Stay Chapter 17: Same Choice, an inuyasha fanfic

A/N: Yay!!! Oo I know I'm so sorry… Again, I've been back to school and I've got lots of work to do. Please forgive me for being VERY VERY VERY late.

I would like to thank my reviewers for constantly reviewing (and bugging me to update). They really help me to keep going. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!! I always thought of leaving this fanfic because my schedule is really loaded but when I think of you guys… I just can't end it. This fanfic will go on till the end, PROMISE! Just be patient with me…

By the way, special thanks goes out to I think you should leave a name next time, I'm not mad at you ) for constantly (as in C-O-N-S-T-A-N-T-L-Y) reminding/bugging me for an update. You have reviewed 8 times (yes, I've counted them!) and I'm really sorry that I still didn't update this fanfic. Again, school is really terrible… I hope you're not yet dead… Please have more patience. And leave your e-mail address so I can e-mail you or be a member of my mailing list for this fanfic. The link is in my profile, please look it up there…

Disclaimer: I still don't own Inuyasha… -sigh-

Chapter 17

Same Choice

"PERVERT!!!!"

"I didn't mean it that way…" Miroku reasoned out as he rubbed his burning cheek with a red mark of—obviously—Sango's hand.

"What do you mean 'didn't mean it that way'?!" hollered Sango, glaring dangerously at Miroku, who was sitting beside her.

"I was trying my best to comfort you." Miroku said calmly, looking innocently at the furious girl next to him. "You're too worried about Kagome-sama's condition… Inuyasha's with her so I'm sure she's safe."

"Well, if that's your best way of comforting me, just keep your hands to yourself because I don't need them!" She pointed out with gritted teeth, hands shaking at her sides. "You're not comforting me. You're just annoying me—pretty much." She added, putting a good distance between Miroku and herself. "Stay THERE." She commanded, pointing an intimidating finger at him.

Miroku looked at Sango's finger coolly for a couple of seconds then sighed. "As you wish." He said, bowing his head in surrender.

Shippou just stayed quiet with Kirara seated beside him as they watched the two as they began one of their typical quarrels. Ever since Kagome and Inuyasha left, Shippou was left with nothing to do but watch Miroku and Sango fight or play a little game with Kirara. Sometimes, Kaede would stay with them to talk or eat with them but most of the time, she was out to visit the village or collect medicinal herbs. The little kitsune was getting bored and he wished very badly that Kagome would return soon so he could have some more interesting company. The girl from the future was always very happy to play with Shippou and she would also bring lots of fun stuff from her world.

"I wonder why Inuyasha still hasn't returned…" Shippou mused curiously.

"He probably stayed with Kagome-sama in her country." Miroku answered.

"But he didn't even like to take Kagome there," said Shippou. "Why would he be staying there?"

"Maybe Inuyasha changed his mind." Sango suggested. "You know him. When it comes to Kagome-chan, he always does some unexpected things…"

"Well, yeah, that is possible…" Miroku agreed. "He probably stayed there because he was worried about Kagome-sama or he probably stayed there because he was forced to stay." He stifled a laugh when a mental picture of Kagome literally putting a leash on the hanyou appeared in his mind.

"Inuyasha was forced to stay?" Shippou repeated, looking puzzled. "How can that be possible? Kagome can't use 'sit' because she forgot it, right?"

"Maybe Kagome-chan remembered it already." Sango said, also wondering how Kagome would force Inuyasha to stay—if she did really force him to stay.

"Maybe," said Miroku then smiled cunningly. "Or she used another method. Kagome-sama is a bright girl; she will surely think of a way to make Inuyasha stay…" A wide grin played on his lips when he thought of the other ways that Kagome had possibly used.

Sango and Shippou paused to think about Miroku's words. The two were now busy creating their own mental images of how Kagome possibly succeeded in making Inuyasha stay with her. All of the pictures brought the same effect to them—amusement. The whole hut was filled with their laughter while Kirara looked at them with interest.

The little fire cat suddenly turned her head towards the entrance of the hut and meowed as if greeting someone.

Miroku was the first to recover from their gaiety to look at the direction Kirara was looking at. His eyes went wide a little when he saw Inuyasha standing at the entrance with a yellow bag over his shoulder.

"Inuyasha!?" Shippou cried out, looking shocked. "You already came back!"

"Yeah, runt." Inuyasha replied with his usual manner of talking. "Kagome's also back." He added, walking towards one corner of the hut to place Kagome's large backpack.

"Hi everyone!" Kagome greeted brightly, a nice smile on her lips.

"Kagome-chan!" Sango quickly stood up to approach her friend.

"You're back!" Miroku said, looking glad at their friends' return.

"Kagome!!!" The little kitsune rushed to Kagome and sprang to her open arms. "I missed you so much!" He told her as he hugged the young miko tighter.

"Me too." Kagome beamed happily. "I missed all of you!" She sat down on the floor, Shippou sitting on her lap. "At last, I'm back to normal!!! I've regained my memory!" She announced ecstatically to her friends.

"You did?!" Sango exclaimed cheerfully, looking happy for her friend. "I'm happy for you!"

"That's great! You remember all of us now!" Miroku added, also feeling very glad with the turn of events for Kagome.

"Kagome, so you remember everything again, don't you?" Shippou questioned, looking up at her hopefully.

Kagome gave out a small smile. "I think so." She answered.

"You're not yet sure?" The kitsune looked bothered again.

"I'm not yet sure but I remember lots of stuff now." She said, trying her best to reassure Shippou about her condition. "Here, why don't you try asking me a few things?" She suggested, also praying silently to herself that she did recover all of her memories.

Shippou left Kagome's lap to sit in front of her. He crossed his arms in front of him and thought of a question to ask her.

Miroku and Sango looked at Shippou interestingly as they waited for his question.

"How did we meet?" He asked Kagome after a short silence.

Kagome looked at everyone in the room then fixed her eyes on Shippou. "How did we meet?" She repeated the question then remained silent for a while.

Inuyasha was watching Kagome worriedly; fear flooded his heart as the silence lengthened. Maybe Kagome still didn't recall everything? "Please remember, Kagome…" He prayed inside his mind.

"Inuyasha and I were in an abandoned battlefield at that time…" Kagome started, finally grasping the memory clearly in her head. "Inuyasha is eating ramen while I was telling some stories about my time. Then suddenly, it became dark and you appeared, asking us to give you the Shikon shards."

"You remembered it!!!" Shippou asserted with joy. "You really do have your memory back!"

Inuyasha mentally sighed in relief. She had really regained her memory. She was back to normal. Inuyasha's heart was pacified by that thought. "She's finally back with us…" He thought contentedly.

"Yeah." Kagome smiled, also looking pleased. "I even remember at that time…" She glanced at Inuyasha and chuckled lightly before adding, "Inuyasha was really annoyed with you that he had hit you so many times. You had plenty of bumps in the head because of him."

"Inuyasha was a jerk ever since I met him." Shippou commented, also reminiscing their first acquaintance.

"What did you say?!" Inuyasha demanded, raising a clenched fist at him. "You really want me to hit you, don't you?!"

"Kagome…" Shippou returned to Kagome's lap for protection.

"Inuyasha…" Kagome said his name in a threatening manner, looking at Inuyasha.

"Keh! Yeah, yeah, I know! I won't hit the annoying brat!" Inuyasha grumbled, sitting beside Kagome and folding his arms on his chest. "You always keep on protecting him." He complained, looking very irritated at the kitsune sitting on the miko's lap.

"It's because you keep on bullying him!" Kagome answered back, getting pissed off with Inuyasha's inappropriate jealousy.

"What?!" He growled loudly, looking angrily into Kagome's brown eyes.

"Why do you always get mad about small things?!" She retorted, also returning the glare to Inuyasha.

"Um, I think you guys should stop fighting… We should just be happy that Kagome-sama has recovered her memory." Miroku said, trying to stop the quarrel that was beginning to ensue between the two.

"Keh!" Inuyasha looked away from Kagome. "She's the one who started it!" He stood up and went to the far corner of the room to be left alone. After stealing one last glance at Kagome, he sat himself and leaned on the wall to take a rest. "Wench…" He muttered under his breath then closed his eyes.

Kagome wanted so much to sit Inuyasha at that time but she stopped herself. Instead, she just took a deep breath then released it slowly. Then she noticed that someone was missing inside the hut. "Where's Kaede-baachan?" She asked, looking for the old woman that was usually with them inside the shelter.

"She went to the village to see the sick daughter of one of the villagers." Sango replied with a smile. "Don't worry, I'm sure she's on her way back. She'll be very happy to hear that your memory has returned."

"Yeah, I think so too." Kagome said, smiling at her friend.

"Kagome?"

"Yes, Shippou-chan?" Kagome looked down at the little youkai seated on her lap, waiting for what he had to say.

"How did you remember everything?" He asked curiously.

Inuyasha quickly opened his eyes at the mention of the question. Of course he knew the answer perfectly well. "Kikyou…" He thought as his heart ached for Kagome. He knew that Kagome also suffered when she recovered her memory. She now knew who was Kikyou in Inuyasha's life. "Kagome always has to suffer when she's with me…" He thought, getting angry with himself. "Why can't I ease that pain for her?!"

"I… I remembered Kikyou…" Inuyasha heard Kagome answer after a deafening silence. Inuyasha looked at Kagome's direction and saw her eyes looking down the floor. Before that, he had seen something flash in those brown eyes of hers—sadness. He was right; Kagome was really suffering even as she regained her lost memory. He couldn't take seeing that emotion in Kagome's eyes. It was tearing him apart.

"Shippou, stop bothering Kagome with your damn questions." He barked and stood up quickly, eyes not looking at any of them. "I swear if you ask one more question, I'm going to cut your fucking tongue out!" After that, he left the room grumpily without telling them where he was going.

"What happened to him…?" Shippou said softly, his voice trembling slightly as he looked up to Kagome.

"I don't know exactly either." Kagome replied, worrying about Inuyasha. "Let's just leave him alone. He needs it." She looked at the hut's exit, wondering where Inuyasha could have gone. "Inuyasha…"

Inuyasha rushed towards the forest and walked slowly when he reached the comforting shade of green trees. As he walked on, many things troubled his mind. Again, the main thing that bothered his mind is making his choice. How was he going to make his choice between Kikyou and Kagome? He now knew perfectly well that a time would come that he would be making that choice. Maybe he should start thinking about his choice?

Inuyasha found himself in front of a familiar tree. The tree where he was bound for fifty long years. "Kikyou was the one who sealed me here… and Kagome was the one who freed me. Kikyou and I fell into Naraku's trap and we hated—no. I never really hated her even after what had happened. I… I still loved her even though I ended up pinned on this tree. She was the only person that I learned to trust before… She was the only one that cared about me…But then—"

Kikyou scoffed at Inuyasha. "Liar." She said. "Have you forgotten that girl? Your feelings for me aren't the same anymore Inuyasha! You're undecided! Can't decide between that girl and me!"

"It's true…" He thought. "Kikyou is telling the truth. Back then when I was talking to her, I was undecided. I keep telling her that my feelings were still the same… were they? I don't know anymore… If I do love Kikyou, then why did I choose Kagome when Kikyou asked me to choose? And if I don't love Kikyou, then why am I willing to go with her to hell?" Things were getting more complicated as he thought about them more and more. "Is Kagome really my choice? Great… Now I'm also questioning my choice…" He sat down under the Goshinboku and rested his back on its trunk. "Kikyou… She's right when she said we could never start again… because she's already dead… Maybe that's why I am willing to go to hell with her? Because we will be together there…but then, I always see Kagome reaching out to me. Why do I always see her when Kikyou is about to kill me? She wants me to live while Kikyou wants me to die. After all the things that have happened, I don't think I still want to go to hell with Kikyou anymore. I need to protect Kagome so she doesn't fall into Naraku's hands again—like the way Kikyou did. I'll do anything it takes to stop her sufferings… Does that mean I don't love Kikyou anymore? I know I am also willing to protect her with my life. I also don't want her to suffer anymore… If I have really chosen Kagome, then why can't I stop thinking about Kikyou? Why can't I stand to see her suffering? Then did I really choose Kagome or was it really Kikyou that I have chosen?"

No answer came to him. He was left more confused than before.

"Kagome… why did I choose her at that time? She was the one that taught me how to trust again. She was the only person that understood me completely. Kikyou wanted me to be human so we can be together… Kagome... she wanted me to be happy... that was the only thing she wished for me. Then… do I love Kagome? Maybe… but she deserves someone much better than me. I am just a worthless half-breed. She'll only suffer when she stays with me…"

"I don't know what decision you are talking about but… I know that I chose to stay because I want to be with you always. Even though you say I was hurt because I stayed, I still don't regret that I stayed with you and I probably never will. Even though I lost my memory, my heart can never forget you Inuyasha. I can feel that deep inside… I always want to be beside you—even if I'll have to suffer, I still want to stay. So don't ask me to leave you 'cause I never will… I hope that's okay with you…" Kagome said, turning her head to look at Inuyasha.

"I never understood why she wants to stay with me even after all the things that have happened. I just hurt her… why doesn't she leave me even after that?" Inuyasha had never known the reason for Kagome's choice to stay with him. He never saw the reason even though it was quite obvious.

"If the time comes that I am asked to choose again… will I have the same choice as before? The person I want to stay with forever…" Inuyasha closed his eyes and thought again about his choice.

He looked up at the sky and saw that the sun was now starting to set. He didn't move from his spot; he still didn't want to return to the others. He would stay here for a while—to think some more. What would be his choice? He decided to watch the sunset before going back. After all, times that he would be alone were now very seldom ever since he met Kagome. Kagome always stayed beside him—that was why. He jumped into a high branch to sit there and have a better view of the sunset.

It didn't take long before the sky started turning pinkish then red and orange. A mixture of yellow and purple was added that made the heavens nicer to look at.

All of a sudden, Kagome's smiling face came across Inuyasha's mind. He smiled softly and then fixed his eyes again on the sunset. "Kagome would have probably been very happy to be watching this. She's always happy about small things." The hanyou thought.

A feeling of serenity ruled over Inuyasha and he liked that feeling very much. That feeling was very familiar to him—ever since he met Kagome. As he continued to watch the sun making its way down the sky, he remembered a certain memory that helped him make his choice.

"Kagome," whispered Inuyasha. He placed his hand on Kagome's cheek. "Please stay with me, Kagome. I don't want to lose you." He said.

"I meant those words back then…" Inuyasha thought as the sun completely vanished and the moon shone brightly above him. "And up until now… I really need her beside me... I almost died worrying about her when she disappeared. And worse, she fell into Naraku's hands..." Inuyasha clenched his clawed hand firmly, making his claws pierce hard on his palm. Blood was now trickling softly from his wound but he didn't pay any attention to it. "I felt so helpless when I saw the cold look in her eyes...I'm just thankful she's back to me."He leaped down the branch of the tree and sighed lightly. "Guess I'll still make the same choice when that time comes." And he started his way back towards the others—back to the girl he chose to stay with forever...

A/N: Yehey! Another chapter down! I know it's shorter than my normal chapters but please bear with it. I am really quite busy now… By the way, again, I'm reminding you to sign in my mailing list so you'll receive an e-mail when I update. Also, about the poll, I decided not to do any of the stories YET since I already have an upcoming fanfic when Stay ends. It's an AU too but it's far more different and the setting is still in Inuyasha's time—but still AU.

Back to Stay, this chapter is a bit confusing since Inuyasha is really confusing... I really intended to make it this way—even I am getting a bit confused (just kidding!). Just read the following chapters and it will be cleared. So just wait for it, okay?

I hope this update has made your day better! Now in return, please make my day better too! How? Review!!!!!! Thank you very much!!! Bye-bye!