Disclaimer: I don't own Inu Yasha. So There.

[Author's Note] *sniff* the story's almost finished… I don't know whether I should feel happy or sad! But I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get there. Anyway, here we go… thanks for being patient over the weekend, everyone! It's time to see some aftermath of the whole dreamscape adventuring! Let's see what happens…

Chapter six

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Kagome and Sango woke about 30 minutes after Inu Yasha and Miroku. Both were still a little exhausted from their escapade.

'Sango? Sango, can you hear me?' Kagome thought. No response. What she didn't know was that Sango was trying the same thing.

'Kagome? Are you there? Hello?' Nothing. They turned almost simultaneously to face each other. Although they could no longer read each other's thoughts, they knew exactly what the other was thinking: no more mind reading. Darn.

"Well, good morning, ladies," Miroku smiled mischievously atop his bedroll. Kagome voiced no response- instead, she watched Sango for hers. Sango seemed to freeze in her thoughts. First her eyes moved toward from whence the sound of Miroku's voice came, and then she turned her head- slowly, cautiously- as if she was afraid of discovering the result of her "dream wandering," as Kagome called it.

There he sat on his mat, smiling, his hand waving, and his eyes closed. Sango just stared at him, not knowing if she should say anything. Behind her, Kagome yawned. Shippou rustled out from inside her sleeping bag.

"I'm hungry! Can we eat breakfast?" Kagome smiled down at the kit.

"It seems like all you're thinking about lately is food, Shippou." He looked up at her guiltily. She chuckled. "Well, I do have some pancake mix in my backpack that I've been wanting to use, but…" Kagome eyed Sango and Miroku, whose eyes were fixed on each other in a kind of staring contest. "But I think I need some berries to use for topping." She got up, smoothing down her hair. She took a sip of water from the sports bottle she had packed away. "I think I saw a berry patch when Sango and I went gathering firewood. Why don't you and I go get some, Shippou?" The little kitsune nodded, and they left Sango and Miroku to themselves.

Even after Kagome left with Shippou, Miroku and Sango remained silent. Miroku was trying to figure out what to say to Sango to show her he was trying to change his ways, and Sango was still just a little nervous about confronting him in real life. Finally, she came up with the perfect way to break the uncomfortable silence as well as find out if his dream actually had the impact on him she was hoping for.

"Miroku," she began, sitting up to face the houshi. "What is it that you want most in life?"

"Nothing like starting of the day with a good philosophical question, huh, Sango?" She tilted his head at him disapprovingly.

'I'll bet he's going to say that he wants to be surrounded by beautiful women until the end of his days,' she thought to herself. Miroku's expression softened when he saw that she actually wanted him to give her a real answer.

"What I really want," Sango looked at him expectantly, "Is to defeat Naraku and be freed of this cursed air rip. Then-" he paused, and decided to go on, "then, I will finally be able to have a wife and a family without worrying about the family curse and avenging it." Sango was a little taken aback. He hadn't said what she expected him to say. Suddenly, she flashed back to when she was in Miroku's dreamscape, and what she told him about not being such a pervert.

'Maybe we'd actually get somewhere.'

"Sango, did you hear me?"

"Huh? I'm sorry." She shook her head.

"What is it that you want most in your life?" Sango stared at him, open mouthed, not believing her ears. They were actually having a decent heart-to-heart. She shook herself from her disbelief, smiled, and began to speak. And outside, near the window, was a faint glow where the demon sprite sat, watching.

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Inu Yasha left shortly after waking. He had hovered over Kagome for a few moments, and then left to clear his head and think about whether or not he really meant what he told her in his dream under the guise of scouting out possible traveling venues. He ran through the forest, and leapt into the trees, jumping from branch to branch until he found the perfect place to sit and think.

He remembered when he was a little pup. His hahaue used to tell him that dreams were always important, and should never be taken lightly. So what did his dream mean? He went over it again in his head for about the tenth time. He told Kagome he wanted her. That he wanted to be with her, protect her, forever. Was it true? Inu Yasha's eyes fell to his lap as he found the answer. Yes, it was true. He did care more deeply for Kagome than anyone else. Even more than he once did for Kikyou. But should he listen to his dream? Should he really tell her his feelings? His mother's words echoed in his mind.

'Dreams, my little Inu Yasha, are windows into how we really feel about the things in our life. It could be people, it could be circumstances. But remember, they should never be taken lightly. Sometimes the best advice someone can get is from their heart. And dreams are from the heart.'

With his mother's advice ringing in his mind, he stood up on the tree bough. And he began to scout the terrain for the journey the group had ahead of them.

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"Kagome, I'm done!" Shippou exclaimed excitedly. Looking down at him, Kagome laughed aloud. His face was covered with sticky juice leftover from the berries he had carelessly shoved in his mouth. "What?"

"*giggle* Nothing, Shippou. Um, why don't you go drop those off outside the house, and play for a little while? I've still got a few more berries to collect before I'm done. And then I'll be right there, okay?" Kagome looked down at her basket, which was only filled halfway. Truth be told, she was trying to take her time so that Miroku and Sango could have the heart-to-heart that Sango was so hopeful for. 'I hope everything works out for them,' she thought as she looked at Shippou nod his little head and scamper away. Kagome's eyes followed the little kitsune until he was out of sight, and then she raised them to the sky above her. 'I hope everything out works for me and Inu Yasha, too.' Kagome let out a light sigh full of apprehensive hope, and continued her task.

After a while, her spirit grew lighter, and she began to hum a tune to herself. Soon she was feeling almost as happy as she did in Inu Yasha's dreamscape. She had been humming for a few minutes, when she felt a familiar hanyou presence nearby. She could tell it was Inu Yasha, but decided not to do anything. Besides, she wanted to see if he would end up saying anything to her.

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She had finally finished filling up her basket, but nothing happened. Inu Yasha didn't show himself. He probably didn't even know she noticed him. Sighing, Kagome began to walk back toward the village, popping an occasional berry in her mouth as she went along. As she walked along, she noticed a medicinal herb Kaede had just shown her a few days back.

"Hey!" she shouted. She bent down to collect some leaves, proud that she spotted it all by herself.

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Inu Yasha had finished scouting ahead, and was on his way back to the village when he smelled her. Kagome. He made a detour toward the scent, and stopped when he heard her. She was humming a beautiful melody as she picked berries and placed them in her basket. Inu Yasha silently watched her from the treetops. She looked so happy, so carefree. He remembered doing the same thing with Kikyou. She always knew when he was nearby, and always called him out from where he was watching her. But with Kagome, he could always watch her in peace. It was refreshing to see her move around so happily. But before he knew it, her basket was full, and she began to make her way back to camp. He began to follow her, when she stopped and bent down to pick up an herb. It was now or never.

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[Author's note] wheeee!!! Did you like it? Well, I figure, may as well make good cliffhangers when I can! Right? *silence* Riiiiight?? *more silence* Okay, okay. I know, it was kinda mean, making you all wait until after the weekend, and then giving you a pretty wicked cliffie... but, Hm. Yeah, I guess I have no excuse. Well, let me know what you think!