Shippo dashed through the woods as fast as he possibly could; yet still he could not keep up with the furious Kagome. How could someone as injured as her move so quickly?

Shippo, fortunately, knew exactly where she was going. He sped towards the forbidden well as fast as he possibly could, his little fox-feet were mere blurs as the wind rushed through his little orange topknot.

He burst into the clearing at full speed, but was to late. He caught a flash of red and white clothing, then Kagome was gone.

            He looked at the well in horror for some time, then tentatively looked over the side. "Kagome?" He asked quietly, his little voice wavering slightly. "Are you there?"

            No answer.

            He looked down the well, the slumped over, leaning against the side. "She left me…" He said, his voice half dull with shock. "I'll never see her again."

            He wiped a tear from his eye, but it was soon replaced by two more.

~~

            Kagome landed on her side of the well with a cry. Her body had been screaming at her to stop and slow down for the entire trip there, but she had kept going, and was now paying the price.

            She fell to her knees, holding her aching, burning legs tightly, tears forming in her eyes… not just from the pain. It was over now. That had been the lat straw. She couldn't go back, even if she wanted to. Her jewel shards were in the other time now… she would never see InuYasha or any of the others ever again.

            With a pit in the bottom of her stomach, she grabbed the ladder, and attempted to pull herself out. Her arms gave, however, and pain ripped through her as she landed square on her back. She lay there, looking strait up at the ceiling, until a large drop of water hit her on the nose. The pitter-patter of rain slowly started, then quickly turned to a raging torrent, the meager roof of the well house doing little to keep the rain off her.

            And so, lonely, cold, and wet, Kagome cried herself to sleep.

~~

            InuYasha tore through the forest faster than he ever had before in his entire life, crashing through anything that got in his way.

            IDIOT! He screamed at himself, fleeing away from the pursuing Sango. What had he done?

            HE made a sharp turnoff to the left as her heard Sango's voice call him. Soon, however, he saw the refuge he sought. The sacred tree was right ahead of him. With a single, easy leap, he was carried up to the top branches, into the favored cradle that he so often slept in.

            Sango dashed into the clearing only a few seconds after him, and looked around for the hanyou. Seeing nothing, she ran out in an opposite direction, searching carefully for the runaway.

            InuYasha turned over on his back, and sighed. It was his fault. All the times she had called Kagome a shard detector came back to him in a sharp bitter memory. Did she really think that that was all she was to him?

            Yes… she must at this point. It was all his fault! Even when he wanted to apologize, he always biffed it by being his normal arrogant snotty self. He flexed his claws and started ripping savagely at his own arms in frustration, drawing blood.

            He couldn't once tell her how he felt, not one single time. How much she meant to him. How happy she made him feel. How wonderful it felt to finally have someone accept him no matter how dirty his blood was.

            He gingerly lifted one of his clawed hands, and opened it up, revealing the large Shikon shard. It was a bitter victory. Growling and snarling out of sheer anger, clenched his fist around the jewel, and threw it, as hard as he possibly could into the azure sky. He curled up in a ball in his tree, and paid no attention to where the crystal landed.

~~

            "Kagome!" A raspy old voice broke into Kagome's consciousness. "You're back!" 

            Dizzily, Kagome shook her head and looked up the well, confused. Her grandpa's head stuck out from one of the sides, and Souta's from one of the others. "Wha?" She asked, then sneezed.

            "Hurry, my girl!" Grandpa said. "Climb up, and we'll get you some soup! You sound sick."

            Kagome shook her head, half to clear it. "I can't!" She said. "I can't make it up."

            Grandpa looked confused. "What do you mean?" He said. "you could always climb up before."

            Kagome sighed wearily. "Well I didn't have a broken leg before, either!" She said, half yelling, half moaning. She knew it was mean and unwarranted, but she was in a very bad mood today.

            Souta blinked at her.  "Broken legs?" He asked. "What do you mean?"

            "I have a broken leg!" She yelled this time, her mood growing fouler by the minute. "Just get me up there so I can take a shower!"

            Grandpa blinked at her, then nodded. "Souta, go get mama and some rope!" He said, then turned back to Kagome. "Don't worry, my girl. Things will be fine."

            Kagome shook her head miserably. "No they won't." She said. "Things will never be fine again."

**

            WHEW! MAN! Now I know why so many people write angsty stories. Their pretty fun, and you can really get into them.

            Anywho, don't worry, the angst wont last to mush longer. Mabey two or three more chapters, or something like that.

            HA! And I said this story would end up short. And, I'm planning on doing a sequel to it already. So, hopefully, it won't end up as short as I thought it would. Please bear with me!