A/N: Last chapter! 0_o But there's an epilogue too! So stay tuned! Boy do I sound like a tv announcer or what? LOL. Oh, by the way, I'm sorry, but this chapter's really short! Sorry!
Ch. 4Inuyasha gave a sigh of contentment. All these years… and he finally found her. He had waited… so long. So long that he'd lost track of the time. He deeply inhaled the scent of his love nestled in his arms.
He gave a grim little chuckle. But he was old now. He'd hoped that his demon blood would last long enough to allow him a life with Kagome. But he never thought of just how big the difference between his old time and hers had been. He was now over six hundred years old. Talk about robbing the cradle.
He couldn't live in this time with her like this. There was only one other choice.
And because he loved her more than anything he had ever known…
He was willing to throw away everything for her.
"Kagome," he whispered softly.
She looked up at him. "Yes?"
"I've missed you so much."
She smiled and rested her head against his chest. It felt kind of awkward like this, she contemplated. He looked different now. It felt strange to be with him like this.
But she didn't care. She loved him that much.
"Me too."
Inuyasha gave a gentle grin and leaned back so his head touched the couch.
A sudden thought hit Kagome. "Inuyasha?"
"Yeah?"
"How did you get to be a grandfather?"
Inuyasha smirked. "Do I hear a little jealousy?"
"Inuyasha!"
"Calm down. I adopted Haruka's mother when she was a little girl. I found her on the side of a road, abandoned. I would never replace you with anyone."
She gave a sad little smile, "You shouldn't have let me get in the way of your happiness."
"Kagome, you were my happiness. As long as I still had my memories of you and as long as I was still faithful, I was happy."
She hugged him. "I still wish the well hadn't pulled us apart."
Inuyasha was quiet for a moment, then, in a voice so soft she almost missed it, "I can grant that wish."
Kagome froze, "What?"
He stood up from the couch and motioned for him to follow her. Curious, she complied.
He opened the door to a room that had slipped her notice. It was a small closet, barely big enough to fit one person in it. He reached his hand to the top most shelf and pulled out a small, brown jewelry box. He opened it.
Suddenly, Kagome felt herself overwhelmed by a familiar aura. "Shikon no tama…" She breathed, her eyes the shape of saucers. "But how…?"
"This box is specifically designed to shield the Shikon's presence. I'm getting old. I can't always fight off demons." He explained.
"You… kept this all this time?"
"Well, I wasn't about to just throw it into the ocean," Inuyasha gave a dry smile.
Gently, she took it from the box and held it in her hands.
Inuyasha's face grew grim. "You can use that."
"Huh?"
"I'm not sure if it will work, but you can try to use the jewel to get to the other side of the well."
Kagome was speechless. "But… you…"
Inuyasha gave her cheek a small stroke. "Don't worry about me."
"But… everything that's happened from then to now, will be… gone. It will have never happened. I… I just can't do that to you!"
"Kagome… you have to do this. I want you to do this. We can be together again. Like we should have been from the start. Please, I really want you to do this." He whispered.
"Inuyasha…"
"It's alright."
She lunged at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Thank you… thank you." She sobbed into his hair.
He hugged his own arms around her waist, breathing in her wonderful fragrance. "You're welcome."
"Er… am I interrupting something?" Haruka's voice by the door made both of them turn their heads in her direction.
*
Inuyasha stood next to Kagome by the well house door of the Sunset Shrine. He looked at her one last time. "Kagome… I guess this is good bye."
"I guess so," she whispered. She gave him one last hug before she turned from him and placed her hand on the well door. She slid it open.
Slowly, she stepped inside and turned back around to look at him, staring deep into his eyes. "I love you," he mouthed as she slid the door back close. Her gaze never once left his eyes.
Then, with a flash of light that he felt more than he saw, she was gone.
It wasn't until several hours later when he left.
*
Kagome took a deep breath as she stood before the well. She realized that if she went through, she would probably never come back again. It was now or never, and it was too late to back out. She felt the dull pulse of the jewel and she clenched her fist tightly around it.
Carefully, Kagome lifted one foot and then the other over the side of the well. She sat on the edge, preparing herself for the jump. Belatedly, she noticed that if the well didn't let her through, she would probably break something. The last time it had refused her entry, she nearly sprained her ankle.
Taking a deep calming breath, she tensed her muscles and pushed off the edge.
Immediately, she felt the familiar sensation of power stirring and engulfing her as she was carried back five hundred years into the past. This was it. The well had let her pass and she was finally going back to the Sengoku Jidai. A giant smile blossomed across her face as she let her body relax.
Then, the light disappeared and left her standing in the middle of the well as sunlight shone down on her. She continued to grin as she gripped the sturdy vines resting against the side of the well, and she continued to grin as she pulled herself up higher and higher into the sunlight.
She had returned.
*
Inuyasha sat up so fast, he almost fell off the branch he sat on. His eyes widened to an impossible size as he continued to sniff the air. It couldn't be! … Could it…?
He jumped off his branch and slowly approached the well. Nearly everyday since the day she had been pulled away five years ago, he had sat by the well in the hopes that she would come climbing out of it again like she had for the three years he had known her. And now…
Sure enough, as his breath caught and his throat tightened, she poked her head out of the well, looking around the clearing. In a fraction of an instant, he was by her side, lifting her out of the well with a strength that had left him when she had left.
"Inuyasha!" She said in slight surprise, a look of happiness on her face.
He said nothing, but tugged her tightly into his embrace and buried his nose into her neck, deeply inhaling her scent.
She had – finally – returned.
And he would never let her go again.
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A/N: Whoo! I got another chapter out! Really fast too, wouldn't you say? Well, a lot faster than the last chapters anyway ^_^ There's still one chapter left! And then this story's finished! Of course, it's just the epilogue, so technically, this story is already finished, but oh well. I like epilogues ^_^
PLEASE review!
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Review Responses
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Calendar: Yes, of course it's him! You think I'd leave this story with them separate? LOL. Alana-star: Heh, thanks for the review! Interesting dialogue there! Don't forget to review for this chapter ^^ Starberry05: Yes, isn't it? LOL. Thanks for reviewing! Blah~!: Well, I hope I answered your question here. I knew people would ask about this ^_^ Thanks for the compliment! Alia: Thank you! I know this isn't the best of fics, but I'm glad you like it! animemistress419: Thank you! Your question should be answered here! I hope you've enjoyed the chapter! RKFreak-a-zoid: Haha, yes, I'm a hopeless romantic too! But I don't like the stories where when the lovers unite, they had this impossibly fluffy ending. I like fluff, but it seems to give the story an appropriate close if it's restrained. Plus, there's still the next chapter! ^_^ Shadow Daughter: Hey! You're back! Yes, I am sorry for the short chapters, but this is an overall short fic. I probably could have made it into a one-shot, but then, what would be the fun in that? LOL. Thank you for reviewing! Let me know how you think of this chapter! Ganko: Thank you! You reviewed for almost all of my stories! Thanks! I hope your question's answered here! Also, if you don't mind, could you check out my little one-shot "Memories"? I would really appreciate it, thanks!! Bye!