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And; "talking" (duh), 'thinking' and flashback

There were very few times in her life when she had felt true rage. For the most part, her extensive training had taught her how to keep her emotions in check, but now, as she watched the silver and red figure disappear from her sight, Sango thought for sure she was seeing flames as well. Her hands balled into fists at her sides as they began to shake and her vision was beginning to blur. This was more than rage. This was a righteous fury for her best friend. How dare he leave her like this!

"How dare he," she was able to mutter through clenched teeth.

"My darling Sango," soothed Miroku has he put an arm around her shoulder, "I understand the anger you feel right now. But you mustn't let it consume you. Kagome is going to need you when she wakes up, and you can't very well be there for her in her time of need if you're enraged at Inuyasha."

The flames dispersed from her vision and the heat of anger started to leave her body. Yes, rage would be of no help to Kagome when she awoke.

"I just don't understand, Miroku," she nearly whispered as she continued to reign in her anger. "He didn't even wait to see if she would wake up. Does she mean so little to him, after all they've been through together?"

"Inuyasha's done well to keep his thoughts and feelings hidden from us all," the monk replied. "The only one who knows for sure how he feels is Inuyasha himself."

Sango let out a sigh, and with her head downcast, she slowly walked through the doorway and back into the hut to join Kagome. She knelt beside her unconscious friend and began to mentally prepare herself for what she had to tell the younger woman when she awoke.

Inuyasha deliberately took his time as he walked to Kikyo. After all, he hadn't expected her to come so soon, and he still wanted time to think. Almost the instant he had agreed to go with her the previous day, doubt had begun to creep into his mind. Even as he defended his decision to his friends, breaking Kagome's heart in doing so, in the back of his mind he wondered if what he was doing was right.

Kikyo needed to let her spirit rest; she needed to pass on. Even Kikyo herself seemed to know that she didn't belong in this world anymore, yet she refused to go without Inuyasha. If he denied her request, he sincerely doubted that she would go on to hell without him. How else was he supposed to give her the peace she so needed and deserved?

In the beginning, when he first began collecting Sacred Jewel shards with Kagome, all he could think about was Kikyo. Even before she was resurrected, he seemed to think about her daily. When he'd look at Kagome, he was only reminded more of the undead miko. Quickly, though, he could easily separate the two. Their personalities were so different, and soon enough their faces looked different in his eyes. Soon enough Inuyasha would realize that days had gone by without him thinking of Kikyo at all, and it seemed those were the times when she would call to him. And he always went to her, to Kikyo. How could he stay away? The second he saw her all thoughts of everyone else went away. There was only the two of them… at first. Eventually, even though he was with Kikyo, images of Kagome would creep into his mind. The first time Kikyo tried to take him to hell, it was Kagome's voice that saved him. The time Kikyo stole Kagome's Jewel shards, and everyone was separated from each other and trapped in their own nightmare, Kagome's image broke through to him. And it wasn't shocking to Inuyasha when he realized that when he had last met Kikyo, it was Kagome who was on his mind. She had begun to permeate all his thoughts and dreams. And now, as he was going to Kikyo for the final time, it was Kagome who was on his mind once again.

"What do I do?" he questioned no one. Suddenly, Inuyasha desperately missed his mother. She would have been able to guide him in the right direction. She had always been so wise in matters of the heart.

Soon Inuyasha found himself in the same clearing he had been in the day before. Standing in the middle was Kikyo, waiting patiently for him. Her countenance was cool and calm, and it seemed as though her entire body was glowing with a strange and ethereal light. It hit him then that she had always been prepared to go. She had only been waiting for him.

"I thought I had more time," was the only thing he could think to say.

"I saw no reason to wait any longer." Kikyo was so calm. Wasn't she even the slightest bit anxious over what was about to happen?

Inuyasha felt a small surge of adrenaline as he realized that he was out of time. There were no more chances to think, no more chances to wonder. He had to come to a decision now.

Did he choose life or death?

Love or obsession?

The future or the past?

Kagome or Kikyo?

Miroku tired to meditate as he sat on the small porch of the hut, but it was proving useless. It was impossible to clear his mind when there was so much going on within it. No longer having Naraku or his wind tunnel to worry about, he was free to think fully on his friends' problems, which at this time happened to be the broken heart of Lady Kagome. He wasn't lying when he told Sango that he understood her anger. Miroku had been shocked and appalled that Inuyasha had left her the way he did. Kagome was the most kind-hearted person he had ever met, and yet it seemed that her good heart was continually trampled upon. If anyone deserved to be happy and loved, aside from his Sango of course, it was Kagome. She had become like a sister to him, and it honestly hurt him to see her in any kind of pain, emotional of otherwise.

Even though he didn't love her romantically, Miroku knew that he would never abandon Kagome as the hanyou did. Even if Inuyasha had no romantic intentions towards the girl, he should at least have had the decency and honor to tell her outright how he felt and what he intended to do. Instead he left her even as she fought for her life. Now Kagome was to wake up wondering where her hanyou had gone, only to be given the blow of hearing that he had left her without so much as a proper good bye. Maybe it was a good thing they would never see Inuyasha again, for Miroku surely would be overcome with the desire to harm his friend should they ever cross paths again, and he knew Sango felt the same way. If he had still had his wind tunnel, Miroku was sure he would have been compelled to suck the half demon into oblivion as he was leaving the village to go join Kikyo.

He felt something tug on his robes and opened his eyes to find that Shippo was the culprit.

"She's getting better," the young kitsune informed him.

"As I knew she would," Miroku replied. "Lady Kagome is very strong."

"I almost wish she wouldn't wake up," the boy said with a pout.

"Why would you say that, Shippo?"

"Because when she wakes up, Sango's going to tell her that Inuyasha left, and she's going to be so sad."

That sat silently for a moment before Shippo spoke up again.

"Why was Kagome trying to leave without saying goodbye to us? Didn't she know how upset that would make all of us?"

"I think Kagome realized that we wouldn't have let her leave like that. There was no way she could have made it back to the well before we woke up, and we easily could have caught up with her by riding on Kilala. I think that mostly it was her attempt to distance herself from Inuyasha and the pain he was causing her."

"I hate Inuyasha," the boy suddenly spat.

"Don't say such things, Shippo," the monk scolded. Even though they were all disappointed in Inuyasha, he was still their friend and deserved respect.

"But he should have stayed with Kagome! He loves her!"

Miroku nodded once.

'He may love her,' he thought, 'but it obviously just wasn't enough.'

"Kikyo, do you love me?" She only stared at him incredulously.

"I need to know," Inuyasha urged. "If you loved me, you'd want me to live, right?" It was a statement that Kagome had made the night before.

"If she loved you, Inuyasha, she'd want you to live like I do!"

"There is no emotion left in me," she replied. "I only have a need for you."

'She's not capable of love anymore,' he painfully realized. But the Kikyo she used to be, the one who really did love him, wouldn't want him to die at all.

When they made it to hell, Kikyo would have her long awaited peace, she would become the gentle woman she used to be. But the Kikyo she used to be would be filled with guilt for bringing Inuyasha to hell, and then she wouldn't have peace at all, even with him by her side. The Kikyo she used to be would know that this is wrong. The Kikyo she used to be would want him to be happy.

The ground began to rumble in preparation for their journey, and Inuyasha was shook from his thoughts.

"This isn't the way, Kikyo," he began. "If you take me with you you'll never be happy. I know who you were. The woman I loved never would want others to suffer just for her own piece of mind. When you regain your senses, you'll never be able to forgive yourself for this."

"You dare to say I have no sense about me now?" she fumed. "You dare to tell me what will make me happy?"

"Only because you're not yourself, and you're not going to be yourself until you leave this world for good."

He found Kikyo in his arms then, and he was once again compelled to hold her there, although he didn't understand why. The ground shook once more and soon they were slowly moving down. Inuyasha was calm suddenly, as though this was the right thing all along. As he held Kikyo all the more close, suddenly that voice penetrated his thoughts. It was Kagome, calling to him, willing him to listen.

"I can't do this," he realized, seeming to come to his senses suddenly. "It's not right."

He tried then, to pull himself free from Kikyo's arms, but her strength seemed enormous.

"Please," he pleaded. "You need to go alone. I… Kagome… She needs me."

'How am I supposed to tell you, Kagome?' Sango thought. 'How can I speak the words that will break your heart?'

Kagome's sleep, although calm for several hours now, seemed to be becoming more and more disturbed. Her eyes were clenched shut, her breathing labored, and now she was beginning to mumble.

"No… Inuyasha… Inuyasha…"

Shippo patted Kagome's shoulder with his small hands in an effort to comfort her, while Sango sighed and exited the hut. It was getting hard to watch her friend in such turmoil. She sat down next to Miroku, whom she soon noticed had a hard look upon his face.

"What is it, Miroku?" she asked, uncertainty certainly evident in her voice.

"I sense something not of this world," he replied. "I dare say that Kikyo has opened the gate to hell."

"You mean she's taking him right now?"

"That's what I'm feeling."

Sango felt her heart clench. Inuyasha, their friend and long time companion, was dying at that very moment.

"I feel like we should be doing something," she said, her agitation at the situation coming off her in waves. Sango was a woman of action, and to sit by while a friend's life was lost was damn near unbearable.

"I know how you feel, but it was Inuyasha's wish."

"Tell me when it's over," was her quiet request, and they sat there to wait. They sat for almost two full minutes before Miroku spoke.

"It's done."

Sighing, Sango wiped a tear from her eye and stood to go back in the hut. Miroku followed her in, and they found that Kagome's slumber was peaceful again. Sango silently wondered if Kagome had sensed what was happening just as Miroku had. They both had spiritual powers after all.

Suddenly and violently, Kagome shot upright to a sitting position, clutching her chest and taking in a very long, very deep breath. Shippo was so startled by the noise that he jumped to cling to Miroku's leg. Said monk and also Sango were startled as well and stood unmoving, waiting for Kagome to exhale. It was twenty long seconds before she did.

"Kagome! What happened? What's wrong?" Sango asked in a panic as she threw herself down to her friend's bedside.

Kagome, who was still clutching her chest, was breathing heavily.

"I'm not sure," she managed to say in between breathes. "I think… It feels like… I'm whole again. I don't know how…" She trailed off as realization hit her. "My soul. The rest of my soul came back to me."

No one had to say out loud what that meant. They all knew. Kikyo was dead.

Kagome looked at each one of her friends, taking in her surroundings. But something was painfully missing.

"Where's Inuyasha?"

They all collectively held their breaths again. It was Miroku who worked up the nerve to answer.

"He's gone, Lady Kagome. She came for him early… I'm so sorry."

"What?" is what she tried to say, but it failed to come forth. Tears did instead, silent and filled with agony. Her Inuyasha was really gone? She wouldn't have believed it if not for the reuniting of her soul. She knew for a fact that Kikyo was gone, and therefore she knew Inuyasha was gone as well.

She collapsed onto her futon again, practically choking as the tears fell. Sango could do nothing more than place a comforting arm across her back, so she didn't argue when Miroku motioned for them all to leave her alone to her grief, if only for a little while.

She didn't know how long she'd been crying. Five minutes? Twenty minutes? Three hours? Time just didn't seem to exist anymore. She could hear her friends talking outside of the hut, but she couldn't comprehend their words. Nothing made sense to Kagome anymore, and she doubted that anything would ever make sense to her again.

She wiped her eyes and nose on the sleeve of the kimono Sango had lent her the day before and reached over to her yellow bag. Dragging it over to her bedside, she began to pull her school uniform out. It was still tattered from battle, but at least it was clean now, and Kagome needed to be in her own clothes again. She needed to go back to her own time and have this horrible place behind her. She doubted that she'd ever be able to return to this time again, knowing it was the place where Inuyasha had died. Right now she just wanted to feel like herself again, so she changed her clothes.

Her bag was still packed from the night before, save for the clothes she had just taken out of it, so she would be able to head back home almost right away. But she needed to do something first. Straightening her shirt out, she pushed past the grass mat in the doorway and joined her friends on the porch of the hut, a new determination set upon her face.

"Miroku," she questioned, "can you sense where they were? I want to see it."

"See what, Kagome?" Shippo asked in return.

"I want to see where Inuyasha died. I need to see it before I go home."

Miroku scratched the back of his head, internally debating whether or not it was a good idea to take her there. Sango gave him a look that contained his answer.

"Follow me," he announced as he stood. "The aura left by the gateway is still quite strong."

Everyone began to follow Miroku, not just Kagome. They all wanted to go and pay their respects, but mostly they wanted to make sure that Kagome didn't have another break down. She had been through enough emotional stress already. It wasn't even five minutes of walking before they stopped, but it felt like an eternity.

"It's just through those trees," Miroku explained as he pointed out the way. "Do you want us to come with you?"

Shaking her head "no", Kagome bravely lifted her chin up and walked past her friends and into the trees. She didn't know exactly what she had expected to see, but it surely wasn't the sight that she found before her in the clearing.

The ground was scorched in a large yet perfect circle, no doubt where the gate to hell had been opened. And there, precisely on the outside of the circle was Inuyasha, down on his knees with his head hanging low.

Kagome's heart jumped into her throat and she suddenly couldn't breath, so she ran instead. She kept running even as her voice took on a mind of it's own. It was louder and more passionate than a voice had any right to be.

"Inuyasha!"

His head turned to see Kagome running at him full force, and he stood up just in time to catch her as she jumped into his arms, wrapping her arms and her legs around him as tight as she could. She almost knocked him down.

He listened to her cry as he closed his eyes and took in her scent. Having her there in his arms, he was suddenly sure he had made the right choice.

There were so many words that were trying desperately to escape Kagome's lips, but the feat turned out to be impossible. She was shaking, and sobbing, and suddenly she couldn't control any part of herself anymore. She found herself taking his face into her hands and frantically kissing every part of it before landing on his lips.

Inuyasha was frozen in shock at first, but soon he gave in to what she was trying to tell him. He couldn't find any reason to deny their feelings anymore. It wouldn't make sense to even try.

He returned her passion, trying desperately to let her know how sorry he was for putting her through what he did. He would spend every moment of the rest of his life making it up to her if he had to.

Kagome pulled out of the kiss for air and put her forehead down on his shoulder. He held her there as their friends burst through the tree line to see what Kagome had been screaming about.

"Inuyasha!" Shippo and Miroku shouted in unison as Sango's mouth opened in shock. They began to run to their friend's side as well, although with not nearly the speed and ferocity as Kagome had.

"You're alive!" Shippo exclaimed as he jumped onto the hanyou's head. Inuyasha tried to let Kagome down, but it seemed as though she had no intention of letting go any time soon.

"I sensed the gate to hell open," Miroku exclaimed. "Lady Kagome's soul returned to her. We thought for sure you were gone."

"I sent Kikyo by herself. She needed to go alone, and I needed to stay behind," he explained. Kagome squeezed him tight before letting herself down from his arms. He lifted her face by her chin in order to look her in the eye.

"I never meant to scare you like that," he said firmly. The girl nodded quickly, still not able to find her voice.

Miroku looked over the scorched earth before closing his eyes and saying a silent prayer over Kikyo. He then turned to the others and nodded, letting them know what he had done.

"Let's get back then," he stated, taking Sango by the hand and leading her back the way they came. Shippo and Kilala followed closely behind, but Inuyasha and Kagome stood in place for a while, letting the others get a good lead before following.

"Why didn't you go with her?" Kagome finally asked as they reached the tree line.

"You need me," he stated matter-of-factly. "Who else is going to save you when you get bitten by snakes?"

"Is that what happened to me?" She laughed lightly as she took Inuyasha's hand in her own. Inuyasha didn't pull his hand away.

A/N: Well there you go! Hope I didn't disappoint anyone. And I'm sorry it took so long to get out. I'm suddenly a busy person, but I do hope to have the epilogue out within the week, so here's hoping I get that done on time.

Reviewer Responses: Because I love getting them, I'm giving them.

JediK1: Sorry it took so long to get this up for you. I know how much it can suck to be stuck with cliffhangers!

dragonSpired48: blushes furiously Wow! What a compliment! You sure know how to sweet-talk a fanfic author. :D

IY-luver789: I know it took a long time to get this chapter out, so I hope this one was worth the wait too. I don't want to disappoint you by making you wait forever for a crappy chapter. What could be worse than that?

BakaBokken: Really? You're enjoying this? I'm honored! I always try hard to make sure my writing is good quality. I'm glad to know that someone appreciates it. Thanks so much!

And remember friends, there is an epilogue coming up soon, although it'll probably be just a short one. Either way, don't write me off yet!