What if the well didn't close after the Shikon Jewel disappeared? Here's my take on it.
Enjoy :)
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or its characters. All rights to Rumiko Takahashi.
From Now On
Bright, flashing lights blinded Inuyasha and Kagome as the Shikon Jewel disappeared.
Inuyasha tightened his arm around her as he felt a cosmic energy surround them.
Just as quickly as the light had come, it faded and revealed Kagome's family in the old wellhouse.
He didn't understand how they'd made it back to her side of the well, but they were safe and alive, so he wasn't complaining.
Kagome jumped out of the well and into the waiting embrace of her family. They were all crying, and Inuyasha realized that they must have been worried sick.
Man...I'm not the only one that cares for her or worries for her sake...
He figured the well had disappeared on Kagome's side as well. All he could do was heave a sigh of relief that they'd made it back with the well and themselves intact.
"Inuyasha saved my life."
Kagome's words were muffled by the arms of her family, but Inuyasha heard her say it. He half-smiled. It was bittersweet, but he still found himself feeling glad. He was overwhelmed with his relief.
Naraku was dead. The Shikon Jewel was gone. It was over.
A hand on his arm broke him from his thoughts. He glanced up to see Kagome's mother tugging gently on his sleeve. Confused, he got out of the well and followed her, only to realize that she was pulling him into the large embrace.
He hesitated at first, opting to stand there somewhat awkwardly, until he felt Kagome against his chest. That, of course, helped him relax.
Not long after, Kagome's mother ushered everyone inside, where she began to make a meal to celebrate Kagome and Inuyasha's return. Inuyasha then realized how hungry he was; he and Kagome had spent three days in the jewel, after all.
He glanced at Kagome as she eagerly patted the chair next to her. He sat down, his eyes never leaving her. If he was hungry, he knew she must be starving.
Kagome only smiled at him and set a comforting hand on his arm before releasing him to begin telling her family about what had happened during the final battle with Naraku.
Her whole family looked utterly terrified. He remembered Kagome briefly mentioning that she didn't go into too much detail about their adventures whenever she was home, and this instance made him believe it.
"It's okay now, though," he interjected, addressing their fear. "We won. It's all over."
Kagome's mother set plates out in front of everyone, urging Kagome and Inuyasha to begin eating.
"Itadakimasu," Kagome said quickly before diving into her food. She was finished in minutes, as was Inuyasha.
"I'm so happy you're home, dear," her mother cooed. She turned to Inuyasha. "Thank you for always taking care of her. I know you're her hero, but you're ours as well."
Inuyasha blushed. "Keh. Just keeping a promise." Kagome glanced at him and smiled brightly. Inuyasha knew she was remembering their conversation from the last time they were at her house.
He smiled back at her, remembering their almost-kiss.
Then he remembered their actual kiss.
Amidst all of the relief he'd felt upon finding her in the meido, Inuyasha had almost acted automatically when he finally saw her again. There was no hesitation; his instinct was to hold her, to kiss her, to prove that she was truly there with him finally. There was no hesitation on his part, nor was there any on her part.
Kagome finally broke their eye contact when her grandfather spoke.
"Now you can finally cease your constant running off," he announced. "I won't have to give any more excuses to the school...you can finally finish your schooling!"
Kagome paused as if realizing that fact for the first time. Before she could answer, her mother stepped in.
"There will be plenty of time to speak about the future, Father," she interrupted. "Let's just enjoy the rest of the evening with Kagome home. Would you like some more to eat?"
Kagome's mother started up a different topic of conversation, but Inuyasha barely heard what anyone was saying. He thought about it…
What would she do now?
There were no jewel shards to collect, no Naraku to fight, and no other overwhelming forces of evil left for them to fight. So...why would she need to return?
Of course, he knew she would come back to visit everyone, but how often? Would she eventually just stop coming?
Inuyasha couldn't let that happen.
Later on that night, Kagome's mother began to clear the dishes. "It's gotten rather late, Sota," she said as she put the dishes in the sink to wash. "It's about time for bed."
Sota stood up and walked over to hug Kagome. "Good night, sis. I'm glad you're home." Kagome hugged him tightly before he let go and walked over to Inuyasha.
Inuyasha cringed, figuring he was next to be hugged.
Instead, Sota surprised him. When the child approached Inuyasha, he bowed. "Thank you for taking care of Kagome," he said sincerely. "She's...my sister, and I don't...I don't know what I would do without her."
Inuyasha could smell the kid's tears before he saw them.
The hanyo reached out to ruffle Sota's hair. "Hey, don't cry, kid. She's not going anywhere if I have a say in the matter."
Sota looked up at him. He sniffled a bit before finally smiling. "Okay." Sota looked at the rest of his family. "Good night, everyone. See you all tomorrow."
Not too much later, Kagome's grandfather went to bed, leaving just Inuyasha, Kagome, and her mother.
"Kagome, how about I run you a bath?" asked Kagome's mother. Kagome perked up, nodding in excitement.
Her mother smiled and went upstairs to get the bath started, leaving Inuyasha and Kagome alone in the kitchen.
Inuyasha turned to look at Kagome, trying to figure out what she was thinking.
She seemed to hesitate for a moment. "Shouldn't we go back and let the others know we're okay?" The hanyo was inclined to agree with her.
"Probably. I wasn't the only worried one when the well disappeared...I was just the one with the means to find you."
Kagome sighed. "I've just been so overwhelmed that I didn't even think about it. I feel terrible that we didn't go back to at least let them know we made it out."
The young miko appeared deeply troubled; Inuyasha could tell she was torn between staying with her family and returning to the others.
"I can go while you're bathing," he offered. "I'll let them know everything is okay and then I can come back. They'll want us to return soon, though."
Taking his hand, Kagome nodded. "Okay. We can go back tomorrow morning after we have breakfast here." Her eyes brightened. "But after that, I have to start school again. Finally! Just in time for high school, too. I'm so happy."
Inuyasha winced at her excitement. Does this mean she wants to stay here permanently? What will I do if that's what she wants?
"Kagome, your bath is ready."
At her mother's quiet call, Kagome smiled goodnaturedly at Inuyasha before she rose and pulled him up with her.
Before they left the kitchen, Inuyasha pulled her into a tight hug. She immediately wrapped her arms around him and lay her head on his chest. Inuyasha knew he wasn't good with words, so he tried to convey his feelings through their embrace. It was nearly impossible for Inuyasha to let her go.
"I'll be back soon," he told her as they parted at the bottom of the stairs. Kagome smiled.
"Okay. I'll see you soon."
Inuyasha bolted to the well, eager to tell the others and then get back as soon as he could.
Night had fallen, so bright stars and a dark sky greeted him as he jumped out of the well and into the other side.
He wasn't expecting to see Miroku, Sango, and Shippo sitting around the well with sullen expressions on their faces.
Have they been waiting here the whole time? he wondered. Now I understand why Kagome felt bad about not coming back sooner...
They perked up when they saw Inuyasha. Shippo burst into tears and jumped up into Inuyasha's arms.
Inuyasha awkwardly patted his back but didn't push him away. He would make an exception this time.
"Inuyasha, are you alright?" Miroku asked.
Sango tugged on Inuyasha's sleeve. "Is Kagome okay? Where is she? Did you find her?"
Inuyasha tossed Shippo into Sango's arms and nodded. "Kagome is safe. We made it back to her house and she's there right now."
Shippo sniffled. "I miss her. I was scared we wouldn't see her again."
Inuyasha shook his head. "Don't worry, runt. She's fine. She'll be here tomorrow."
The hanyo saw Miroku wrap his arm around Sango. "Please bring her back as soon as possible. Now that we know she's okay, Sango will want her to be as involved as possible in the wedding plans."
Sango frowned at Miroku. "That's not the priority here, monk."
Miroku smiled at her. "Ah, my blushing bride. How lovely you are."
Inuyasha rolled his eyes but didn't complain. Now that Naraku was dead, Miroku and Sango were free to be together.
So were he and Kagome.
"I'm staying with her tonight," he explained. "So I'm heading right back. We'll return tomorrow morning."
Miroku let go of Sango and clapped Inuyasha on the back. "I certainly hope you'll take this opportunity to woo her now, my friend. Fate has given you this chance. Don't waste it."
Inuyasha blushed, thinking back to his and Kagome's kiss in the meido.
"Keh," he scoffed. "I don't need advice. See ya."
He hopped back in the well and made his way around the house. When he reached Kagome's window, he jumped up and easily opened it. He didn't like the insecurity of Kagome almost always leaving her window open, but he was grateful for it this time.
He landed in her room to find it empty. Apparently she still wasn't finished bathing.
How long is she gonna take? I want to kiss her - I mean, talk to her. I want to talk to her.
The usual scent of Kagome that he'd come to love was surrounding him. He took a deep breath and was overwhelmed once again with relief.
Inuyasha sat down on her bed and got comfortable.
He took a deep breath and leaned against the wall. His energy was starting to drain.
All that had mattered to him was finding Kagome; adrenaline was what had kept him going for the last three days. He could feel the exhaustion seeping into him, but he found that his mind was somehow wide awake, racing with thoughts about the young woman down the hall.
He thought back to what her grandfather had said. It would make sense for Kagome to remain here most of the time now that she actually could, so Inuyasha understood that. He didn't like it, but he understood it.
There was also her reaction to the realization that she would be able to attend her school much more often. She'd sounded so excited...how could he compete with that?
Would that lead to less and less time with her? Her current studies kept her busy enough, and given how difficult she had said the next part of her schooling was, he knew she was just going to get busier.
His ears drooped on his head as he thought about what could happen. He'd promised to protect Kagome with his life, and he still meant it. He wanted to be with her; they were born to be together, that much he knew.
He mulled over his thoughts and concerns that Kagome would one day realize she would prefer to stay on her side. It was entirely possible she could just outgrow who she was during their journeys. She very well could want to start her life over in her own time.
Inuyasha cringed. What if she meets someone she wants to be with? What if she falls in love?
The feelings between Inuyasha and Kagome were mutual, and they both knew it even if they had never explicitly talked about it. The closest they'd really gotten was their near-kiss in her room, but even that was grasping at air. But then they'd kissed in the meido, so where did that leave them? That had to be something, right?
He sighed. He just didn't know.
A little while later, Kagome walked back into her room and smiled at him. "I'm surprised you're not asleep," she teased as she closed the door behind her. "I figured you would be exhausted."
Inuyasha grimaced. "Just a little," he lied. A lot, actually...
Kagome smiled and grabbed her hairbrush. Inuyasha gazed at her as she went about her nightly routine.
"How were the others?" she asked. "Were they okay?"
"Yeah," was all he said.
He was caught off-guard at how nonchalant Kagome was acting. It was as if she didn't realize that their lives had just completely changed.
Inuyasha abruptly stood up and walked over to her. She paused her brushing to look up at him, the intense look in his eyes freezing her where she stood.
"What's wrong?" she asked, concern leaking into her voice.
Inuyasha frowned. "How can you be so normal right now?" His voice was harsh, which he regretted, but he couldn't help it; he was too wound-up.
"I...what do you mean?" she asked.
"Everything is different now," he grumbled. "And...I don't know what to think about anything."
Kagome frowned. "Why? We can be calm and free and happy now. I thought you would be relieved."
Inuyasha moved to sit back down on the bed and crossed his arms to let them rest in his sleeves. "Of course I'm relieved, Kagome. I'm so relieved that I can't even put it into words." He looked away from her. "But I had never really thought about what would happen after we destroyed Naraku."
Kagome was silent for a moment. She put her hairbrush down and came to sit down next to him on the bed. She turned so she was facing him, but he still avoided her eyes.
She reached out to lay a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I don't really know what to think now, either," she admitted. "I know I'll be able to go to school from now on, but…" Her voice trailed off.
Inuyasha quickly glanced at her. "So...you want to spend more time here?"
Kagome removed her hand from his shoulder and moved so she was sitting next to Inuyasha with her back against the wall.
"Well, yeah," she replied. "We don't have a murderous psychopath chasing us around anymore and there are no jewel shards to search for. My role as the jewel protector is over now."
I knew it. She's choosing this side.
"I see," Inuyasha finally said after a moment of silence. "I figured you wouldn't want to be on the other side anymore."
Kagome gasped. "What? Why would you think that?"
Inuyasha shrugged but said nothing.
A tender hand settled on his cheek and gently turned his face toward her. "Inuyasha, is that really what you think?"
Inuyasha shrugged again. "It makes sense, doesn't it? You get to do your schooling and be with your three loud friends now. You don't need to come back."
Kagome looked taken aback, as if he had just struck her. "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, dropping her hand from his cheek.
His golden eyes narrowed. "I'm just stating the facts."
"We kissed!" she suddenly shouted. "Did that not mean anything to you?"
Inuyasha huffed. "Keh! Of course it did, but apparently it doesn't mean anything to you!"
Kagome just looked at him.
It was a silent stare-down for a moment. Inuyasha was trying to think of something to say, and he knew Kagome was doing the same.
"Inuyasha," she finally began, her voice quiet. "That kiss meant everything to me. Don't you get it? You mean everything to me."
Inuyasha's eyes widened. "So...you are going to come back?"
Kagome sighed. "Of course I'm going to come back. I couldn't keep myself from coming back if I tried." She reached out and took his hand. "It's going to be a little different now, though. I can't be there for days or weeks on end like I have been, but I'll come a few nights a week. I can bring ramen for us to all have for dinner together."
Inuyasha scoffed. "Keh, it's not about the ninja food, Kagome. It's about you."
Kagome eyed him. "I don't believe that you think it's just about me. You and I both know this is about me and you. You have to tell me what you want, Inuyasha. I can't read your mind."
A hot blush came over Inuyasha at being put on the spot like this. "You should know by now!" he shouted, his voice defensive and harsh.
Kagome looked like she could scream. "I don't know! Stop acting like this and tell me what you want!"
Inuyasha growled. "I want to be with you, woman! That's all I want! But now you're going to meet new people at your new schooling place and probably meet another Hojo boy that likes you and you'll probably like him and-"
Warm lips on his cut him off. It only lasted a moment, but it got him to shut up.
A light blush colored Kagome's cheeks as Inuyasha stared down at her.
"I want to be with you, too," she murmured. "Don't worry about that other stuff. You've always protected me, Inuyasha. I've never been scared with you by my side. Even in the jewel, all the fear I had disappeared as soon as you found me. How could I not want to be with you?"
Inuyasha was at a loss for words, so he kissed her.
Three Years Later…
"Congratulations to our new graduates!"
Cheers rang out as the ceremony ended. Kagome's cheeks hurt from smiling so much that day.
She ran to find her family in the sea of people. When she finally found them, she ran straight into her mother's arms.
"Congratulations, dear," her mother said. "We're all so proud of you." Kagome moved to hug her grandfather and Sota, too.
She glanced around, looking for Inuyasha.
"Inuyasha said he was going to run and grab something," her mother explained. "He'll be back in a few minutes."
Kagome nodded as her smile returned.
It had been a long three years, but she had finally graduated from high school. She had managed to find a happy and rather simple routine after the war against Naraku ended. She primarily stayed on her side of the well to finish her schooling but frequently went to the past to spend time with Inuyasha and their friends.
No matter where she went, Inuyasha sought her out each night. Every night since their talk in her room when they'd decided to be together, he would kiss her, sometimes gently and sometimes passionately, and then lay with her until she fell asleep. Kagome was very content.
Speaking of the object of her affection, she spotted Inuyasha making his way toward her.
She smiled brightly and went to wrap her arms around him. It took a moment for him to return her hug; he was usually rather uncomfortable touching her in public, but he finally reciprocated as he wrapped her in his warm embrace.
When they pulled away from each other, Inuyasha held out a large bouquet of flowers. "Here. I saw these over there and thought you would like them."
Kagome managed to sneak a quick kiss on his cheek and took the flowers. "Thank you. They're beautiful."
Her mother peeked around her shoulder and looked at the massive bouquet. "Um, Inuyasha, dear, where did you find those?"
Inuyasha motioned to an arch with flowers all over it. It was supposed to be a setting for graduates to take pictures with their families, but it appeared that Inuyasha had taken a vast majority of the flowers out. The whole right side of the arch was currently settled in Kagome's hands.
Her whole family dissolved into laughter, leaving Inuyasha blushing. Kagome took his hand and squeezed it, knowing that would brighten his mood.
And it did.
Later that night, after they'd eaten a celebratory dinner, Kagome and Inuyasha were up in her room.
Kagome was quiet, thinking back to when they'd run into Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi on their way home.
The girls had gone on about their university plans and asked her what her plan was.
"Well, I haven't decided yet," Kagome had answered meekly. She knew the girls would give her a hard time.
"You should really get on that, Kagome!" Eri said. "Colleges won't wait around forever."
Kagome waved a dismissive hand. "I know, but let's just focus on the fact that we all graduated together." That distracted the girls into cheering, so Kagome figured she was off the hook...for now.
Kagome reflected on the conversation as she and Inuyasha lay curled up together in her bed. Her chatter had died down once they'd gotten comfortable. After a few silent moments, she felt Inuyasha's hand gently run up and down her back.
"What's wrong?" he asked. "It's not like you to be this quiet for so long, chatty woman." Kagome smiled and allowed the beat of his heart under her cheek soothe her.
Over the last three years, their relationship, and Inuyasha himself, had changed drastically. Ever since they'd gotten together romantically, Inuyasha had really grown and matured. He was still Inuyasha, the grouchy, surly hanyo, but he was also Inuyasha, the brave, tenacious hero. She loved every single piece of him.
Sure, he still had his childish moments, but Kagome did, too. Overall, she and Inuyasha had both grown up, and they had done it together.
That was why Kagome hadn't chosen a university yet.
She was honestly hoping that Inuyasha would propose after she graduated, but he hadn't given any indication at all that he would. He knew that she was eighteen now and finished with high school, which made her an adult in her time.
Three years was a long time to court in his era, so she was hoping he would want to move forward as husband and wife. Seeing Sango and Miroku start their family had only served to increase her desire to have that same marital bliss for herself and Inuyasha.
She was prepared to permanently move to Kaede's village with Inuyasha as his wife and, hopefully, a skilled miko. She would still visit her family in her time, but she wanted to really feel like a true resident of Inuyasha's time.
Inuyasha lightly patted her cheek. "Hello, is Kagome there? I'm trying to reach her but it doesn't look like she's there."
Kagome looked at him and smiled. "I was just lost in thought." Inuyasha peered at her.
"About what?" he asked.
Kagome shrugged. "Just...thinking about the future, I guess."
Inuyasha was quiet for a moment. "Are you going to do that university thing? You haven't talked about it much lately, but is it still something you want to do?"
Kagome sighed. "I don't know. Maybe, but I'm not sure."
Inuyasha moved to roll over so he could face her. He propped his head up on his hand and appeared to be trying to figure out her thoughts. Good luck with that, she thought. I can't even figure my thoughts out right now.
"So...you don't want to do it?" he asked. Kagome shrugged again.
Inuyasha hesitated. "Well, if you could do anything, what would you want to do?" Kagome looked up at him and touched her hand to his cheek.
"Whatever I wind up doing, I just want to be with you."
Inuyasha gazed into her eyes for a moment before he pulled her into his arms again.
"If you wind up not doing the university thing," he began, "then I think I know of something else you could do."
She nestled herself comfortably against him. "And what's that?"
Inuyasha's hand resumed lightly running up and down her back. "Kaede could always use some help in the village. That old geezer is getting up there. I swear I can hear her bones creak at least ten times a day." Kagome giggled.
"Stop it," she playfully scolded. "Kaede is in great shape for her age."
Inuyasha chuckled and nuzzled her hair. "But she could still use help."
Kagome went serious as she realized what he was saying. "So you think I should…"
Inuyasha pulled back a little so he could look into her eyes. His hand gently came to her face and settled on her cheek. "I think you should come back with me. I haven't said anything to anyone, but I've been building a house near Kaede's village while you've been at school, and I think you should live there with me. But that's just what I think."
Kagome's eyes widened as she stared at him in surprise.
After a moment, Inuyasha scoffed. "Keh, come on now, woman. Don't you have anything to say to that?"
Kagome grinned. "I think all of that sounds perfect...I think that's what I'll do."
Inuyasha kissed her then. She rolled onto her back and wrapped her arms around him to drag his body over with her.
They had kissed countless times over the years, but this was one that would stick out in Kagome's mind for the rest of her life. In this kiss, Kagome felt the promise of a new future in front of her. She loved Inuyasha so completely, so wholeheartedly, and she knew she wanted nothing more than to be with him in the village surrounded by their feudal loved ones.
From now on, she knew that was exactly the sort of bliss she would have.
When they finally parted, Inuyasha smiled down at her.
"You know what else I think?" he asked.
Kagome smiled. "What else do you think?"
Inuyasha planted another kiss on her.
"You would look pretty good in a bridal kimono."
FIN.
When this idea came to my head and I sat down to write it, I didn't think I would ever be able to get it out of my head and into words. Almost two weeks later, this story was born. I hope you enjoyed :)
Much love.