A/N: YAY!!!! I'm so happy! Lots of people liked the chapter!!! I'm so proud of myself!!! Thank you very very much for all of your kind supportive words!! And look! No more annoying improper flame! –smiley-
Enough of the author's notes, I present to you the 22nd chapter of Stay!!!
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Disclaimer: Now I remember the missing word!!! I DON'T own Inuyasha! Yay! The magic words are finally complete! Isn't that nice?
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Chapter 22
In the End-
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Inuyasha opened his eyes to find darkness surrounding him. Everything around him was black. "Am I dead?" He wondered. He couldn't feel anything. Maybe that meant he was now dead? "I must have really fucking bad luck at dodging arrows." He thought, remembering how he had died.
"It's because I love you." He said softly, closing his eyes.
"Shish! I finally got to tell her that and then I end up fucking dead. Why do I always have to make her cry in the end?!" He complained, thinking about Kagome. It was dark around him but he knew that Kagome had been crying the moment he fell on the ground. He closed his eyes and thought about Kagome even more. After all, that was the only thing he could do—now that he was dead…
All of a sudden, a voice suddenly reached Inuyasha's ears. "Inuyasha! Wake up! Wake up!"
"Kagome?!" He immediately recognized her voice and opened his eyes, expecting to find her looking back at him.
Unfortunately, it was still darkness that greeted him. "Is this supposed to happen when you're already fucking dead?! I can hear voices yet I can't see things?! This is torture!" He thought, getting annoyed as he continued to hear Kagome's voice. "I thought all your senses shut down when you die?!"
"Don't do this to me! You promised you'd stay with me, remember? You promised!" Her voice was quivering.
"She's still crying…" Inuyasha wished deeply that he could open his eyes and speak to her. To tell her that she should stop crying because—because what? He really didn't know what to tell her to make her stop crying but he really didn't want her to cry because of him.
"You can't die!" He heard Kagome plead to him.
"Kagome…"
Her voice continued its plea, never giving up on its task to wake him up. "You mustn't… I still haven't told you… I love you too."
"She what?" Inuyasha wasn't sure if he had her right. "She… loves me?" He paused for a moment and thought about the past events. Kagome was always beside him—he couldn't remember an instance he faced trouble all alone. She was always there to protect him, to cry for him, to care for him, to love him.
"Why don't you blame me for all of your sufferings?" He asked, up until now he couldn't understand her.
"It's because it's not your fault." She answered him.
"It is my fault!" Inuyasha tried to argue. "If I was able to save you, Naraku wouldn't have used you!"
"Even if it's your fault, I still don't blame you." She simply said.
"Why?"
"Because I don't want to. I can't force myself to hate you." She replied, smiling kindly at Inuyasha. "That's why I'm staying with you, remember?"
"So that's why she stayed…" He thought, realization finally reaching him. "The reason why she has endured me up until now, the reason why she always returned, the reason why she never blamed me. Of course, she loves me!" Inuyasha mentally whacked himself—repeatedly—for not knowing it sooner. "Kagome had accepted me—completely. Human, hanyou or youkai Inuyasha, she didn't give a damn. All that mattered to her was that she was with me." Inuyasha's thoughts were cut when Kikyou had spoken her threat to Kagome.
"Enough of this useless talk. You have to die now."
"I forgot! Kikyou's still after Kagome!" He cursed under his breath, trying to think of something to stop Kikyou. "Wait! What am I thinking? I'm already fucking dead!"
"No one's going to save you now." He heard Kikyou's cold voice say.
"Kagome!!!" Something suddenly pulsed in him. Was that his heart?
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"Even if you kill me, you've lost this battle, Kikyou!" Kagome said as she glared at the undead miko, who was aiming to shoot her. "You can't have Inuyasha anymore!" Her tears were long gone and she didn't care anymore about what would happen next. She wasn't afraid of Kikyou or death. "Maybe I'll be able to see Inuyasha again if I die…" She thought, trying to think of something positive.
"And you can't have him too." Kikyou smiled evilly at her reincarnation. "Inuyasha will still be mine in the end. He will join me in hell."
"Inuyasha doesn't belong in hell! Only you do! Inuyasha is a lot better than you!" Kagome retorted, clenching her fists on her sides.
"Let's just see then. Inuyasha isn't supposed to be with you. Never." Kikyou stretched the string of her bow even more as her eyes flared with nothing but anger and revenge. "It's your fault that Inuyasha has died!" She thought, her hands shaking in fury. "Now, you will finally cease to exist." She steadied her hands to prepare to release the arrow. "You'll pay for eve—"
"Stop it, Kikyou."
Kikyou's eyes widened upon hearing that voice—Inuyasha's voice. "How…?"
"Inuyasha!?" Kagome was also shocked when she had heard his voice. The next thing she knew, Inuyasha was no longer lying down in front of her but he was now standing in front of her, facing Kikyou. "You're alive!" She thought gratefully. She was about to take a step to approach him but she stopped when she heard Inuyasha snicker.
"Keh." Inuyasha scoffed at Kikyou then raised his hand to pull out the arrow that had been shot on his back. "Bitch, how dare you attack me…" He growled lowly, sending deadly glares at the miko who held her bow in an offensive stance. He threw the arrow aside then flexed his claws dangerously as he continued to growl.
"What's happening to Inuyasha?!" Kagome thought, looking worriedly at him. "Did he—he can't! Tetsusaiga's with him!" Her heart was beating fast inside her chest as she continued to watch Inuyasha. His claws were longer than usual and his voice was different. "Inuyasha, what's happening to you?"
Inuyasha didn't understand what was happening with his body. The only thing he knew was that he had to kill the woman in front of him because she intended danger to him. "I'm going to kill you…" He said gruffly, his blood red eyes looking straight at Kikyou.
The moment Kagome had heard those words from Inuyasha, she was sure—Inuyasha had truly transformed.
Kikyou recovered from her state of surprise and disbelief and readied herself once again. This time, the arrow's target was Inuyasha. "How dare you, Inuyasha! Do you really intend to kill me?" Her eyes burned with hurt but rage still dominated her features.
Inuyasha didn't answer her. He just continued to look at her and growl ferociously.
"Answer me!" Kikyou demanded, pulling the arrow back even more.
Inuyasha's growl became louder and it looked pretty much like he was ready to attack her—and kill her.
"Inuyasha, snap out of it!"
Inuyasha stopped growling all of a sudden as he felt arms wrap around him. He knew that voice. Her scent was also familiar to him. Her scent didn't make his heart worry or panic. Instead, it did the opposite—it calmed him. He looked down at the girl embracing him and lowered his hands, afraid that he might hurt her. Looking curiously at her, he wondered who could she be. He couldn't remember her name but he knew she was someone important—someone that didn't mean him harm.
Kagome, sensing that Inuyasha had somehow settled down, tried her best to talk to him and make him return to normal. "Inuyasha, stop it! Please transform back!" She cried out to him. She raised her head up to look into his eyes and search them for any sign that he understood. "Inuyasha, please come back…"
His blood stopped boiling when he saw those warm brown eyes looking at him. He didn't thirst for blood anymore and he felt safe—somehow. He opened his mouth to speak—this time not to threat an enemy but to comfort someone dear to him. "Don't worry, it's all right now…" He told her gently as his eyes slowly turned amber once again. "I'm back, Kagome." He added, giving out a smile to reassure her. Of course he remembered her now, she was the one he had sworn to protect.
"You're really back!" She held back the tears of joy that wanted to fall from her eyes as she gazed at Inuyasha. Her heart was filled with happiness to be looking into his gentle amber eyes once more. "Are you sure you're all right now?" She questioned him, recalling the wound he had because he had blocked the arrow that was supposed to be for her.
"Keh! It was just a scratch!" Inuyasha replied coolly. His eyes shifted towards Kikyou's direction. "Does she really mean this?" He thought, still hoping that Kikyou would just leave them peacefully. He placed a protective arm around Kagome's waist and looked at Kikyou confidently. "I thought you were the same person I loved back then but your hatred is something Kikyou would never have. I thought I still loved you but it was just guilt that kept me attached to you. And now that you have proven me that you're not the real Kikyou I know—even with the same soul—you no longer deserve my protection. The moment you tried to kill Kagome, you have freed me from the debt I owed you." He said all of those words without lowering his eyes. He meant every single word that he had spoken.
Kagome was startled when she felt Inuyasha wrapping his arm around her. "Inuyasha…?" She looked at him with questioning eyes but he wasn't looking at her—his eyes were directed to Kikyou. And when she heard Inuyasha's words, her eyes widened with every sentence he said. "Inuyasha…" She called to him once again; her voice was meek and uncertain. "What are you doing?" She really didn't have a clue of what Inuyasha was planning. She was confused and lost.
Inuyasha looked down at Kagome and knew at once that she didn't understand his words. He gently pulled Kagome to hide behind him, returned his gaze at Kikyou then said something to Kagome, making sure that she would be the only one to hear his words. "Stay with me, Kagome. I'll protect you." He said with full determination.
The doubt and confusion in Kagome's heart vanished promptly after hearing Inuyasha's words. She didn't need any more words from Inuyasha, she understood now. Inuyasha had truly chosen her and he had proven it more than once. There wasn't a word that could describe the feeling Kagome felt in her heart at that very moment. It was not just simple happiness or contentment—it was something more. "Thank you, Inuyasha." She always found herself grateful to Inuyasha. He kept doing things that always made her say those words. She smiled softly at Inuyasha's back and thought, "Forever, I'll be thankful that I met you, Inuyasha…"
"I meant every word I said, Kikyou." Inuyasha said with the same firm tone in his voice. His amber eyes weren't gentle anymore but they suddenly looked threatening—almost like his youkai side still loomed underneath those amber pools ready to take over whenever needed. "If you try to hurt Kagome again, I will kill you."
Kagome saw that Inuyasha was dead serious when he threatened Kikyou—his eyes told her that. She looked nervously at Kikyou, fearing the next thing that might happen. It was true that Kikyou had tried to kill her but she still didn't think it was reason enough to kill Kikyou. She didn't want Kikyou to die in the hands of Inuyasha—even though Inuyasha did it on his own accord. Kikyou was still part of Inuyasha's life and she still had a place in his heart. She knew that.
But Kikyou didn't care anymore. All she wanted was Kagome's death and she didn't care about the means or the consequences. "So I have to kill you first then?" Her eyes were still filled with anger and more determination to take vengeance as she spoke to Inuyasha. "Prepare yourself Inuyasha! This time it will be straight to your heart. It won't be the arrow of sealing—I will kill you this time!" The arrow on her bow glowed with her miko powers, ready to purify its target.
Kagome acted on instinct. She knew that Inuyasha would surely die if he would be hit by Kikyou's purifying arrow. "Kikyou, don't!"
Too late. The arrow was released, fast approaching its target—Inuyasha's heart.
"No!!!" She screamed and came out of Inuyasha's cover swiftly to block the arrow; her hand was outstretched for some unknown reason. Only one thing was on her mind—she had to protect Inuyasha.
"Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted out her name, seeing the arrow nearing her. His eyes were filled with horror at the possible thing that he knew was about to happen. "No! Kagome!!!"
A sudden blast of white light emanated from Kagome's hand, dissolving the arrow that sped towards her.
Kikyou's face looked taken aback then she suddenly fell on her knees, dropping her bow and clutching her chest tightly. "That girl…!" She managed to speak as she panted. Glowing spheres left her body rapidly and sped towards the heavens.
"Kikyou…" Inuyasha looked sorry as he watched the souls leave her clay body. He knew it was going to end soon.
Kikyou looked at Inuyasha with hurt deeply expressed in her eyes. "Inuyasha…" She spoke his name softly—not with anger anymore. Her face softened, reminding Inuyasha of the Kikyou he knew before. "I'm sorry." With her last words said, her body crumbled slowly and returned to what she was made of—grave soil and bones…
Kikyou was finally put to rest.
Kagome still remained motionless, looking at her hand with shock clearly visible on her face. Did she just regain her miko powers? She looked down on the ground where Kikyou once stood and found the shattered clay doll with some bones and grave soil. "I killed Kikyou…" She thought, looking horrified.
"Kagome,"
Kagome turned around immediately to face Inuyasha. Her face was frightened and apologetic at the same time. "Inuyasha, I didn't mean to… Sorry." She didn't know what else to say. Then she collapsed to the ground.
"Kagome!" Inuyasha quickly caught her just before she hit the ground and looked worriedly at her.
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The wind was blowing softly that morning. The sun wasn't too bright, just enough to give off warmth. Inuyasha was standing before Kikyou's grave, looking at the little shrine that housed her remains. It wasn't empty anymore. "Kikyou, don't worry. I promise to finish Naraku for you." He thought resolutely. "Rest peacefully now."
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Inuyasha entered Kaede's hut silently and looked around the room. Miroku and Sango were nowhere inside the hut when Inuyasha arrived.
Kaede stood up and said to Shippou, "Come, Shippou, help me gather some more herbs."
"Okay…" Shippou answered as he rose up. Before leaving, he threw a worried look on Kagome, who was slumbering peacefully on the futon.
On her way to the exit, the elderly miko looked at Inuyasha for a while and said, "Watch her for a while, Inuyasha."
Inuyasha gave a small nod to Kaede. He walked quietly towards Kagome and sat on the floor beside her. His eyes stayed on Kagome's face for some time, looking very concerned. "She still hasn't come around…" He thought. "Damn it… She's already sleeping for three days! When will she fucking wake up?!" He clenched his fists tightly while he gritted his teeth. He always hated it when he didn't have any control on the situation. "Just what the hell were you thinking back there?! You could have died if your miko powers didn't return in time to blast that fucking arrow!" He looked angrily at Kagome as if challenging her to answer back. He bowed his head, hiding his eyes from Kagome's sleeping form. "You just don't know how scared I was when I thought that you might die." He lifted his head and looked at her again.
No change. Still, her eyes remained closed.
He growled softly as he watched her. "Do you plan to see me dead of worry first before you decide to wake up?!"
Silence persisted.
Inuyasha sighed in defeat. "Damn, I must really look stupid now! I'm actually talking to a sleeping girl!" He thought to himself, running a clawed hand through his long silvery white mane.
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Sango and Miroku were sitting on a grass field, talking to each other. Their recovery was made faster when they came to Kaede's village. Inuyasha was worried sick when Kagome still haven't woken up after a day's sleep that he decided to bring the young miko to Kaede.
"So, houshi-sama, what do you think happened?" Sango asked curiously while she played with Kirara's ears.
"Inuyasha had finally decided to choose between Kikyou-sama and Kagome-sama." Miroku replied knowingly.
"Eh? Really?" The taijiya exclaimed, looking amused. "You mean Inuyasha chose Kagome-chan? Since Inuyasha came with her, right?"
Miroku nodded in agreement. "I also think he did. Since, Kikyou-sama is already gone. The only thing I'm not sure is how Kikyou-sama died…" He looked at Sango then continued, "Inuyasha said that Kagome-sama has already recovered her miko powers… Do you think Kagome-sama—"
"Kagome-chan will not do something like that!" Sango interrupted to defend her friend.
"I'm not saying she did it on purpose." He pointed out. "Maybe she did it accidentally to protect herself or something…"
Sango bit her lip at the thought. "Poor Kagome-chan… She must be suffering greatly to know that she had to kill Kikyou…" She said, sympathizing with Kagome.
"I just hope Inuyasha would be able to say something to ease Kagome's worries…"
"Yeah, me too. Let's just hope he doesn't act like a jerk—even just this time."
Miroku shrugged. He wasn't so sure that the odds were pretty good for that one.
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Inuyasha heaved out a sigh for the nth time. "What's taking her so long to wake up?!" He thought impatiently as he stared at her. Out of nowhere, he remembered Kagome's words before she fainted.
Kagome turned around immediately to face Inuyasha. Her face was frightened and apologetic at the same time. "Inuyasha, I didn't mean to… Sorry."
"At that time, Kagome looked afraid. She must think that I'm mad at her." Inuyasha mused. "None of that was her fault. I'm just glad that she's safe…After all, it's already good that Kikyou is put to rest. At least, she doesn't need to suffer any long—"
Inuyasha's heart stopped for a moment. Kagome had just stirred.
"Kagome? Hey! Kagome! Can you hear me?" He looked pretty much like an excited dog. "Kagome?" He looked closer at her face and narrowed his eyes. "Bitch… Are you playing with me?" He growled.
He was answered by a light snore from Kagome.
"Keh!" He muttered, standing up. He began pacing to and fro, tired of doing nothing but sitting on the floor. A sudden thought popped in his mind. "Maybe something bad happened to her back there… But Kaede said Kagome was just exhausted because she suddenly used all of her miko powers." He paused then looked down on Kagome. "Yeah, she's just tired. She's going to wake up soon." He thought, trying to reassure himself.
Another rustling sound came from Kagome. She shifted her position; she was now lying on her side and facing Inuyasha.
Inuyasha stopped pacing straight away and crouched beside Kagome. "Kagome? Oi! KA-GO-ME!" He looked at her expectantly, hoping hat she would finally open her eyes. "Kagome… you…" He growled then sighed, trying to control his temper. "If you don't have any plans of waking up, will you stop moving around and getting my hopes high?!" He muttered under his breath then stood up again. He was really having a hard time in containing his temper… He began walking back and forth again, thinking that it was really far better than sitting beside her and waiting.
"Inuyasha…"
"What?" He snapped, still continuing his pacing.
"Would you stop walking around? You're disturbing my sleep." Kagome replied, still looking very sleepy.
Inuyasha froze in his position, eyes gaping at Kagome.
"Thank you." Kagome said, stretching her arms as she yawned. She gave Inuyasha a puzzled look and asked, "What's wrong with you?"
That was when he finally realized that Kagome had just spoken to him. Kagome was awake—at last! "Kagome! You're awake!" He exclaimed, crouching beside her again.
"Of course, I'm awake!" She answered, looking at Inuyasha like he was saying something so obvious. "It's not like I've been sleeping for a long ti… Oh!" She suddenly gasped when she remembered that she had in fact been sleeping for a long time. "How long have I been sleeping?" She asked him, sitting up.
"About three fucking days." Inuyasha answered, helping her sit up. "About time you open your eyes!" He added, glaring a little.
"I'm sorry I made you worry, Inuyasha." Kagome said, taking a look at the bottle of Shikon shards hanging around her neck. "So I did recover my miko powers…" She thought, half-relieved at the sight of four untainted pieces of Shikon no Tama. She bowed her head to avoid Inuyasha's eyes and said, "I'm also sorry… about Kikyou. I really didn't mean to do that to her…"
"As I thought, she was worried about that." Inuyasha thought, his face softening. "You idiot! It's not like I'm blaming you for that to begin with! Of course you didn't mean it!"
Kagome still kept her eyes averted from Inuyasha. "But Kikyou wouldn't be dead if I—"
"Kikyou's dead a long time ago, Kagome." He cut in. "All you did was return her to where she rightfully belong. She's suffered more than enough…. Besides…" Kagome still wasn't looking at him. "Besides, if that didn't happen, you could have died… I wouldn't prefer that. Don't you remember? I would have killed Kikyou too if she tried to hurt you." "And I meant to do that without any hesitation—if that means I will be able to protect you…" Inuyasha thought.
She slowly raised her head and stared at Inuyasha, looking deeply moved. "You really meant that?" She asked softly.
The answer was instantaneous. "Yeah."
Kagome looked taken aback with Inuyasha's reply. "Huh?" Did she hear him right?
"I said, yeah, I'm serious about that." Inuyasha repeated, blushing brightly. "Is there something wrong with your ears?" He asked, trying to stop the blush on his cheeks.
"Not really…" She replied, smiling warmly. "It's just that I didn't expect you to answer me like that." "It's the first time Inuyasha actually managed NOT to be a jerk at times like this. I never thought I'd be using the word 'romantic' to describe Inuyasha!" She thought with amazement.
"Keh!" He looked away, still blushing.
"You look cute when you're blushing." She commented, giggling lightly.
"What?! Who said I'm blushing?!" Inuyasha demanded, blushing even more.
"See!"
"I'm not blushing!!!"
"Yes, you are."
"Of course not!"
"You also look cute when you're denying things." Kagome told Inuyasha, smiling brightly like a little kid.
"You are annoying when you're smiling like that." Inuyasha grumbled back.
Kagome didn't say anything but she just laughed at Inuyasha.
"Agh! You're more annoying when you're laughing!!!"
More of Kagome's laughter filled Kaede's hut. Kagome was really having the time of her life.
Of course, Inuyasha wasn't—but maybe a bit. After all, Kagome was happy. That was something that would make him happy too… even if it was irksome at the same time.
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"Naraku," A little girl approached Naraku, carrying a small round mirror with her.
"Kanna, what happened to the girl?" Naraku asked with interest.
"Kikyou… is dead." She answered with her creepy, light voice.
"Really?" Naraku smirked, looking keenly at his detachment. "Who killed her?"
"Kagome did."
"Are you saying that she regained her miko powers?" His smirk immediately vanished while he clenched his fist, glaring at Kanna.
"Yes."
"Damn it… That girl! She isn't going to be easy to kill now…"
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"Inuyasha, I think I need to sleep again." Kagome said, her eyes feeling heavy once again.
"What?!" Inuyasha exclaimed. "Aren't you tired of sleeping?!"
"I am tired that is why I'm sleeping." The young miko pointed out, resting her back on the soft futon.
"Fine, wench." He sat down properly and crossed his arms over his chest. "Go to sleep."
Kagome complied willingly and closed her eyes. After a minute, she opened them again. "Inuyasha?"
"What?"
"You're not leaving me, right?" She asked.
"I'm not leaving, Kagome. Just go to sleep." Inuyasha replied.
"Promise?"
"Yeah."
"I'm going to break your back if you break that promise." She looked at him cautiously.
"Are you going to sleep or do you prefer arguing with me?" He returned, looking slightly ticked off.
"I prefer sleeping, thank you." She answered with a fake smile then went to doing just that.
"Don't worry; I'll be here when you wake up." He thought, hoping that Kagome would hear that certain thought to reassure her.
Maybe it did because Kagome was smiling as she dozed…
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A/N: Ugh! I hate doing that Naraku scene. Anyway, I just did it to give him some credit before Stay ended… With that aside, I have a surprise! Stay is going to end next chapter! Next chapter will be an epilogue already. Now, Inuyasha/Kagome fluff will be great next chappie! After I finish Stay, I'll be doing an AU Inuyasha fanfic so watch out for that! Again, thanks for reading!!!
Aw… Poor Kikyou, Kagome beat her… Hehe… I'm really sorry that Kikyou had to be an antagonist in this fic… Now, let's get on with the thank yous!
mew-xena – Yay! You reviewed again! Thanks for staying around! Now that you've read this chapter, you know what really happened… –sweatdrop-
Pan24 – Thanks for agreeing with me. I really like to take their relationship slowly since even the series took their relationship sloooowwwlllyyy… Right? Thanks for the wonderful review!
chibiNeko192 – Thanks for reviewing again! Wow… You're one of my constant reviewers already! Cliffies are evil but I can't help using them. Sorry.
Kiara-Star – Yeah, Inuyasha's last words –sob- Thanks for reviewing again! Sorry about the cliffie and well… now you know it's not Inuyasha's last words… -smiley-
shangxiang10 – See? They were both saved! Hehe… Too bad for Kikyou though… Thanks for the review!
The Evil Liar – You made me emotional again… -sniff- Your review always has emotions. You know how to make people smile! I'm not on the Favorite Author's List of THAT many people. I have some bunch of people but I'm not that great. This is actually the first Inuyasha and anime fanfic I've ever written and I was so surprised to get this much response! I thank all of my readers for that. About Kagome, she is clueless since she really thought all the while that Inuyasha chose Kikyou. I mean, who wouldn't after she had heard Inuyasha say to Kikyou that he loves her very much. Well, I'm clearing that line in this chapter. Yay! More Inu/Kag fluff on the way! Thanks for your support!
animemistress419 – Wow! I'm glad you liked it! I worked real hard for that one. Thank you for appreciating my efforts. Now, the love triangle is finished! Phew…
Smiles1022 – Yay!!! Another one who loves my story! How I came up with this stuff? I thought of the main conflict and the fluff and other twists just followed as I typed the chapters! It's really quite surprising, even for me! I hope they also make this a movie or something like that… -smile- But I think it won't pass. Hehe… Wow! You reviewed twice! Thanks!
Inferna – Aww… You're still here! Sorry for taking so long with the updates. Thank you for saying you won't forget this fanfic soon, I like to hear that since Stay is ending soon… :( Anyway, I'm also glad Inu confessed already! And yeah, you're right since it was just a simple arrow NOT exorcising arrow.
Horselvr517 – Sorry for the cliffie. I really had to end it there. Forgive me, please? –puppy eyes- BTW, thanks for saying that the story is good.
YuniX-2 – I always love reading your reviews! You give me something to think about!! About Kikyou, she really wants to drag Inuyasha to hell. If you watch the episode closely, Kikyou is actually pulling Inuyasha downwards into a hole (towards hell I guess). If she just wanted to freeze time, she could just do that without pulling Inuyasha downwards, right? And also, Kikyou knows that she doesn't belong in this world and she can only be with Inuyasha when Inuyasha dies and they'll be together in hell. Did you get me? I hope you did. –sweatdrop- About the disclaimer, I did say the disclaimer still even though it was indirectly. You do not need to say it always. Readers already know that. You won't sue me, right? –crosses my fingers tightly-
that-fan – Aww… That was a flattering review. Thanks for saying that! You write Evangelion fics? Wow! Do you know that Evangelion has one of the most complicated social conflicts ever in Anime history? Of course, you do. Anyway, I salute you for that!
Fallen-Seraphan-Gunslinge– I hope you don't jump too high when you read this one. I'm so glad you'll really read this fanfic till the end—which is very very near already. Thank you for all the wonderful words. Your long review always boosts my writing inspiration and I thank you very much for that. About my age, well, it's a personal question and I hope you don't get mad if I can't tell you my exact age. All I can say is that I'm not yet 18 and I'm very surprised when you said that I sound like I'm already 21! That was really shocking! –grins- I can't believe I sound so mature! Lol! Again, thanks and please review again!
Ryguy5387 – Apology accepted. It's good to know you're still around. Thanks for the compliment and I hope you'll be able to read the ending and review that one too!
Kinchi – Another loyal reader! Thanks for staying around! Yeah, Kikyou is evil… in this story. I better make one where she isn't that evil… Hmm… And the cliffie, sorry about that. The cliffie was really mean but I really had to stop there to keep my precious readers interested with my story (and maybe interested in killing me too –sweatdrop-) Yeah, it really is hard to update now… School reasons again…
Courtnie – Yay! A new reviewer!!! You didn't leave your address… Anyway, Thanks for reviewing and telling me such great words! I feel so great! You've read a lot of stories and I'm glad you enjoyed reading mine! Don't worry, it is a happy ending. –smiley-
Satsuki-Noriko – Thanks for reviewing AND saying you can wait. A lot of stuff has happened and I really need patient readers. Thanks for being one! Knowing you're one of my readers made me really happy!
undercovervampire – You're really a vampire?! Hehe… Just had to ask that one. Sorry. Anyway, YAY! Thanks for adding me and my story to your fave list! It always makes me so happy. Aspiring authors get pretty elated by that simple action. It's a big deal for me. Thanks for the wonderful comment!
irish77 – Another new reader! Yipee! Welcome to my fanfic! I'm so happy you found it! How did you find it??? Hehe… Just curious. Thanks for dropping by and hope to see you again!
RogueSummersLover– Now this one is a regular reader! You're still here! –sprinkles confetti in front of my monitor- Hooray! Thanks for staying around! You're so kind! The cliffies are already sent to hell—with or without Kikyou—I don't care. As long as she stays out of the picture. Hehe…
hersheykiss1012 – You're so correct! I have read a lot of stories and even if they may have the same main plot the twists make them different from one another so that's all right! A lot of movies also have the same main plot and they don't get sued or whatsoever! That flamer definitely didn't know anything. Argh! I hate it when someone says something bad without any proofs. Oh well… let's just forget her. So happy you still reviewed! I hope you didn't fall off your seat yet… Hehe…
animals-rule – Of course I remember! Hehe… You reviewed before… I just don't remember the exact chappie… Anyway, I'm glad you're back! Thanks for dropping a review!
InuFreAK247– WOW! Really WOW! I can't believe you actually bothered to review ALL as in A-L-L of my chapters! You're very very very very… nice—no you're god-sent! You just don't know how very thankful I am to have you as my reviewer! Thank you so much for your patience and kindness! The words you've written were very heartwarming! I really appreciated each one of them! How did you find my story? Well, I'm also glad you found it. About one of your reviews though, Kagome couldn't sense the shards. Maybe you missed that part in that chapter. She kept on saying that and she didn't even sense Kouga when he came. You can check it again if you like. Thanks again!
Tish – Yay! Another new reader! Welcome! Welcome! I hope you enjoyed reading this fic because I really enjoyed writing it—up until now! Thank you for reviewing!
WildTotodile – You've got a friend when you reviewed! Her name's Lilly, right? You two were funny! I hope you visit me again this chappie! About that friend of yours who will love this fic, I hope she does like this. Maybe you can tell me her name this time? Or are you referring to Lilly already? Er, as you can see I'm a little confused. But thanks for the review! –smiley-
cartoonfan – Sorry for taking so long. Thanks for reviewing! You're new too, right? I hope you enjoyed reading my fanfic!
iMmOrTaLwOuNd– O-o I can't believe it… I just got a review from one of my fave authors! YAY!!!! –jumps up and down- You actually read all of my stories!!! Thank you so much! About your story having the same storyline as mine, I really don't think we'll have the same… Mine's almost finish anyway. Don't worry, I'm not planning to sue you or anything. I'm actually glad I found your story! I hope it will be successful someday! I wish you good luck! It's okay if you prefer to read my story later, I'm so glad that you spent time to read my other stories too. Btw, yes, I know how to speak Tagalog. How come you can speak Tagalog too? That's interesting…