Don't Let Me Let You Go

Chapter 4: A Thousand Miles

Review Responses:

BMMW: Ra/Kami/God Kirstie, that was disgusting! Hey...when you said here's a Pixi Stix for a sad job, did you mean sad as in angst-sad, or sad as in pathetic-sad? Oh well. (eats the Pixi Stix)

Demon Girl: I DO LOVE INU-YASHA! I kinda like "I need tissues" fics, don't you?

Kitten05: MWAH! This story is on someone's favorites! I feel so dang loved!

Shadow Spinner: Personally I love angst...and I write a lot of it. But this chapter has an extremely fluffy happy ending.

Higurasi Kagome: O.O Wow, did you read my mind? 'Cause that's actually pretty close to what's gonna happen.

-o-o-o-o-

A year after Kagome left, Inuyasha gave up on her ever coming back.

'But that doesn't make me miss her any less,' he thought ruefully. The rest of the gang had caught up with Inuyasha about six months after Kagome left, and they all lived in Kaede's village

'What I wouldn't give for just one more night...'

(Kagome's time)

Things were not going well for Kagome. Her mother wasn't exactly well off financially, and the stress of school was getting to her. That day, she dropped her backpack on the chair and headed out to the well.

Tears suddenly filled her eyes, because she was sure she could sense Inuyasha right on the other side of the well. Kagome leaned against the old wood and pressed her face to it.

Just then the feeling got weaker. It was if...Inuyasha was walking away from the well. "No..." Kagome whispered, struggling not to cry. "Don't leave me..."

(Inuyasha's time)

'It's always so freaking crowded around this time of day,' Inuyasha thought sourly. He suddenly had a strong urge to shove a little kid out of the way, but stopped when he thought of what Kagome would have done to him if he did.

Inuyasha smiled slightly; she would've sat him like crazy.

He sighed with relief when he saw the well come into view. If he had spent any more time in that hectic part of the town, he probably would've screamed.

Inuyasha sat down against the well, a strange feeling overcoming him.

It was Kagome.

She was on the other side.

And then, very very faintly, he heard it.

Someone calling his name. And it sounded like they were in the well.

Inuyasha looked down inside, but it was empty. He growled in frustration. Then he heard it again.

"Inuyasha!"

His eyes widened when he recognized the voice. "Kagome?"

"Inuyasha!"

"Kagome! Is that you!"

"Inuyasha! The well won't let me through!"

"I know that, wench!" he shouted back, feeling close to tears. Just then, she said something else, but Inuyasha couldn't hear it. "W-what?"

"Inuyasha...I miss you."

"I miss you too, Kagome," Inuyasha sighed, as her voice vanished completely.

"No..." He blinked in confusion, jumping back from the well as if it were a poisonous snake.

Sango, Miroku, and Shippo had been coming to find him; but Inuyasha was in no mood to talk. He shoved them all away and stumbled blindly through the forest.

"What happened to him?" Sango asked bewilderedly.

"He's just sad 'cause this is the one-year anniversary of the day Kagome left," Shippo piped up then, close to tears.

"I'm sorry, Shippo," Sango said comfortingly, putting an arm around Shippo.

"It's been a whole year..." Miroku said to himself.

"It seems longer..." Sango remarked.

"I wanna stay here," Shippo said stubbornly, plopping himself down in front of the well.

(Kagome's time)

Kagome was slumped against the well, sobbing. "I actually heard Inuyasha...he was so close..."

"I'm sorry, neechan."

"Souta?" Kagome said, startled. He came over and hugged her.

"I'm really sorry you can't see Inu-no-niichan anymore..."

Souta stared up at his sister, who had a look of utter hopelessness so sad he thought he would start crying if he kept watching.

So Souta reached out and shoved Kagome into the well.

(Inuyasha's time)

The next thing Kagome knew was that she was falling. Her mind could process nothing. Nothing except one thing.

She was going back.

Kagome sat up from the bottom of the dirt-covered dry well. She could hear voices, but they were very quiet, her ears were ringing so loud. Kagome climbed out of the well, and shoved herself out of it and landed in a heap on the ground.

"K-Kagome-chan!" someone cried in surprise.

Kagome slowly opened her eyes, and the first thing that came into focus was-

"Sango-chan!" Kagome gaped, hugging her friend.

"Kagome's back!" Shippo shouted happily, latching himself around her neck.

"Shippo, go get Inuyasha!" Miroku said. Shippo nodded and bounded off. Then Miroku saw Kagome's face. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Inuyasha's here?"

Inuyasha sat in a tree, hugging his knees to his chest. "Feh," he said bitterly. "I don't need them," he spat. "And I definitely don't need Kagome!"

"You're a horrible liar, Inuyasha," said a voice from in the tree.

Inuyasha yelped in surprise and jerked backwards, swinging off the tree limb in the process. He just managed to claw his way back up onto the limb.

"What do you want?" he angrily asked the owner of the voice, Shippo.

"I wanna show you something!" Shippo squeaked excitedly. Without waiting for a reply, he dragged the irritated hanyou off to the well.

"See?" Shippo said happily, letting go of Inuyasha's wrist and climbing up onto Kagome's shoulder. "Kagome came back!"

Neither Kagome nor Inuyasha said anything, just stood, watching each other.

Sango, smiling to herself, grabbed Miroku's hand and plucked Shippo off of Kagome's shoulder. Inuyasha and Kagome needed to be alone.

"Inuyasha..." Kagome whispered. "It's me...don't you remember?"

Inuyasha said nothing. Kagome was gone, gone forever, this was just a dream, or a hallucination, nothing more.

"Inuyasha...I-I love you, remember...?" Kagome said, tears filling her eyes.

Inuyasha still said nothing, his body tense.

"Inuyasha, please, it's me!" Kagome shouted in frustration, sinking to the ground and fighting back tears. This wasn't what she had imagined...

Inuyasha relaxed, remembering the time he had kissed Kagome, the night before she left.

This girl...It was the same girl who he held that night in the clearing...

It was Kagome.

Inuyasha walked slowly to her and crouched down. Without a single word, he took Kagome into his arms.

Kagome stopped crying and her eyes flew open.

"I do remember, Kagome. I remember everything: the forest, the kiss...you leaving..."

Kagome didn't say anything; she still clung to Inuyasha.

"I'd never forget you, idiot..."

"I love you, Inuyasha," she said.

And for the first time in a year, a real, true smile formed on both their faces.