me out bastard."

"No," Miroku replied firmly as he set his jaw and rose, "I shall not permit you to return to her and I will use every method within my abilities to do so."

At Inuyasha's look of unparalleled defeat, however, Miroku's face softened and he sighed before asking tentatively, "How is Kagome-sama?"

"I didn't kill her if that's what you're asking," InuYasha spat back venomously as he circled the barrier (everything once in a while poking it with his claw and cursing when it zapped him back), "She'll be fine. Now let me out."

Narrowing his eyes suspiciously, Miroku shook his head, "Tell me your intentions and then I may consider it."

"None of your business," InuYasha spat back as he whipped around. He regretted the move instantly as his head spun and he staggered as a wave of vertigo hit him. Miroku moved to assist but stopped when InuYasha growled and bared his fangs.

"Let me out," the hanyo growled menacingly as his chest heaved, "I swear to everything holy I will kill you if that's what it takes."

"Such empty threats," Miroku chuckled darkly as he raised a single eyebrow and glanced in the distance. The soul collector was closer still.

"I'll do it," InuYasha threatened as he flexed his claws.

"By all mean, please try," Miroku challenged as he met the half-demons angry glare, "I haven't had a good fight in quite some time."

For a moment, InuYasha seemed to be considering his course of action before he lunged. With a slight smirk, the monk easily sidestepped, produced a sutra with one hand and slapped it firmly against the half-demon's back. As InuYasha hit the ground and slid into the barrier, Miroku sighed.

"We have sparred too often for you to be unpredictable," Miroku hummed as he rolled his eyes, "That was sloppy."

"That's because I wasn't trying to kill you," InuYasha huffed in frustration as he struggled fruitlessly against the bond, "Just knock you out a little."

"Clearly," Miroku sighed exasperatedly, " You were slow. Uncoordinated. You are still unwell my friend. This is not the moment for heroics. No matter your motivation."

"What do you care?" Inuyasha spat back hatefully as he continued to fight the power of the sutra, "Let me go you sorry son of a..."

"Insults will not result in having me release you," Miroku chuckled bemusedly before adding in a serious tone, "Please understand I care a great deal for your well-being. Trapping you like this is not something I do lightly. We almost lost you and I, for one, refuse to willingly send you to your death. I must ask that you cease your struggles and permit us to help. Not everything must be done alone."

Inuyasha could hear Sango scrambling towards them in the distance and knew the battle to escape was lost. With a resigned sigh, he glared up at the monk before turning his face back to the grass with a frustrated huff.

~o~o~o~o~o~

Kagome sighed heavily as she arrived back at the shrine.

"Stupid doctors," the miko muttered to herself as she set her jaw, "I was fine. Didn't even need stitches."

In the back of her mind, she was more frustrated at herself than anything. Not only had she not realized Inuyasha had been in danger thus resulting in his near death experience but she had also failed to notice the extra set of beads until it was almost too late. In so many ways, she had failed him. Self-loathing flooded her system as her feet carried her across the cold tile. Was she really *that* selfish a person? Despite telling herself over and over that she loved Inuyasha more than life itself, she'd just...she'd just...

And now he was wandering aimlessly around Tokyo. A place he barely understood. Probably miserable because he was still hurt and because he'd hurt her. She knew it didn't matter to him whether he had control of his body when he attacked her or not. Obviously, he had tried to do everything in his power to fight against the spell. He'd let his demon take control for a moment for goodness sakes! Which was stupid. He could be *so* stupid sometimes.

She stopped and stared up at the Sacred Tree. Did he hate her now? Did he blame her for his current predicament? Her heart ached at the thought. Whatever he'd felt for her before all this nonsense surely had been crushed. Just like Kikyo she'd betrayed him. In a different way, of course, but that didn't change the fact that she'd believed the worst in him and inadvertently sentenced him to a fate worse than death. Despite telling him over and over, she loved him just as he was. That she admitted she didn't care about his loyalty to Kikyo so long as she could stay by his side. That...that...

Well, instead of proving to him that what she said was true, she'd arbitrarily decided to make her love conditional. Either he had to tell Kikyo or nothing could happen between them. In her world, this was a reasonable demand. Something that any woman worth her salt would want if an already committed man wanted a relationship with her. It was reasonable for her time. But in this time, under these circumstances, she was the worst person that ever lived. She knew Kikyo was crazy and revenge driven. She knew Kikyo was dangerous and wanted nothing more than to punish Inuyasha for something he didn't even do. Why had making him go into that alone seemed like a good idea? He'd asked her to go with him. He asked...

Because he knew. He knew the risks and he went anyway. For her. To prove he was being honest. That he really had chosen her. Despite his unspoken anxiety on the matter. All because she believed the worst in him and he wanted to prove to her that he wasn't the man she clearly thought he was.

Glancing at the well-house despondently, Kagome was almost too wrapped up in her own thoughts to notice something very, very important. It took an embarrassingly long time to place what exactly felt wrong about the well-house's appearance before her jaw dropped and a cold chill ran up her spine.

"No," she breathed as she rushed to the door and threw it open. Staring down at the well, her heart sank.

The sutras were gone.

"No, no, no," Kagome groaned as she rushed down the stairs and searched for the sutras. Maybe he hadn't noticed yet. Maybe if she re-sealed the well it wouldn't be too late.

Or maybe it already was.

She needed to make sure before sealing the well again. She needed to know.

"No, no, no," Kagome continued mumbling in panic before she shook her head determinedly, threw one leg over the lip and dropped down.

It was a few minutes later that another figure appeared at the door of the well-house. His dark eyes glancing around the well before they widened in realization. The figure cringed and looked like he'd rather die than do what he was about to do but with determined steps, he made his way to the well and looked down into it.

"Come to apologize and now I'm...What am I even doing?" Jiro mumbled exasperatedly to himself as he threw a leg onto the lip of the well and using the rope to lower himself down, "Why would you go in there Kagome? Just...just dammit. Please don't work. Please don't work. Please don't..."