**A/N: Okay, here's another section, to my 'should have been one-shot'. I know it's a bit short, but I hope you like it. I was going to throw on more to it, but I changed my mind. Plus, I'm headed out the door and I wanted to post something as soon as I got the chance. This weekend I'll be super busy with work. We have a special thing going on at the track, Breeder's Cup…yuk. Don't even want to think about that crap. Anywho, I know the first chapter wasn't exactly moving, but I hope this one gets your engine going. Sorry, not too good with analogies and stuff. Please let me know what you think. And yes I'm still working on "Dance…" Thanks for reading both, if you do. And thanks for giving me your input. It means a great deal. Okay, I'm done.**

A white door opened to reveal a small room. In it, was a queen sized bed, quilted with shades of violet and lavender. The pillows, white and purple, sat at the head of the bed awaiting to be rested upon. The wood furniture held many accessories, such as flowers, candles, picture frames, all carrying the same shades as the bed, with a few tints of silver draped within. The cream colored walls displayed several posters and pictures in frames. Each containing photographs, awards, certificates and such.

A young woman took a few steps into the room and tossed a few books onto her small desk. She walked over to her bed and fell back into the comforter atop her bed, sighing in exhaustion. Gazing up at the ceiling, her mind recapped her day of lectures, surprise quizzes, and homework assignments. Those thoughts brought on another sigh.

After a few minutes of just staring at the long ago, dried paint, she got up and walked into the tiny living area. She plopped herself down on the couch and turned on the TV. The channels flipped through so quick, one could hardly tell just what program was on.

Frustrated at nothing interesting on the television set, she turned it off, tossing the small remote control on the coffee table. It landed next to another remote. This was to her stereo system. She shrugged and turned on the radio, letting the sound of a lilting piano fill the room. She walked over to the faucet in the tiny kitchen and began to pour herself a glass of water.

The young woman retreated into her bedroom to fetch her books. It was at that moment the phone began to ring, calling her back into the living area. Just before picking the receiver, she paused. Her eyes noticed some movement coming from the balcony. She glanced in the direction of the sliding glass window to see the shadows of the clouds passing by. She shook her head and picked up the phone after its third ring.

He jumped back quickly, ducking out of view, hiding behind the long cloth draped at the corner of the glass. That was too close. She nearly saw him. He would have been caught and he wouldn't know what to say. Not yet, anyway. He decided he wanted to watch first.

When he came through the portal, he wasn't surprise to find her scent. His nose hadn't forgotten its sweet taste. He loved to drown himself in its aroma. It was always pleasing to his nose and comforting to his soul. Although now, it appeared a bit more faint.

He carefully approached the familiar room, but as he got closer, another scent invaded is nostrils. It wasn't a sour scent, though it wasn't as nice as hers. The two scents were a tad similar, but he preferred hers. The other aroma belonged to the older woman who lived there; her mother. It only made sense, seeing as the room was completely altered since the last time he had visited.

After a few minutes of going through the same house, which was empty, he left. He stood outside the house for a moment, sniffing the futuristic air. There were so many different scents drifting along, but it didn't take him long to find hers.

He quickly followed it to its strongest, which led him to his current position; outside, on a balcony. There were many new scents in the room, most of which were hers. He assumed it was her current dwelling. It was much smaller than her old place, but bigger than the priestess's hut.

He had been sitting in the same spot, since she arrived, golden eyes watched as she moved through the two rooms. He watched her throw her things onto her bed, which was bigger than her other one. Even when she just laid on her bed, not moving, he couldn't take his eyes off her. She was just as he had seen her before, only different, older.

Her clothing had changed. She no longer wore the green and white uniform. Then again, he had seen her in her other weird clothing before. Her hair was much longer, though some strands, on ends, were the color of red. He found that intriguing. Her face, he couldn't see clearly, for her hair shrouded it, shading her features.

Quietly he sat outside and observed her as she watched TV, then turned on the radio. She had paused to listen to the music. His eyes followed her as she walked back into the other room and returned to hear a ringing. That's when she nearly saw him. He had been so captivated with her presence, he forgot to stay behind the large cloth.

When she stopped, he quickly jumped back, then he slowly poked his head around his cover. Again, he watched silently as she talked to the device near her face. She paced around the room, laughing and giggling. He watched as she took a drink of her water, still pacing.

When she finally tucked her hair behind her ear, he caught a full look of her face. There was more color to her face. Her cheeks were flushed a pink and her lips were red. The strands that were pushed away from her face, showed her brown eyes. The last time he looked upon them, they were filled with a deep sadness. Now, there was life within them. He took in a deep breath at the sound of her laughter. The look on her face, the smile across her lips, even the tone of her skin, it glowed. She glowed and she looked just like she did then. When they were happy.

He shook his head and turned his back to the scene. He leaned up against the glass and sighed. He couldn't do it. He didn't want to disrupt her happiness.; he couldn't. It wouldn't be right. He had to come to a decision…leave. This time, he would do it with her smile in his memory.

The half demon jumped onto the ledge. That was when his ears heard the shattering of glass. He spun around quickly to see what was wrong. It made his heart sink to see a pair of muddy orbs gazing directly into his amber spheres.

A deafening silence fell between the two. The music pouring out of the speakers were drowned out by the sounds of their hearts beating and their short, gentle breaths. Even the person on the other end of the phone line, could not be heard. For the two, it was as if the world around them ceased to exist. All that was, was that moment.

"Kagome?" A male voice called through the small speaker of the phone.

Her finger pressed a small button, cutting off the person on the other end of the line. Her knuckles whitened as her grip of the small receiver tightened. She could feel her hands trembling.

She slowly walked over to the sliding glass window and opened it up. The hanyou, was still seated on the ledge of the balcony. Her eyes looked him over. He looked just as he did when she last saw him. His long, white hair cascaded down his shoulders, over his red kimono. A familiar rosary still hung around his neck. The two dog ears poked out, atop his head, from beneath the white locks. Though he aged much slower than humans, he looked tired and worn. His eyes showed a hint of despair.

"Kagome," he finally spoke.

His eyes never left hers. They watched the essence of shock fade. Her eyes narrowed, brows furrowing, lips pursed.

Her brown eyes burned into every contour of his face, "What are you doing here?"

He felt intimidated under her icy glare, "Uh, well..."

She took in a deep breath, then returned to her living room. She began to pick up the large shards of the broken glass. He carefully followed her inside.

She had her back to him, "Don't come any closer."

"Kagome," he stopped. "I'm sor-"

"There are broken shards everywhere," she interrupted him.

He didn't move. His eyes remained fixed on her, watching as she picked up the pieces and cleaned up the excess water with a small towel. His insides twisted with nervous energy. It had been so long since he had been so close to her; breathed in her scent. The drumming of his heart urged him to reach out and engulf her in his strong arms. But he resisted.

"Ow," she retracted her finger.

He could smell her blood, "Kag-"

"I'm fine," she threw away the pieces. Cold water ran over her finger, cleansing the small cut, "Why are you here?"

"The hag sent me," he responded.

She didn't not reply. Her lips were pursed and her eyes flared in a quiet anger.

"You remember the old priestess, Kaede?" The hanyou asked, her back still facing him.

Kagome could feel a tremble all over her body at his words. Her hands were placed on the outer rim of the sink, helping to maintain her balance. The sound of his voice, she fought to keep the tears from flowing, "I spent the last four years of my life, trying to forget the three years before that."

He scratched the back of his head, nervously, "Uh, I need you to come back with me."

"Excuse me?" She nearly fell over at his bold response.

"The old woman asked to see you," Inuyasha explained. "She asked me to come get you."

"No," her grip on the sink tightened. "I don't think so."

He had expected her to decline. She had every right to. He wasn't sure what to say; convince her to go with him. But she had to go back with him.

"I really need you to come with me," he sighed in frustration.

In a quick spin, she finally faced him. Disgust was written all over her face, "How dare you? I haven't seen, nor heard from you in four years. Then you come waltzing back in here, expecting me to go with you? No! I'm sorry Inuyasha it doesn't work that way!"

"Hey!" The hanyou argued. "You were the one who left!"

"Yeah," she shot back. "And you left first!"

"I-" He tried.


"You left," she didn't let him finish. "When you decided to go after her!"

"I told you I had to," he answered, defensively. "I had to try to help her."

"Regardless of how I felt," She could feel her eyes water. "Inuyasha, she wanted you dead!"

The hanyou bit his tongue and took in the young woman's words. Her words echoed only truth. The former priestess wanted nothing more than for him to join her in hell. And she had made attempts to end her reincarnation's life. Still, he was bound to his promise. He would protect her. Had it not been for Kagome, he might have joined her in the fiery pits of hell.

She inhaled deeply and blinked back the moisture building up. Turning from him, her fragile voice invaded his ears, "You know what? No. I'm not going to let you drag me into this argument again."

His nose could smell her salty tears being forced back, "Kagome…"

Her voice near a whisper, "Go." She shook her head and closed her eyes, not wanting to look into his sorrowful eyes, "Just go. Leave."

"Kagome," his steps faltered. "Kaede is dying."

The soft words of the half human echoed in her ears. The last three words, pounded loudly against her eardrums. Each repeat stopped the flow of blood through her knees, making them weak. It took everything in her to maintain her composure. She knew the priestess would have aged some since her departure, but she never imagined it being her time. She couldn't imagine the old woman being gone. In her mind, the elder priestess was still so young. It had only been four years.

She still couldn't look at the hanyou, "Send my condolences."

Inuyasha's golden eyes widened in shock, "What?"

"I'm sorry," Kagome, answered softly. "But I can't go back with you."

"Kagome," he argued. "She's your friend."

"Yes," his words tore at her. "And she's a part of my past."

It was at that moment, a ringing resonated throughout the small apartment. She glanced over to her phone. The receiver was lying on the counter top in her kitchen. She didn't make an attempt to answer the call. She just let the answering machine pick it up.

A man's voice echoed out of the speaker's, "Kagome? Hey. You hung up on me. Sorry, I didn't call back right away. Things got real busy for a moment. Anyway, I'll see you tonight. Eight o'clock. Love ya. Bye."

"Damn it," she mumbled under her breath. "I forgot."

Kagome turned around to face Inuyasha once more. His face was filled with confusion. He understood her resentment towards him, but regarding the old woman, it baffled him. However, he couldn't find himself thinking, fully, about her refusal to see the old woman. His mind also tossed around the male's voice that rang in his ears. He had never heard it before. Still, he would not inquire.

Taking in a heavy breath, she answered as steady as she could, "Time has passed and things change. I've learned to get on with my life."

His eyes ran along her face. He could see she was holding something back, "So you're not gonna come back?"

She replied, quickly, "I can't."

He wanted an answer, "Why not?"

Kagome could feel her lower lip trembling. She fought to keep it still, "I just can't."

"But-" He persisted.

As if to gain strength for a response, the muscles in her body tightened, "Goodbye, Inuyasha."

The half demon stood before her in silence. His amber orbs penetrated her features. He could sense the waves of tension radiating off her body. Though she was rigid, he could see her fragile aura hiding behind the icy wall.

He spun around, his long strands flowing gently with his motion, "Fine."

He reached inside is kimono, pulling out a small pink sphere. He ran his thumb over its smooth texture. It glistened in the palm of his hand.

With his back to her, he gently placed it into a small bowl, "Goodbye, Kagome."

Kagome watched as he lifted his hand from the table. Her heart nearly sank into the deepest part of her stomach, when her eyes laid on the familiar jewel. It's presence released a dam of emotions and memories within her. Her eyes turned from it, to the wall, trying to fight the water building up in her eyes.

When she finally looked up, her gaze fell upon her empty apartment. The sliding glass door to the balcony was wide open. The curtain brushed lightly against the window as the breeze pushed its way in. The light sound of thunder in the distance and the dark clouds outside, told her the rain was coming; though some water droplets already began to fall.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------TBC------------------

**Anyone know of any good Joey/Mai fics???**