Author's notes: I just have a quick note to Major Ace: Yes, I did have to make the people at NYU morons. It's more fun that way. And, why do you say it's okay to make fun of someone else, just not you? That's wacked logic. Like I said: "Blessed are we who can laugh at ourselves, for we shall forever be entertained."

And remember that I don't live in NY, and I've never been to New York. You'll have to forgive me for my lack of knowledge of that area.

---

Here Without You

Chapter Four

"The miles just keep rolling
as the people either way to say hello
I hear this life is overrated
but I hope it gets better as we go."

-Three Doors Down

If books were drops of water, I'd be drowning right about now… Kagome Higurashi glanced around the library in which she worked, her brown eyes dark and brooding. A loud yawn escaped her lips, and was met with an instantaneous glare from almost every adult in the building. Don't blame me if I'm exhausted out of my mind, she told them silently. Blame Piper and her constant urge to party. Kagome yawned again.

"Hey-oh."

Kagome instantly perked up at the sound of the familiar voice. Before her stood a blonde girl clad in jean shorts and a baggy, red sweatshirt. Speak of the devil, Kagome thought, cocking an eyebrow at Piper's unusual outfit. Wasn't it below thirty degrees outside…?

"Aren't you cold?" Kagome asked, giving the girl in front of her a blank stare.

"Of course not," Piper replied, closing her emerald eyes and waving her hand as if waving off Kagome's question. She grinned and returned her gaze to the Japanese girl. "Got plans tonight?"

"I have a feeling that I will after this conversation," Kagome murmured dully.

Piper's grin widened. "How does a party at the frat house sound?"

"Which one?"

Piper shrugged. "The atheist frat."

Kagome raised a slightly amused eyebrow. "Where's that one?"

"Not a clue." Piper smiled with feigned pride.

Kagome rolled her eyes, smiling gently to herself.

"So, are you in?" Piper pressed. "I bet Ricky'll be there." Piper waggled her eyebrows suggestively, a playful smirk upon her lips.

Kagome's cheeks flushed. Ever since the night at the karaoke bar, Ricky had been sending vague signals that he was interested in her. Kagome snorted. Okay, so they weren't exactly vague; they were more likely to be compared to a flamingo wearing electric blue spandex while waving bright green glow sticks in the air while standing in the middle of a crowd of penguins.

Kagome sighed with discontentment. Even being one of the few good-looking boys that had shown interest in her, something didn't feel right with him. Sure, he was charming, handsome, and intelligent; but, for some reason, Kagome just wasn't interested. I mean, how could she be? What with the golden-eyed hanyou constantly on her thoughts…

The girl's blush deepened. "I'll go," she said. "But, not because of Ricky," she quickly added.

Piper smirked. "Sure. Just head over to the frat buildings when you get off of work. You should be able to figure out which house by the music."

Kagome nodded, matching Piper's smirk. "I should be off in a few hours. See you then?"

"Yep." Piper started walking back, and with a wave of her hand, said, "Later."

"Ja ne."

And with a sigh and roll of her eyes, Kagome got back to work; standing at her desk while nothing continued to happen.

---

Two months, three weeks, four days, twelve hours, and fourteen minutes… Two months, two weeks, four days, twelve hours, and fifteen minutes… Inuyasha blew out a stream of air through his lips, his ears drooping slightly.

I guess I really do miss Kagome, he thought sadly. He lifted his eyes towards the sky where grey clouds hung, seemingly matching his emotion. Gentle flakes of snow began to descend from the heavens, landing on the ground below without a sound. Inuyasha sighed deeply.

"Baka," he muttered quietly, annoyed with himself for being so weak. The hanyou folded his arms over his chest, dropping his head against the tree behind him. A cold wind tousled his silver hair, whipping it around his closed eyes. It tickled his neck, but he did nothing to knock it away.

The hanyou sighed again.

"Inuyasha?"

Golden eyes snapped open at the sound of the voice. Kagome…? The hanyou jumped into a crouching position and stared down, his whole body tingling eagerly. The woman that stood there stared up at him, and Inuyasha's excitement was soon replaced with disappointment and dread as a depressing realization hit him.

Kikyo… how could I have mistaken her voice for Kagome's? Why didn't I smell her coming? Inuyasha's brow furrowed, a growl rising in his throat. Something deep inside of him told him to jump down, to go to her, but he held his grip on the tree.

"What?" he called down, trying to sound as angry as he should have been.

"Inuyasha…" Kikyo's soft voice came, penetrating the icy winds and snow. A smirk crept across her pale face. "Where is that girl? I haven't seen you with her for quite a while."

Inuyasha clenched his teeth, his heart sinking. His grip loosened on the branch, leaving small claw marks as he removed his hands. The hanyou rose to his feet and jumped down from his branch, standing only a couple of feet from Kikyo. His feet sunk deep into the white snow, and a chill shot up hit spine.

"She left to go to some school," he said, pain evident in his voice. His fists clenched at his sides.

Kikyo sneered. "So, she abandoned you?"

Inuyasha growled. "No, she didn't abandon-"

"She did," Kikyo interjected, averting her eyes with coy confidence. "Your ignorance won't hide it."

Inuyasha's ears flattened against his head, but he refused to give into Kikyo's harsh words. "No, she's coming back…"

Kikyo's eyes softened as she feigned pity. "Poor, sweet puppy," she said, stepping towards Inuyasha. The hanyou's body tensed, but he did nothing to remove himself from the spot. Kikyo smiled, stretching a hand out and brushing his cheek with her delicate fingers. "I would never leave you."

Inuyasha's left ear twitched, his hands itching to knock away the hand of the woman that pursued him. He stared into the depths of Kikyo's cold eyes, finding himself paralyzed.

And for a split moment of insanity, he pictured Kagome standing there with her hand on his cheek; her warm smile, her soft brown eyes… Did you leave me, Kagome? Did you abandon me…?

Inuyasha couldn't stand to hear those questions anymore. He shook his head violently, shaking himself from his reverie. He didn't stay staring at Kikyo for more than five seconds before bolting, running off in the direction of the well.

The same questions plagued his mind as he fled from the scene; questions that he couldn't stand to hear anymore, questions that needed answers.

---

The small dorm room was dark and silent, the only signs of life portrayed being the various articles of clothing strewn over the two beds and floor. Pale, yellow light beamed in through the half-opened window, casting light onto the peaceful room.

That all changed when Kagome walked in through the door. The door flew open, revealing a very frustrated and tired girl in the hallway. Kagome trudged through the doorway, slamming the door shut behind her.

"Where do you keep the extra biology text books?" she asked herself quietly with a mocking tone. "In the fucking biology section!" Seething, the girl ran to her bed, falling back onto the cushy blanket. "How do I get to McDonald's from here? How the hell am I supposed to know? I've lived here for less than three months!" Kagome grabbed her pillow and pressed it over her face, screaming into the fluffy cloth.

Seriously, how long would she have to live there before people stopped asking such asinine questions? All day long, her peers had astounded her with their lack of intelligence. It had gotten quite annoying, to put it mildly.

Kagome groaned into her pillow, cursing the day that Americans were given the ability to ask questions.

Kagome's brooding, however, was interrupted when the phone began to ring. The girl removed the pillow from her face and glanced curiously at the machine on her table. It continued to ring, emitting loud, shrill tones that surprisingly seemed to mirror Kagome's previous frustrations.

She pulled herself into a sitting position and reached for the phone, taking hold of it with numb fingers. "Hello?" she asked, trying to hide her anger.

"Oi, Kagome?"

Kagome's anger instantly evaporated, and her lips broke into a smile. "Inuyasha!" she cried happily, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. "How are you?"

"Kagome…" Kagome's eyes widened at the hanyou's voice. It sounded hesitant… saddened… maybe even pained.

Kagome's brow furrowed in concern for her hanyou friend. "What is it, Inuyasha?"

"Did you abandon me?"

Kagome's eyes widened further before softening sadly. "Inuyasha, no…" She bit her lip. "I didn't abandon you. I would never abandon you."

"Are you coming back then?" the hanyou asked eagerly.

Kagome smiled wryly. "Inuyasha, I can't… I'm here for school." Kagome's own words cut deep into her heart; she couldn't imagine what Inuyasha must have felt when he heard them.

"Will you come back ever?" She could almost picture her friend's inu ears drooping.

"Of course I will," Kagome murmured. "I just have a lot to do here before I can." The girl paused for a moment. "But I will come back, Inuyasha. I promise."

---

Inuyasha's ears flattened against his head, his heart sinking. Kagome's words sounded genuine, and he knew that he had to believe her. He had to have faith in what Kagome said, he had to believe that she would come back to him. But, he wouldn't let himself.

The hanyou, embarrassed and realizing that Kagome's mother was watching his every movement, turning away, facing the wall. He bowed his head slightly.

"Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha straightened at the sound of Kagome's voice. He had been silent for the past couple of minutes, unable to find words that could assure Kagome that he believed her. After all, anything that came out of his mouth would just confirm his insecurity.

"Inuyasha, are you there?" the voice pressed.

"Uhh… Hai." It wasn't much, but it was all that Inuyasha was really capable of saying at the moment.

The hanyou heard a sigh on the other end, the breath of air sounding sad and defeated. "I need to go, Inuyasha, but I'll talk to you some time soon, okay?"

Inuyasha's gaze lowered to stare at his feet. "Hai."

"I miss you, Inuyasha," Kagome said softly. "Sayonara."

I miss you, too, Inuyasha wanted to say. His cheeks flushed, and he shot a backwards glance at Kagome's mother and brother, who were still watching him with immense curiosity. "Uh huh… Sayonara."

Numb fingers gripped the phone and placed it on the cradle. An uncomfortable silence settled on the room, leaving Inuyasha with an uneasy feeling entering his heart, along with the disappointment of Kagome's absence. He turned, trying to hide his sadness with feigned confidence and smiled slightly.

"Arigato, Mrs. Higurashi," he murmured quietly, nodding his regards.

"Anytime, Inuyasha," the woman said brightly, a cheerful smile on her lips. She walked with the hanyou to the back of the house, allowing him to walk forth into the snow. With one last nod of his head, he was off, trotting through the slowly deepening snow.

As Inuyasha walked through the snow, his feet growing number by the minute, his smile began to fade. His golden gaze fell to the ground as he walked, his heart seeming to sink to the floor itself. A shudder overtook his body as snow began to fall around his fading form, and he walked into the snowy mist alone.

---

Kagome hung up the phone with a heavy heart as she pulled off her heavy NYU sweatshirt. Her eyes dropped to the ground sadly as she thought of her hanyou friend, a wave of guilt sweeping over her.

Don't feel guilty, she instantly scolded herself. He knew you'd be here for a long time; it's not your fault if he's unhappy… Kagome continued to run these words over and over in her head as she pulled off her t-shirt and slipped into a bright pink halter top. The girl sighed, letting her eyes fall closed as she pulled a brush through her hair, slipping her delicate feet into a pair of sneakers.

"God dammit, Inuyasha," she said aloud, dropping her shoulders and throwing her brush onto the bed. She groaned and trudged to the window. White flakes of snow fell from the sky, large flurries of the substance landing on the windowsill outside.

Kagome sighed again. I wonder if it's snowing back home, she thought absentmindedly, her eyes softening sadly. I bet Shippou and Kirara are out playing in the snow right now… maybe making a snowman or having a snowball fight… Kagome rested her elbows on the small edge in front of her window, dropping her head into her hands. I bet Sango and Miroku are all wrapped up and warm, maybe getting breakfast ready. And Inuyasha… Kagome smiled wistfully. Sitting in the God Tree… watching over them all…

A pang of nostalgia struck Kagome's heart, hitting her with a force so hard that she almost wanted to cry. Kagome scoffed, wiping away a couple of stray tears that had appeared in her brown eyes. Talking to Inuyasha always makes me like this… she thought, walking towards the door.

The girl opened the door and walked into the hall, turning around and glancing back into the small dorm room. Her eyes flew over the window, smiling softly. She could almost see Inuyasha sitting in the tree outside.

A sad smile graced her pink lips and she whispered into the darkness of the room, "Goodbye, Inuyasha." Kagome knew that he couldn't hear her, but some small part of her hoped that he would.

---

Author's notes: …absolute crap. But that's what I get for not writing fan fiction in so long… Anyway, sorry it's so short… I looked at my outline and realized that not a lot happens in this chapter… forgive me!

...oh sure, NOW my breaker works. --;;