Disclaimer: I am poor; pity me. I can't even sponge off the parents anymore. Rumiko Takahashi on the other hand is rich….therefore I am NOT Rumiko Takahashi.

Inuyasha: Did you just say she's rich?

Miroku: Rich? Is she attractive?

Ew…she created you….she is, like, your mom!

Sango: I already promised you twenty kids! Now you want to trade me in for a rich mom? What is with you?

Miroku: Beautiful Sango, (grabbing her hands) I would never trade you in. I haven't even gotten to try you out yet.

Sango: Hiraikotsu! (Hitting him over the head) You hentai! If you don't knock it off, you will never get to try me.

Why does it always come to violence? I just don't understand.

Inuyasha: He can't help himself. He is a lecher.

I wasn't just talking about him.

Chapter 9

Inuyasha sat in that well alone, thinking. I knew what he thought about, who didn't think about how to get Kagome back to us. A strange twist of fate had brought her to us. Fate also stole her away as quickly. I sat against the side of the well waiting for Kaede to arrive or Sango to return, although I doubted the latter would return right away. I do not believe I have ever seen the typically calm taijiya ever unleash her rage in such a way, other than at me that is. She really is beautiful when she is angry.

Miroku watched the approaching fire cat, wondering who all it had brought back with her. As Kirara landed, Miroku stood to help Kaede off Sango's pet demon. He relaxed when he realized that she had come alone. How she had convinced Shippo to remain at home, he would never know. Truthfully, right now he didn't care what she had said to the kit, having him here would have been too irritating to Inuyasha in his current mood. "Lady Kaede, Thank you so much for coming to our aid."

"Our aid? Where has Sango gotten off to?" She asked looking around the clearing for the missing taijiya. "Ye did not frighten her off again?" She gave him a black glare, thinking the monk had pushed her too far yet again.

"I am but a simple monk, Kaede. I know not what you speak about, but Inuyasha holds her wrath. They had a slight argument and she decided to cool her temper for a moment. She should be returning soon." He indicated to the well, where the hanyou had taken lodgings before continuing. "He is refusing to emerge from the confines of the well."

"I must say, seeing Kohaku ride in on Kirara with Shippo came as quite the shock. Do you think the young taijiya is well?" The miko asked, concern written all over her face. "He seemed a little confused about the events, but I think I understand all that has happened. Young Kagome disappeared as the jewel came together, am I correct?"

"I worry about Kohaku, yet he still has Sango and a long road of healing ahead of him. As for Kagome, she is gone. There is someone who has acquired the well as his new permanent home."

Kaede nodded, understanding the hanyou's feelings right now were distorted. "Inuyasha. Ye know she will not be returning." The miko said as harshly as she could, a thread of calm still in her words.

"Leave me alone, you old hag. I am not moving!" He yelled out the well.

"Ye will live your life in the well, I think not."

"Try me! I will stay here until the well opens again." How dare she say that Kagome would not be returning? The old woman's words had cut him quicker than the Tetsusaiga through water, leaving a gaping wound wide open. Inuyasha was not ready to admit his fears about the well yet. Subconsciously he realized that fate had laughed in his face yet again, sealing the well and taking Kagome away from him for good. He stubbornly clung to hope that fate would not do this to him again, not with Kagome.

"Inuyasha, I understand your pain, but sitting in the well will not help ye." Kaede replied, trying to calm the shell-shocked hanyou.

"I am sick of everyone telling me what to do! 'Forget Kagome!' 'She doesn't care about you' 'She doesn't want to come back to you.'" He yelled this at the top of his lungs, mocking them all.

"Inuyasha?" Kaede said forcefully to the hanyou.

"Yeah?"

"Ye realize none of us ever said that." She admonished him.

The hanyou turned crimson, knowing he had lied, "I only want to be left alone." The quiet answer came from the well.

"Very well. I understand." Kaede walked over to the monk, telling him to leave the hanyou in peace. "He needs some time to think. Why not find Sango and return to the village for dinner. When he is ready to leave the well, he will."

"Yes, Lady Kaede." Miroku answered with a smile, helping the old miko on Kirara's back for the journey back to the village. He detoured to the well before heading out to find the beautiful taijiya. "I am very sorry, Inuyasha. I know how this is for you. If you need anything, let me know."

The only response from inside the well came as a typical Inuyasha, "Keh." It was not exactly an answer, but Miroku understood nonetheless.

Unthinkable, she still had difficulty grasping Miroku's words. Inuyasha in love with me? It isn't possible, is it? The only proof that she had was the black and white of Miroku's words. He may be a lecher and cheat, but never would he lie like this, to her. It had to be the truth.

At least Inuyasha had her bag with her photos in it. Ironically he had picked the photo that was her favorite, and for the same reason. She walked to the desk where a copy of it sat in a picture frame. He had been right, it screamed of love. Where he had seen her love for him, she could see his for her. She hadn't been looking at his face; she stared at his necklace. It felt too intimate at the time, she hated when she felt things become intimate between them. He would be leaving to go with Kikyo in the end, so she tried to forget her feelings for him.

Inuyasha had stared into her face and she hadn't even realized it. The intimacy from the picture stemmed from the look in his eyes. She had never really noticed it before, a mix of affection, fear, disbelief, awe and lust. Wait, awe and LUST? That can't be right. She picked the picture up again; sure enough…that was exactly what she had meant. How could I have missed how he felt? She hadn't had a single clue before now. She would have been blissfully unaware if Miroku hadn't have written that book.

Her heart clenched in her chest, yet again. She really didn't want to cry again, but felt the tears start to fall as she fell to her knees. Surprised that her heart could break yet again. It had shattered when she discovered she couldn't get through the well. There couldn't possibly be anything left to break. The truth, that Inuyasha had loved her. That did the impossible. It had busted her heart into miniscule pieces. She could never be with him, and he loved her too.

She touched the photograph thinking about how much he had changed since the beginning of their journey. His hair and ears she outlined with a fingertip, she had loved all three of his forms. Even the full demon form, it had been a part of him. She had loved all of him. How could Kikyo want to change him? She couldn't have loved him to want him to change who he was for her. Kikyo had wanted to use the shikon no tama to change him into a human. The human Inuyasha had been a reprieve from the brash and offensive hanyou she had fallen in love with.

The nights of the new moon, she felt that was proof that he had changed during their journey. In the beginning, he tried to hide it from everyone. First, she and Shippo had discovered that on the new moon, he turned human for the night. Next Miroku and Sango had discovered it when they joined him. Soon, he didn't care who saw him. By the end of their journey, Kouga, Kagura, and even Sesshomaru had seen him in his human form. Why did he let them see him? He had never trusted anyone before meeting Kagome, he had told her that once. He had friends, who would protect him with their lives. He returned the favor tenfold. He trusted them.

She placed the photograph back on her desk, wiping away tears with the back of her hand. Next, she picked up the hat he wore on the rare occasion they ventured out into Tokyo. A black baseball cap, it covered his ears from people who wouldn't understand. She had fallen in love with the hanyou, ears and all. She wouldn't change anything about him, and she hated having to make him wear the hat. She wished he would be able to go without, but it wasn't possible. He attracted attention wearing the red fire rat haori that he refused to remove and the long silver hair. Not to mention his penchant for carrying a sword and his fang and golden eyes, the poor guy stuck out like a sore thumb no matter what he did.

She decided to go and read in the well, she wanted to be close to him for a while. She wanted to finish this book tonight, even if she stayed up all night reading it. She picked up the book from the desk and walked downstairs, wondering how long Inuyasha had stayed in the well for.

Kagome: Oh…dual point of view. You are getting tricky on us girl. I thought I would be left out two chapters in a row for a moment there.

I almost had you go first, but decided I liked the idea of her momentarily stopping reading before beginning again. Give you a little emotional rest from your reading.

Shippo: Is Kagome going to come back to us? Will I ever see her again?

I am not sure Shippo. I guess we will see.

Inuyasha: Whaddya mean, you don't know? You are the author. Don't you have this thing all outlined?

Well yes, but I don't want to ruin the surprise. For all anyone knows I will keep you in the well and have you pine away for her unless I get 50 reviews for these two chapters I gave today. (hint hint)

Kagome: You wouldn't!

Muhahahah….try me! Of course I would never do that.