Disclaimer: Inuyasha is not mine. Understood?

Hey, thanks to all who reviewed! And I guess I really should add more description to it, shouldn't I? Thanks for that suggestion! Here's the next chapter...

Forever

Chapter 3: Pain

Her window lay open, far enough for Inuyasha to jump through. And so he did. In one swift motion, the hanyou flew to Kagome's bedroom.

And all was silence.

Golden eyes met black eyes, piercing sorrow to Kagome's mind. Sorrow, grief, worry, malice, anger, envy, regret... But she wouldn't weep. She forgave him. But herself...

Silence... Each moment stretched forever, weaving every second before Kagome's eyes. She was lost again, alone. The hanyou before her was no longer Inuyasha. She was no longer Kagome. He was but a half demon, and she a human. No more, no less.

Silence. No one dared to speak. None dared to violate the unspoken law of silence. Kagome, lost in golden pools of grief, did not move, did not blink, did not breathe.

And then he spoke.

"Kagome..." Inuyasha began, ripping the silence to shreds in an instant. Sound returned to Kagome's ears. But she remained deaf to all but him. All but Inuyasha.

"I... I apologize. For... everything." He continued, stretching his hands out towards her. "Please... please forgive me."

Kagome couldn't speak. This was Inuyasha's moment, his rare minute of serenity. He was so... so honest. And the way he looked at her, painful adoration coursing in his gaze... She breathed. And found her voice.

"You did nothing." She replied. "It was all me. All me..."

All her. She wasn't worthy of Inuyasha. She was always jealous over him, always angry with Inuyasha. And how she hurt him... It was injustice. And all because of Kagome. It was her fault... always her fault. Because she did not deserve him.

Inuyasha moved closer to her, as if to wrap his arms about Kagome.

No... she didn't deserve him. She... she was not for Inuyasha, nor he for her. This was wrong. This was her dream. But Kagome did not deserve him. Her dreams... they were false, mocking visions of what she held just out of reach.

Tears began to spill again. She wept for Inuyasha often as of late. Too often. But it wasn't because of Kikyo. No... It had been her cloud of grief, built up. And now, when she realized her unworthiness of him, it fell again, in tears. As rain fell from clouds of storm, so Kagome's tears poured. But they did not cool her. They did not rest her in the least. Tears, for her, brought only more tears. Her face was wet, tears not ceasing to drop.

Inuyasha looked worried.

"What's wrong, Kagome?" She didn't reply. Kagome had to... had to prevent Inuyasha from getting nearer. She had to run, had to hide from him. She didn't deserve him. Kagome hadn't done enough for the hanyou to gain his trust, or his heart.

There was only one word she had that would have strength enough to stop him now. A word she did not wish to say, for he would hate her for all eternity. She'd spoken it often before, but at this moment, Kagome knew it was no time for games. But she needed time to run. To hide.

"S-sit..." she croaked, voice hoarse and cracked.

Inuyasha fell to the floor, the impact of the prayer beads pulling him hard against the wood. He lifted his face a moment, before crashing through the floor. Kagome memorized the expression: ears drooping with confusion mingled with grief, mouth opening to speak. Eyebrows bending as to grieve, and eyes... Inuyasha's golden eyes shone with confusion, sorrow, and regret.

As he plunged through her house, Kagome ran to her closet, and began to mindlessly dump all she'd need in a bag. When it was full and could hold no more, Kagome ran from her room. She bounded down the long stairs, blind. Her memory became her eyes.

Out the door Kagome ran, through the yard, and to the well house. And there lay the well. Tears blinding her again, she jumped. Inuyasha would come after her, but she'd escape. She'd not speak to him again. Never. Kagome would return to her time, certainly, to meet her family. But not Inuyasha.

No matter where she went, he would be near.

Inuyasha – a little while after Kagome's departure

Where was she? What had happened? Why had she run away from him again? Inuyasha stood by the well and looked down. She had to be I the past. Where else would she go?

Taking a deep breath, he jumped.

Inuyasha had to find Kagome.

Kagome

A village lay before her. Kaede's village. There, Kagome spied her friends, Sango and Miroku, laughing together at a shared joke. And Kirara sitting on Sango's lap, purring as Sango stroked her back. Kagome couldn't help but smile. Her tears had stopped a while back, as she set herself to get away from Inuyasha. But this picture... It was filled with such happiness, such joy, that Kagome couldn't help but feel some hope as well.

But her hope vanished with her smile as Kagome caught a voice cutting through the happiness of the air.

"KAGOME!"

It was Inuyasha. Looking, searching... for her. Kagome bounded through the trees again. She didn't know where her legs carried her, or how they ran so fast. All Kagome knew was that she must hide from Inuyasha. It was her only hope. His only hope.

Oh, how it pained her to run then. She could have had Inuyasha, could have felt him, been with him. But he was not for her. She was not for him. Inuyasha had Kikyo. He loved Kikyo. He deserved Kikyo. But not Kagome. They were from two different worlds; he from the past, she from the future.

It would never work.

But the pain! It tore at her heart like a thousand daggers, ripping her flesh without drawing blood. A thousand burning arrows tore through her, drawing a thousands fine droplets of blood. She shouldn't have run, she knew her mistake. But something inside Kagome drove her, whispered to her, told her to run.

She wasn't worthy of him. He was not for her.

She tripped. And fell. Dirt smudged on her clothing, but Kagome did not care. She just lay there, ripping branches off bushes as she scrambled to get up, shedding new tears that had come once more. But again she fell into the mud, slipping back to sanity.

And it was sanity that drove her mad.

How much time had passed since she'd met Inuyasha? A month? Five months? A year? She remembered Inuyasha, bound to his tree by Kikyo's arrow, seemingly asleep... or dead. Kagome remembered each moment with him, felt their growing bond. And so it held, like a strong rope, binding her to Inuyasha. Kagome couldn't get away. No matter what sword she wielded, what arrows she bore. That bond would not come free.

She and him would simply be.

Yet that would not be true. No matter how strongly she loved him, Inuyasha loved Kikyo. Not Kagome. Kikyo. Kagome's head ached at these thoughts, her tears slowing as she ran out of tears to shed.

She had to run. Why did she run from her own love? From her heart's purest desire? That rope that bound them wouldn't give way for Kagome's mind. Only to death.

Death...

That would solve everything, yet complicate all. She would die, that was true. But what of Inuyasha? He had Kikyo... And her family? They could live without her! But death... that would ease all her worries. It would let her rest, forever.

Forever.

Kagome repeated that word in her mind, and found that it fit not with death. No, death was not eternal. But she found forever to fit perfectly with her name and Inuyasha's. How ironic. Her only dream was what she'd never have.

But she couldn't kill herself, couldn't end her life here. Kagome still had hope.

Raising her head, Kagome found she could stand again. And so she did. Taking one last glance at the way to the village, she turned her back on Inuyasha, on her friends.

She would find him again.

But first, she had to find Kikyo.
I'm sorry I write such short chapters, but maybe I'll fit another one in some time soon.... It's about three pages on Microsoft Word... Review!