Chapter 17: Goodbye

Miroku's eyes widened as he caught a glimpse of the Tenseiga in Kagome's hands. "The Tenseiga!" He gasped. That was Sesshomaru's sword otherwise known as the Sword of Life. Had Kagome truly gone mad and thought that she could wield it just like the demon lord?

Sango quickly looked back over her shoulder to Kagome and gasped as well. 'What does she think she's doing?' She closed her open mouth and held on tighter to Miroku's hand. "Will it work?" She asked quietly.

He shrugged his shoulder and was unable to move his eyes from Kagome. "I…I don't really know." If it did work though he would no doubt class it as a miracle. Kagome did posses a lot of strength but was it even enough to bring another back from the dead? They'd just have to wait and see.

Kagome's hands began to tremble and she could hear the sword begin to rattle because of it. She shut her eyes tightly and concentrated her full attention on what she was about to do. 'Now is not the time to cry Kagome.' She told herself before those tears fell from her eyes. Opening her eyes once again she watched his silent expression and his long silver hair that blew against the wind and across his face. "Please let his work." She pleaded in a whisper and held her grip tighter around the hilt. Without having any second thoughts, she swiped the sword down in his direction. "I won't let you leave me Inuyasha!" She shouted with confidence but also fear and her eyes widened as the sword came in contact with his body.

Inuyasha's eyes fluttered open but a bright white light forced him to close them again. Holding his hand above his forehead so to shadow his view he let out a long heavy sigh as if he had been holding his breath and opened them slowly again. After his vision had cleared from being blinded before he stared straight up at a faded pink sky and cocked an eyebrow. "That's weird." He muttered, not amused by its odd colour. Using his hands for support he lifted himself up into a sitting position and grunted, expecting it to hurt. "That's even more weird." He said confused. The last thing he could remember was being stabbed multiple times by Sesshomaru so why did he feel no pain? He loosened his haori over his shoulders and observed his unharmed chest. His left eye narrowed as he tried to figure out what was going on. Receiving no proper explanation from himself or anything around him he pulled his haori back over his shoulders and rose to his feet. Cherry blossom petals began to suddenly appear with no tree in sight as its source and blew in the light breeze that passed his face and ran through his silver hair. "Where am I?" He whispered as he looked from side to side. There was absolutely nothing there. No people, no nature, no demons. And where were all his friends? And why wasn't Kagome with him? "Kagome." He gasped now afraid of her whereabouts. Had Sesshomaru taken her? Killed her? Killed him? He instantly began to panic and ran off in a frantic search to find her. "Kagome! Kagome! Where are you!" He called, almost afraid to find her in the end.

"Inuyasha." A familiar voice whispered from behind him, the light breeze blowing her ravenous hair across her face and shadowing her hazel eyes.

The half demon stopped in his tracks and turned around to face the woman with open arms. "There you are Kago-" He choked on his lovers name and stared at the red and white miko in arms length in front of him. "…Ki-Kikyo?"

Kikyo nodded her head slightly forward and allowed a small smile to creep across her lips. "Yes Inuyasha, it's me." Her eyes stared lovingly up at the man she had once cared so much for.

Inuyasha dropped his hands to his sides, disappointment, shock, fear, hurt and love controlling his every move. He loved this priestess, long ago that is but false betrayal tore them apart and their original relationship was shattered. After Kikyo's death he tried to forget about her and Kagome was always there for comfort. Kagome…Kagome was now the one he loved. He had told her how he felt and she too. There was nothing ever going to come between them now. "Where's Kagome? I need to know." He demanded.

Ignoring his question, Kikyo fell into the hanyou's chest and wrapped her arms around his body, pulling him into a loved embrace. She pressed her face into his chest and smiled. "Oh Inuyasha I knew you'd come back to me." Lifting her head up to gaze into his golden eyes she held her hand against his cheek and let a small tear roll away from her eye. "Now we can be together forever…Just like we've always wanted." She whispered softly.

His body stiffened at her cold touch and he found himself unable to speak or push her away. She looked so happy, as if she'd been waiting ages for this moment and he didn't want to hurt her again. "Kikyo…I…"

She hushed his shaky lip with her fingertip and smiled. "You don't need to say anything Inuyasha. I know how you feel. There are not enough words to even explain how I am feeling." Slowly closing her eyes, she leaned her body up against his and waited to feel his lips against her own.

Inuyasha watched her approaching face for a second then shut his eyes tightly. "Kikyo…" How could he get around this one? He figured that with Kikyo being around he must be dead but he couldn't just abandon Kagome like that, even being in this state. No, even if Kagome never knew of this event the guilt would be too much to handle. He loved Kagome more than anything and anyone including Kikyo. She was the obstacle he had to get around. His head turned to the side to avoid the kiss and his eyes opened to stare out into the blank distance. "No Kikyo."

Kikyo instantly stopped and stared sadly at the side of Inuyasha's face. Her feet fell flat on the ground and she held her hands on his arms, not wanting to let go even after being rejected. "No?" She repeated. "Inuyasha…I don't understand. What do you mean no?" Her voice was low and shaky as if her heart had been stabbed a hundred times.

He sighed lightly and turned back to face her eye to eye. "I love Kagome. I won't let anything come between us…That means you." Taking a step back, he watched her painful expression as her arms fell to her side.

The miko had to swallow back her tears as she stared sadly into his eyes. "…I know." Her body turned away from him and she gazed up at the pinkish sky in silence. "She's calling for you. I can tell your connection with her is much stronger than it was with me." The wind stopped blowing and her hair fell smoothly in to place. Peering over her shoulder, she spotted the fading hanyou and held her arms around her body. "If I had captured your lips with my own we could have been together forever."

Inuyasha held the same expression as before in his face as the two stared each other down. His body was slowly disappearing, being filled with life in the other world and his last words were only but a whisper. "Goodbye Kikyo."

Inuyasha's eyes suddenly opened and his body shot forward into the arms of Kagome and he gasped deeply for air. Wincing from the amount of pain, he fell into her body and pressed his head into her shoulder.

Kagome smiled and dropped the Tenseiga to the ground, having no further use for it. Wrapping her arms around his trembling shoulders, she shut her eyes tightly as tears of happiness began to stream down her rosy cheeks and she ran her fingers through his tangled silver hair. "Inuyasha, I'm so happy you're alive." She whispered softly in his ear.

Letting one final long sigh escape to relax his body, he lifted his head from her shoulder and stared in disbelief at her loving face. 'I'm alive.' He repeated through his mind. His pain suddenly seized and he smiled slightly at the girl in whose arms he sat.

"It's nice to see you up again Inuyasha." Miroku said with a grin, knocking the dazed hanyou in the side with his staff.

Inuyasha looked up at the monk and smirked. He turned to Sango's admiring look and smiled at her as well, happy just to see them all again. "Seems like you put up a fight monk." He joked, having smelt Miroku's blood. Then another smell invaded that of Miroku's. It wasn't sweet nor was it revolting and he recognized it in an instant. Facing Kagome again, he gazed at her scratched neck and face and lifted his hand to her cheek.

Kagome blushed a bit and pushed his hand away. "It's nothing to worry about. Just a few minor scratches." She said trying to be as cheerful as possible.

He smiled and pulled her into a hug. "You're never going to let me worry are you?" He teased, kissing the side of her head, happy to be alive to see her smiling face again.

It had been two long months since Inuyasha, Kagome, Miroku and Sango had stepped out of Sesshomaru's prison without having to worry about being engaged in one of his sick games. Two months of heartache, two months of suffering, pain and sorrow that not one could escape from. The group gathered themselves and immediately left for Keade's Village, a home they all had missed so dearly. Their haunting memories of that place were agreed to be forgotten and so they were. On their arrival in the village three familiar and caring faces greeted them. A young kitsune boy who immediately found his way into the miko's arms, a small cat demon who leapt into the loving arm's of its master and an elderly priestess who had helped them numerous times on the journeys in search for the Shikon no Tama. Questions were asked on their whereabouts but no truth came from their replies. It would have been much too painful to retell the story. Soon after their arrival, the hanyou and miko departed for the Bone Eaters well so to return the young girl back to her family.

Inuyasha and Kagome emerged from the forest side by side and stopped in the clearing where the well stood in silence. Questions filled each other's minds about the well's structure. When they were locked away with the demon lord, it had been filled with icy cold water to stop Kagome and Inuyasha from escaping his torture. Had the frigid cold waters that filled it to the top disappeared as Sesshomaru did?

The hanyou took the girl's hand and led her towards the well that connected their times. Peering over the side he noticed that all the water was gone and sighed lightly, disappointed that she would be leaving him. He let go of her hand and turned his back on the well. "I guess you're going home then."

Kagome sighed as well and leaned over the edge. Gazing down into its dark bottom she rested her head in her hand and repeated the sad sound of Inuyasha's voice through her mind. "I have to Inuyasha. It's been a long time. My family's probably worried and…I miss them a lot." She rose to her feet and stood in front of the hanyou with a small smile now on her face. "But I'm just a jump between time away you know." She laughed lightly as she said it, trying to perk up his mood.

He couldn't help but smile back at her and he took her into his arms. "I'm sorry I couldn't help Kagome. I left you all alone." His grip loosened so to gaze down at the cuts on her face and he ran his thumb gently over the scarring flesh.

Taking his hand from her cheek, Kagome entwined their fingers and kept her smile. "You need to stop this Inuyasha. It's over. All that matters is that you're back with me again." She stood up on her tiptoes and softly kissed his cheek before letting go of his hand and sitting over the edge of the well, preparing to jump down and return home. Turning her head over her shoulder she laughed slightly at his unmoved figure. "I'll see you soon Inuyasha." Lifting herself from the side, she dropped down the well. Before she was even half way, a hand snatched around her wrist and pulled her back up again so that she was hanging over the edge. She gasped and looked up to find a pair of golden orbs staring into hers. "Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha smiled while kneeling in front of her and lifted her face closer to his. "Thank you Kagome…For everything." Leaning in closer to her, he slowly shut his eyes and pushed his lips against hers. Finally, after all this time, Kagome could really know his true feelings for her through their first sealed kiss.

In shock, Kagome's eyes blinked at Inuyasha's calm facial expression as he continued kissing her. 'He's…Inuyasha.' Her own eyes closed and she found herself drifting away on his love for her. This was the way they were supposed to be and she had no fears of the future being by his side.

He soon stopped the kiss and smiled at her with her eyes still closed. Squeezing her hand a bit he watched her eyelids flutter open and his smile grew larger. "Don't take too long to come back."

Kagome nodded, her cheeks burning from the blush tinting her face a rosy pink and she smiled back at him. "I won't."

Inuyasha felt relieved by her quick answer and had no hesitation of letting her go home since he knew she would come back, she would always come back. Holding her away from the side he smirked down at her. "See you soon then Kagome." With that, he let her hand slip out of his and watched as her body disappeared down the well. He sighed lightly and turning away from the well, ran deep into the forest. He wouldn't stray too far though, just far enough so he could still smell Kagome when she returned to him. Things would be better now and he would never let something like that happen ever again to Kagome.

Kagome quickly pulled herself out of the well and ran out of the well house. "Mom! Grampa! Souta! I'm home!" Tears fell behind her as she ran towards her house. 'I'm home! I'm finally home!' Up ahead, she saw the door of her house swing open and her family stepped out to see if it was really her. At first glimpse she ran harder towards them, needing to feel them in her arms.

Her mother squinted her eyes at the approaching girl and gasped, dropping the apron in her hand to the ground when she realized who it was. "Kagome!" She shouted running out with her arms wide open to take her daughter into her arms.

A large smile spread across Kagome's face as their two bodies collided into one another for a hug that was defiantly needed and missed. "I missed you so much mom." She whimpered, pressing her head into her chest.

Her mother smiled and kissed Kagome's head while stroking her hand above her hair. "I missed you too. We all have. Where on earth have you been?" She asked obviously concerned.

"Hey Gramps its Kagome!" Souta said while running out to greet his sister. As he got by their side, he wrapped his arms around both of them and smiled. "Its nice to see you sis."

Kagome smiled and moved her other arm around her little brother. "You didn't need to worry." She started, replying to her mother's question. "Inuyasha kept me safe. There was never any danger." She hugged them tightly to her and sighed lightly. 'Never.'