The others held true to Inuyasha's earlier schedule plan. It began with Inuyasha rousing himself two or three hours before dawn. His sleep had been fitful, to say the least; I'd watched him toss and twitch for hours on end. Twice, I was positive I heard him murmur my name. But he awoke purposefully, as though he'd slept for years, and hopped right down without stretching first. I admired his quickness—if only I could wake up that easily on a school day!—but then I remembered.

'There are no school days. I'm dead. Even if the school doesn't know it yet.'

As I followed Inuyasha's running footsteps, I allowed my mind to wander back to my time. Poor Eri, Ayume… all of my school friends didn't know. They had no idea. How long was Inuyasha going to put off telling my family? I knew how painful it would be for him, but still…how was it fair to Mama and Souta? They would be devastated...

We arrived at the village in less time than it usually took. I floated a few inches above the ground, watching the back of Inuyasha's silvery head. As we reached the village boundaries, however, he paused, so suddenly I was afraid that something magical had frozen him. I stopped abruptly too, waiting. 'What's gotten into you?' I wondered. Inuyasha whipped around as though he'd heard something, and I froze instinctively. 'What's the matter with you, girl? He can't see you. You know that.' And yet…. His eyes shifted suspiciously around the clearing, then he turned abruptly and strode off as though something had made him angry. Again, I followed, confused.

But to my great surprise, he didn't continue on into the sleepy village. He veered off the path, back into the forest, his pace getting faster and faster. I struggled to keep up. It seemed that he was floating too. The greens of the forest flew by us in blurs of colors, but neither of us noticed. We kept running as if to save our lives, neither glancing back, but both with eyes locked ahead. It didn't occur to me to ask where we were going, I just followed.

Inuyasha skidded to a halt. A cloud of dust rose up around him, and I stared. We were back in the clearing where we had spent the night. Purposefully, as if he'd meant to do it, Inuyasha tramped forward with stiff muscles. It was only when he got within a foot of the Bone Eater's Well that his steps faltered.

He swallowed. Something like anxiousness washed over his face, draining it of all color. He closed his eyes. "I owe it to you, Kagome," he said solemnly. He raised one foot to step in.

"Inuyasha." The voice came from the shadows. Inuyasha and I whirled around, startled. At least, I was startled. Inuyasha didn't seem to be at all.

"Miroku," he answered in a tone of numb nothingness.

"It won't work," the monk said sadly. "Without Kagome-sama, the well will reject you. Maybe even harm you."

"I've gone through alone before," Inuyasha said, this time almost stiffly.

"Yes, but… Kagome-sama's spirit has gone to the next world. Without her will, the praise beads will not be able to help you."

Inuyasha turned cheek as though no one had spoken, bent his knees and leapt into the well. The familiar blue glow shone up, illuminating the clearing and Miroku's face for a tenth of a second. The monk looked startled, staggering up and glancing over the lip of the well. "So it's true, then," he murmured thoughtfully. "Kagome-sama's spirit…has not passed on." His face revealed nothing as he straightened and looked about the clearing, speaking directly to me this time.

"Kagome-sama, if you're still on this earth, I know that you are here, right now. Please listen to me." He swallowed, closing his eyes as in sincere sadness and regret. When he looked up, those eyes were fierce, determined. "You know it is my duty to help lost souls on to their proper place. You…shouldn't linger."

"Miroku-sama," I croaked, suddenly understanding. "No, you can't."

He spoke on, not having heard me. "You know that if there were any way I could help you to come back, I would. You were—and still are—one of my truest, closest friends. I wish for nothing more than for you to remain here, close to us. But it will be better for you in the afterlife. You…cannot interfere with the lives of the living."

"Miroku-sama!" my voice was urgent and squeaky. "No! Please don't!" If he were to send me on—if I didn't have a chance to finish my set task—

"I'm sorry." A small tear slipped out of each eye and slid down his face as he reached into his robes and revealed one of his purifying scrolls. I backed away. "Kagome-sama," he said slowly, unfurling the scroll, "go. Be at peace with death, my friend." The characters glowed and seemed to rise from their place as their magic took effect. I took another step backwards, knowing the end was close—it was over, there would be no coming back this time—

But suddenly, the characters turned black and ashy and disappeared. The scroll glowed bright, then burst into flame. Miroku dropped it, startled. It was Inuyasha's mother's voice that reverberated all around me: "Go, Kagome-chan! Into the well!" I knew that she had saved me. With a last glance over my shoulder at the incredulous Miroku, I turned and leapt into the well, escaping through the blue light. The clearing illuminated again, once again lighting Miroku's face. Shock was written there, and I heard him whisper my name before the blue fully consumed me.

"K-Kagome-sama…why?"

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I was panting as I climbed the steps to escape the well house, shaking all over. It had been so close. Miroku had only been trying to help, but if he had succeeded… I whispered a hurried prayer of thanks to Inuyasha's mother and turned towards my house, crossing the familiar marble courtyard. My mind drifted to other matters, such as why Inuyasha return here, of all places. Especially so early in the morning. He wasn't going to wake Momma, was he?

And then it hit me. That was exactly what he was going to do: wake Mama. He was going to wake her and tell her the news that would shatter her world. I stopped just before the porch, suddenly aware that I didn't have the will to go forward. I didn't want to hear what Inuyasha was going to tell my mother.

Yet it was impossible to block out the sounds inside the house. I couldn't hear the exact words, but the feelings were unmistakable. I heard Mama—confused, sleepy—then Inuyasha, his voice quiet, unmistakably forlorn. I heard my mother gasp, then say something in a pleading, weak tone—Inuyasha replied softly, and she began to cry, still pleading with him. The words I could not hear filled my head: No, no, it can't be true, Inuyasha…not my baby, not my daughter...no….!

The exchange continued back and forth for several minutes with several pauses punctured by the sound of crying. Just as I'd managed to convince myself not to cry, I heard Souta's voice—gruff with sleep, confused at out mother's tears. Mama cried harder. I could barely make out the sound of Inuyasha's voice, gentle and tired again, as he spoke to Souta. My little brother didn't sob loudly, but instead fell deathly silent, inquiring something in a voice broken by tears.

Inuyasha stayed in the house for what seemed three forevers. I sat, sobbing myself, on the porch, for once not trying to dry my tears or hide them. I didn't dare go into my house; the sounds of my family's weeping filled my ears as it was. Grandfather joined them sometime after I started crying; I will never forget his quiet choke of a sob, then his gruff voice breaking as he demanded what had happened. He was so loud, I could hear his words clearly:

"Why didn't you protect her? We trusted you!"

Shortly after, Inuyasha came to the door with Jii-chan close behind. "You're not welcome here any longer," my grandfather said, anger and fury in every crevice of his ancient face, in every syllable of his voice. Then he slammed the door. Inuyasha stood there numbly for several minutes, then turned and walked slowly back towards the well house. His every step was slowed, heavy with fatigue and guilt and unbelievable sadness. When we reached the old building, he glanced back, and the blank yet implausibly miserable expression on his face broke my heart. "For you, Kagome," he murmured again, but this time his voice was as broken as Jii-chan's. He turned and jumped back into the well.

I followed him numbly, traveled back to the past in silence and went with him to meet the others. Inuyasha said nothing, and none of the others asked; they simply turned, all five of them, and walked away from the village and the well. I wondered if it was as obvious to them as it was to me that something had changed in Inuyasha.

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No one really slept that night. We pitched camp a few miles down the trail. We'd made pretty good time, but the camp seemed empty and cold. Miroku built a blazing fire wordlessly, but it couldn't drive away the gloom that had settled. He, Sango, Shippo, and Kirara sat around the flames, eating a small supper without meeting each other's eyes. Then they all retired early to their cotts.

Despite how early they laid down, none of them slept for hours. They simply lay there, paralyzed by the awful cold feeling of the clearing, helpless to do anything. It was nearly midnight when at last they started to drift to sleep. One by one, their shoulders drooped and their breathing steadied out. Shippo whimpered and twitched in his dreamland. I stood and silently left the clearing to go find Inuyasha.

I found him by the nearby spring. Moonlight played about his hair, and it was the only thing that shone in his eyes. They were dull and lifeless, the saddest amber I'd ever seen. They seemed to melt and drip with quiet suffering, and I wanted nothing more than to take him into my arms and whisper comfort into his hair. But I could do nothing of the sort.

I sank down onto the sandy riverbank beside him, swallowing the tears that threatened. I glanced at the water, wondering, but decided against another attempt at contact tonight. In this state, my appearance could only make things worse. Instead, I sat quietly, running my hand through his in an attempt at a comforting touch. Inuyasha stared unseeingly into the distance, and we didn't move until morning.

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Tailz: I UPDATED!!!!! :D Anyhoo...no time to jabber, I'll make up for it next chapter! (Eep, I'm busy! Love you guys!) Ja!