Chapter 1
Kagome walked up to Inuyasha and stretched out her arm to reveal a glowing pink jewel resting in her palm. "Here Inuyasha, it's yours, like I promised."
"No, I don't want or need it anymore. You keep it so you can come back and visit." Inuyasha closed her hand over the jewel and looked at her sad face.
"I......won't be able to come back. Now that the jewel is complete, there's nothing to keep me here." Kagome looked at the ground, unable to meet those inviting gold eyes she loved so much.
'So I'm not something? She won't stay for me.' Inuyasha closed his eyes as he thought for a way to keep her there. He felt a light touch against his neck and by the time he had opened his eyes, Kagome was standing in front of him, clutching his necklace to her chest. 'NO, what if that's my only link to your world. Put it back!' Inuyasha watched with wide eyes as she slowly stepped toward the well. Having removed all links to her, he was in a bit of a daze.
"I'm sorry everyone. I love you all and I'll miss you. Good Bye!" With that Kagome leapt over the edge of the well into the endless darkness.
Seeing Kagome jump into the well had motivated Inuyasha. He ran to the edge and reached down in hope of grabbing her wrist, but she was gone. He stared down into the black pit and felt the same way as the well looked. 'I'm not going to loose her.' He then leapt over the side and waited for that bluish light to encase him, it never came and he hit the bottom of the well, still in his time. Out of his own frustration he started digging at the cold earth. "No...... The necklace was the link. DAMN IT KAGOME! COME BACK! Come back!" Realizing there was nothing more he could do he leapt from the well and landed next to it. Still dazed, he leaned against the edge as he thought out loud. "I've lost her. The one person who understands me. The one person who didn't want me changed. The one person that could brighten my day with a single smile. The one person I love most in the world is gone........I love Kagome?! If only I wasn't so stubborn and had told her, she would probably be here right now. What have I done?" At his realization, he slid down the side of the well and stared off blankly into the forest. "I've lost the woman I love!"
"It's about time you-"
Sango cut Miroku off by a hand over his mouth. "Now is not the time. We should head back. Let's leave him for a bit." Sango then took Miroku by the hand and walked towards Kaede's, carrying a bawling kitsune.
Inuyasha sat against the well thinking about the last 2 years. Every thought was about Kagome, all their ups and downs, their fights, their apologies, even their close call "kissing moments". 'There had been so many of those and still, I was unable to kiss her.' "I've lost her. I've lost Kagome." He then laid his head back and stared up at the bright blue sky, a vacant look on his face. Inuyasha closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Keh, I should leave. I can still smell her." He opened his eyes again and stared at the few clouds that dotted the sky. 'But I don't want to leave her scent. It's comforting.' He shut his eyelids yet again and continued to inhale her scent, a solitary tear rolled from his eye. "Funny........her scent seems to be getting stronger." Inuyasha decided it was time to go back and stood, not facing the well. As if her scent was drawing him, he turned and looked down the well one last time. "Her scent is so strong.....as if she just got here." His eyes narrowed as he heard a slow, unsteady heartbeat. "What the?"
Without a second thought, Inuyasha flung himself over the edge and down the well. 'Has she really come back?' As soon as his feet touched the cold earth, he was looking around. He spotted a human figure laying face down in the dirt, unconscious and naked. 'Naked.' He examined the body from a distance, satisfied that the nude person smelled exactly like Kagome and he hadn't smelled any blood, he walked up to her silently and heard her breathing was extremely shallow and her heartbeat was slow. Striping out of his haori, he wrapped Kagome in it for decency. He asked aloud "What the hell happened to her?" Being careful not to jar any injuries she may have sustained, he managed to get her cradled in his arms and next to his chest. He stood and scanned the cave for any of her things. 'That's odd. Why would she come back without her stuff and naked for that matter? And what caused her to become unconscious.....I have to get her back to Kaede's and fast.' With that he leapt from the well.
~******~
"I see Inuyasha is not with you. How is he taking it?" questioned Kaede as she stirred some medicines in a pot and watched as the two humans enter the hut.
"Well....he finally admitted he loves her but she was already gone." Miroku told the older woman as he shook his head from side to side. "He's up at the well sulking right now."
"Oh, this is not good. He actually said he loves her out loud?" Kaede watched as both the monk and exterminator nodded. "His family mates for life and if he said out loud he loves her, that's the same as saying he chooses her as his mate. And with her leaving, it might as well be like she's dead. We need to keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn't do anything drastic." The room fell silent as everyone thought about Inuyasha's ordeal, except for Shippo who had cried himself to sleep in Sango's lap.
"Poor kid, he's taking Kagome's leaving just as hard as Inuyasha." Sango looked at the sleeping fox youkai as she stroked his tail. "He had practically adopted Kagome as his mother. He looked to her for food, love, love, guidance, protection and happiness. Now what will we do?"
"Just try and help him cope. What else can we do, Kagome took all our means of reaching her." Miroku stated as he watched the fox child shift and whimper in his sleep.
The hut fell silent once more. Everyone dealing with the pain of loosing their friend in their own way. Then suddenly, Inuyasha burst into the hut carrying something wrapped in his haori.
"Quick Kaede I need your help. She's unconscious and I don't know what's wrong." Inuyasha ignored the inquiring gazes from everyone as he laid the bundle out next to the fire. He heard everyone gasp as Kagome's face was lit up by the firelight. "I found her at the bottom of the well, out cold. No backpack, no clothes, nothing.......Kaede, her heartbeat is very faint, what happened? Help her already!"
"Calm down Inuyasha. I'll do what I can, but I need you all to leave."
"NO! I'm staying right here!"
"Inuyasha.....I can work better if you're not hovering over me. Will you two please take him outside and try to calm him down." Kaede pointed to the door briefly before turning to attend to Kagome.
~******~
Kagome walked up to Inuyasha and stretched out her arm to reveal a glowing pink jewel resting in her palm. "Here Inuyasha, it's yours, like I promised."
"No, I don't want or need it anymore. You keep it so you can come back and visit." Inuyasha closed her hand over the jewel and looked at her sad face.
"I......won't be able to come back. Now that the jewel is complete, there's nothing to keep me here." Kagome looked at the ground, unable to meet those inviting gold eyes she loved so much.
'So I'm not something? She won't stay for me.' Inuyasha closed his eyes as he thought for a way to keep her there. He felt a light touch against his neck and by the time he had opened his eyes, Kagome was standing in front of him, clutching his necklace to her chest. 'NO, what if that's my only link to your world. Put it back!' Inuyasha watched with wide eyes as she slowly stepped toward the well. Having removed all links to her, he was in a bit of a daze.
"I'm sorry everyone. I love you all and I'll miss you. Good Bye!" With that Kagome leapt over the edge of the well into the endless darkness.
Seeing Kagome jump into the well had motivated Inuyasha. He ran to the edge and reached down in hope of grabbing her wrist, but she was gone. He stared down into the black pit and felt the same way as the well looked. 'I'm not going to loose her.' He then leapt over the side and waited for that bluish light to encase him, it never came and he hit the bottom of the well, still in his time. Out of his own frustration he started digging at the cold earth. "No...... The necklace was the link. DAMN IT KAGOME! COME BACK! Come back!" Realizing there was nothing more he could do he leapt from the well and landed next to it. Still dazed, he leaned against the edge as he thought out loud. "I've lost her. The one person who understands me. The one person who didn't want me changed. The one person that could brighten my day with a single smile. The one person I love most in the world is gone........I love Kagome?! If only I wasn't so stubborn and had told her, she would probably be here right now. What have I done?" At his realization, he slid down the side of the well and stared off blankly into the forest. "I've lost the woman I love!"
"It's about time you-"
Sango cut Miroku off by a hand over his mouth. "Now is not the time. We should head back. Let's leave him for a bit." Sango then took Miroku by the hand and walked towards Kaede's, carrying a bawling kitsune.
Inuyasha sat against the well thinking about the last 2 years. Every thought was about Kagome, all their ups and downs, their fights, their apologies, even their close call "kissing moments". 'There had been so many of those and still, I was unable to kiss her.' "I've lost her. I've lost Kagome." He then laid his head back and stared up at the bright blue sky, a vacant look on his face. Inuyasha closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Keh, I should leave. I can still smell her." He opened his eyes again and stared at the few clouds that dotted the sky. 'But I don't want to leave her scent. It's comforting.' He shut his eyelids yet again and continued to inhale her scent, a solitary tear rolled from his eye. "Funny........her scent seems to be getting stronger." Inuyasha decided it was time to go back and stood, not facing the well. As if her scent was drawing him, he turned and looked down the well one last time. "Her scent is so strong.....as if she just got here." His eyes narrowed as he heard a slow, unsteady heartbeat. "What the?"
Without a second thought, Inuyasha flung himself over the edge and down the well. 'Has she really come back?' As soon as his feet touched the cold earth, he was looking around. He spotted a human figure laying face down in the dirt, unconscious and naked. 'Naked.' He examined the body from a distance, satisfied that the nude person smelled exactly like Kagome and he hadn't smelled any blood, he walked up to her silently and heard her breathing was extremely shallow and her heartbeat was slow. Striping out of his haori, he wrapped Kagome in it for decency. He asked aloud "What the hell happened to her?" Being careful not to jar any injuries she may have sustained, he managed to get her cradled in his arms and next to his chest. He stood and scanned the cave for any of her things. 'That's odd. Why would she come back without her stuff and naked for that matter? And what caused her to become unconscious.....I have to get her back to Kaede's and fast.' With that he leapt from the well.
~******~
"I see Inuyasha is not with you. How is he taking it?" questioned Kaede as she stirred some medicines in a pot and watched as the two humans enter the hut.
"Well....he finally admitted he loves her but she was already gone." Miroku told the older woman as he shook his head from side to side. "He's up at the well sulking right now."
"Oh, this is not good. He actually said he loves her out loud?" Kaede watched as both the monk and exterminator nodded. "His family mates for life and if he said out loud he loves her, that's the same as saying he chooses her as his mate. And with her leaving, it might as well be like she's dead. We need to keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn't do anything drastic." The room fell silent as everyone thought about Inuyasha's ordeal, except for Shippo who had cried himself to sleep in Sango's lap.
"Poor kid, he's taking Kagome's leaving just as hard as Inuyasha." Sango looked at the sleeping fox youkai as she stroked his tail. "He had practically adopted Kagome as his mother. He looked to her for food, love, love, guidance, protection and happiness. Now what will we do?"
"Just try and help him cope. What else can we do, Kagome took all our means of reaching her." Miroku stated as he watched the fox child shift and whimper in his sleep.
The hut fell silent once more. Everyone dealing with the pain of loosing their friend in their own way. Then suddenly, Inuyasha burst into the hut carrying something wrapped in his haori.
"Quick Kaede I need your help. She's unconscious and I don't know what's wrong." Inuyasha ignored the inquiring gazes from everyone as he laid the bundle out next to the fire. He heard everyone gasp as Kagome's face was lit up by the firelight. "I found her at the bottom of the well, out cold. No backpack, no clothes, nothing.......Kaede, her heartbeat is very faint, what happened? Help her already!"
"Calm down Inuyasha. I'll do what I can, but I need you all to leave."
"NO! I'm staying right here!"
"Inuyasha.....I can work better if you're not hovering over me. Will you two please take him outside and try to calm him down." Kaede pointed to the door briefly before turning to attend to Kagome.
~******~