A/N: I know, the chapters are coming out a bit slower than normal.. that's because I'm working and starting school! There's so much stuff! But I'm so thankful for all of you reviewing and waiting patiently. And... DUDE! OVER 550 REVIEWS! I'm so psyched!.!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inu Yasha. I also got my drivers license renewed, since it expires soon! It looks weird without that "21 in the year 2002" on it... and its yellow! I don't like yellow!

Previously:

"Putting that aside, have you guys seen Inu Yasha?" Shippou asked.

"He came by earlier this morning, but we haven't seen him since. He left in a hurry, tracking Kagome's scent." Shippou took a step toward the door of the hut, where Miroku stood.

"Then… maybe I should go, too. I can track his scent, and make sure he's okay." Miroku and Sango shot each other a look.

"Uh, I don't think that's nece-" before Miroku could finish, Shippou had darted out the door. Miroku sighed. He sat down at the doorpost, and closed his eyes. 'This is becoming quite a mess,' he thought to himself.

chapter 28: friends forever
"Inu Yashaaaaaa!" Shippou called from the mouth of the cave. "He's got to be here," Shippou said to himself, a hint of worry in his voice. 'Could something have happened to him? He could have met up with Sesshoumaru…' Shippou sniffed the air again. There was no scent of Inu Yasha's blood. Shippou took in another deep breath and shouted again. "Inu Yashaaaa! Are you in there?" There was no answer. Just as Shippou was going to enter the cave, he heard footsteps from inside approaching the entrance.

"Ah, Shippou. I'm here." Inu Yasha's voice sounded tired. His eyes were dark, and his ears drooped. Shippou took in a breath of shock and surprise at Inu Yasha's appearance.

"Inu Yasha, what happened?" he asked hurriedly, showing concern for his companion. Shippou ran toward him, and placed his hands on Inu Yasha's shoulders.

"I… lost…" was all that Inu Yasha said. His eyes were downcast; not once did he look straight at Shippou. There were no wounds on Inu Yasha's body, so whatever he 'lost' was obviously not a physical battle. That could mean only one thing. The kitsune youkai realized this, and his heart sank.

"You mean… Kagome…" Shippou trailed off, expecting the worst.

"She's fine, Shippou, don't worry," he said lethargically. "She's fine." Shippou breathed a sigh of relief, but then another question entered his mind.

"Ja… where is.."

"She's fine. She's happy. That's all you need to know." Shippou's eyes widened at Inu Yasha's snappy remark.

'Then, that means… no way… Sesshoumaru?' Shippou thought to himself. He looked over at Inu Yasha, and stood by his side, putting a hand on his back. 'Inu Yasha.' "Come on, Inu Yasha. Let's go back."

"Ah." Inu Yasha walked slowly alongside of Shippou, all the way back to Kaede's hut. When they got there, Inu Yasha broke the silence. "I'm going to stay out here for awhile, Shippou."

"A-ah." Shippou gave his mentor one last look, before he quietly entered the hut.

"So? What happened?" Miroku asked. "Did you find him?" Shippou nodded slowly. He didn't know whether or not he should tell the houshi that Inu Yasha was sitting outside, depressed. "Well, where is he?" Miroku asked. Shippou didn't answer. At this, Miroku began to panic, fearing that his companion had met with an untimely end. "What happened!" he practically shouted. Beads of sweat began to show themselves on Shippou's face, as he was trying to decide if he should say anything. His gaze focused on the ground at his side, away from the piercing eyes of Miroku. The houshi was about to assault the poor kitsune youkai, his hands on Shippou's vest, when a voice came from outside.

"Relax, Miroku."

"Inu Yasha?" Miroku's tense grip on Shippou relaxed, and his hands fell to his sides. He stepped forward, and pushing the curtain aside, Miroku exited the hut. "What happened?" Inu Yasha was covered in soil, and there were dark bags underneath his eyes. Even his hair seemed to have lost its luster.

"I… lost…"

"You… lost?" Miroku looked at his friend. There seemed to be something deeper. He couldn't have lost a battle and come out alive; not with those kinds of opponents. He had to be talking about something else. Miroku didn't have to think too long before realizing what it was. "…You lost Kagome?" Inu Yasha remained silent. "Is she…?"

"She's fine." Miroku let in a breath of sorrow and shock.

'So… Kagome, you've gone with Sesshoumaru…' the houshi thought to himself. "So, what are you going to do, Inu Yasha?" Miroku pretty much expected Inu Yasha to suddenly gain his strength back, and go battle his brother for Kagome.

"What is there to do? She's made her decision. I have to let it be." Miroku was overwhelmed with sadness. Inu Yasha, still in love with Kagome, was forced to let her go with his brother- a youkai who had no real sense of goodwill toward anyone but himself. It was against Inu Yasha's convictions to fight, if Kagome had already chosen. And now, the inu youkai looked as if he was dying from the inside out. Miroku sat down beside Inu Yasha. "I just- I don't know what made her decide this way. Is it because I'm still only a hanyou at heart?" Inu Yasha looked at his hands. "Is it because she blames me for killing Rin?" He drew his hands into fists, and pressed them against his legs. "Was I not good enough for her?" Miroku had nothing to say. All he could offer his friend was a silent ear. "She… she knew about my feelings all along…" Inu Yasha paused, probably to gain a little more composure in front of his friend. "I… thought that she loved me, Miroku. What happened? Fate…" Inu Yasha raised a hand to cover his eyes, propping up his head. "This feels like a sick joke," he said finally, and fell silent. Miroku sighed.

"Sometimes fate deals us a hand that we know isn't fair," the houshi began, "but… it is our duty to live on, and play the hand we are dealt. There is no doubt in my mind of the love that existed in your relationship with Kagome-sama. None of us can explain what caused her to choose to stay with Sesshoumaru, but if you let us, we are here for you to lean on." The men sat in silence for at least what seemed like half an hour. Finally, Inu Yasha moved.

"Thanks, Miroku," he said, standing. He still didn't feel any better about what happened, but at least he knew that he still had friends who supported him. "Let's go in," he told his friend, and entered the hut where everyone had been waiting.

"Inu Yasha," Sango said, still lying down on the futon. The look on her face betrayed the fact that she heard everything that was said outside. Inu Yasha nodded at her, and looked at the corner of the room.

"So, what did you name the little guy?" he asked, creeping over to the bassinet.

"Satoru," Sango told him softly.

"Satoru," Inu Yasha repeated in a whisper. "Congratulations, Sango."

"Thanks."

When Kagome got back to the castle, she almost immediately went straight for the onsen. She sighed when she settled in.

'It was so hard, telling Inu Yasha that I decided to stay with Sesshoumaru,' she said to herself, 'But at least now I don't need to worry about it, anymore.' Kagome slid further into the heated water. Was it wrong of her to think that way? It wasn't like Inu Yasha was a pesky thing she needed to get rid of; after all, he was a real person. 'Was I… was I maybe a little harsh?' She tried to recall what she said to him, exactly, but she couldn't remember. All she knew was that she felt horrible inside… and that Inu Yasha must have been crushed. 'Maybe I'll go visit Sango-chan and the others- they should be able to tell me what's going on with Inu Yasha.' Kagome dunked herself, and returned to the surface. 'That aside, what did Sesshoumaru mean, that I'm his woman, now?' Kagome had a pretty good idea what he meant, but- why didn't he try to mark her right there and then? Sesshoumaru didn't even push the subject at all- which didn't seem like him.

Kagome finished bathing, and returned to her room in order to prepare for dinner. She dressed, and went to the vanity in order to style her hair. Although it was still damp from the hot spring, the time was close to dinner. She looked in the mirror, and to her surprise, the silver streaks had disappeared. She hadn't noticed the dulling of her senses from hanyou to human capabilities. Leaning forward, she blinked her eyes. Yes, her appearance had returned to normal.

'That's right… Inu Yasha saw me while I was marked, too…' Kagome felt worse and worse about what happened, the more she thought about it. It was for this reason, that she decided to try to focus her thoughts on her future mate- Sesshoumaru. Before too long, the taiyoukai himself came to her door to escort her to dinner.

"Sesshoumaru?" Kagome asked in surprise, "What happened to Jaken?"

"Jaken was assaulted by your kidnappers; he won't be joining us, tonight," he told her as they walked down the hall. Kagome noticed that they weren't heading for their usual dining spot.

"Where are we going?"

"Somewhere different," he answered her simply. Sesshoumaru looked down at the young miko. Although her appearance had returned to normal, his scent was still mingling with hers. 'At this rate, she should be completely back to normal by tomorrow,' he told himself. The two walked in silence until they reached their destination. They were now outside, and the sunset that graced the sky was comparable to the one Kagome had previously seen on the rooftop of the castle.

"woww," she said, in an awestruck whisper. Not only was the sunset beautiful, but there were black outlines of graceful cherry trees that gave the scene some tasteful contrast. Sesshoumaru led her to a small patio underneath a woven awning, where there was a table, and several covered dishes.

"Let's eat," he told her after they were seated.

"Mm!" Kagome answered, excited. What with all of the excitement that had happened, Kagome hadn't eaten all day, and was now absolutely famished. She was so busy piling grilled unagi as well as other sashimi onto her plate that she didn't notice Sesshoumaru wasn't eating much. After a few moments of Kagome's ravenous eating, Sesshoumaru was the one to break the silence.

"What made you decide to stay here?" he asked. Kagome's eyes widened. She had no idea how to answer this completely direct question.

"Uh… well… that's…" she trailed off, a hand rubbing the back of her head. She looked around nervously, but her eyes ended up back on the taiyoukai. He sat quietly, waiting for her to answer. She took a deep breath, and thought about how to tell him why she decided to stay with him. "I… feel like we've developed a kind of connection," she told him, nervousness present in her voice. His expression didn't change. "Don't you think so, Sesshoumaru?" The youkai lord blinked.

"What did you say to Inu Yasha?" he asked her, not responding to her question. Kagome assumed that he agreed with her, but just didn't want to say it out loud.

"I told him that I was going to stay with you, and that there had already been enough fighting between the two of you."

"Hm. And he listened to you?" Kagome nodded. Sesshoumaru smiled inwardly. 'Inu Yasha, do you realize what you've done? The fact that you put the wishes of Kagome before your own is the sole reason you lost your woman.' Well, of course Sesshoumaru didn't feel any pity for his little brother. After all, what good was Inu Yasha to him? He had never been a help in the great wars of the past, nor did Sesshoumaru expect him to be in the future. It was just a pity that he went through the transfusion ritual. Inu Yasha might have given him a decent fight as a youkai; but now that his little brother had agreed not to fight with him, there was nothing to be had from the whole experience. 'What a waste of time,' he finished his thoughts.

"Sesshoumaru," Kagome began, commanding his attention, "did you come for me, or did you come to kill those cloaked bandits?" she asked.

"The fact that someone has taken something of mine is not a thing that this Sesshoumaru tolerates."

'So… does that mean it was for both reasons?' Kagome couldn't deny that she was a little saddened that she wasn't the only reason for his coming. But in any case, he again referred to her as his.

"Earlier, you said that I'm your woman," Kagome looked at Sesshoumaru, who was staring straight at her. "Does that mean that you're going to mark me- permanently?" Sesshoumaru took a sip of his tea.

"Yes, but not tonight. The scent of the temporary mark is still present on you- I wish to wait until it has disappeared." Kagome looked at him, puzzled.

'Why does he want to wait?' Kagome asked herself. It wasn't like she didn't want to wait… she was just curious. "Is there a problem with permanent marks while temporary marks are in play?" she asked. Sesshoumaru didn't answer her.

"At its current rate of recession, the scent should be completely gone by tomorrow evening," he told her. Secretly, he wondered why the mark seemed to be receding faster than the last time. Of course, it still had lasted longer than the typical temporary mark. 'Perhaps it is due to her frequent use of the yuketsu incantations,' he guessed. The power of the mark could have been drained because she used much of the blood from the transfusion to perform various incantations- especially the long-lastingspells for masking scent and appearance.

'The scent, the scent… he keeps mentioning the scent. Then… is it because he doesn't want to mark me while he thinks we might be under some kind of an influence?' Kagome asked herself. She took a sip of her tea. A small blush rose to her cheeks. Sesshoumaru, while he appeared so cool on the exterior, was thinking clearly, and planning ahead concerning her. He didn't want to make any decisions when he believed there was a possibility that he wasn't thinking clearly. She placed her cup down, and the two of them rose to their feet. It was now dark, and Kagome was unable to see easily with only the light from the sky.

"Come," Sesshoumaru told her. She approached him, and held on to his arm as he led her back to the castle.

Inu Yasha had stayed with the group until morning. When he woke, however, he found himself immediately looking for Kagome. There was something about being with everyone that made him feel as though he was missing something. He glanced around at his comrades. Miroku had Sango, Kohaku and Shippou were now inseparable, and Kaede now had Satoru to look after. Everyone had someone- except for him. Yesterday they had all asked him to stay, and reaffirmed their companionship with him. But while he appreciated everyone's support, he also believed that there were just some things that had to be dealt with alone. Inu Yasha stood up, and made his way outside.

Miroku woke as soon as he heard Inu Yasha stir. As soon as Inu Yasha stepped outside, Miroku rose and followed him. "Inu Yasha," he called.

"What is it?" Inu Yasha turned to face his friend. He remembered when he first met the worldly houshi. Miroku had kidnapped Kagome, to take her jewel shard. After that, Inu Yasha understandably didn't want to work with him, but Kagome insisted. Yes, it was because of Kagome that he was friends with Miroku.

"You're leaving," Miroku stated. As always, he seemed to be aware of everything that was happening.

"Ah."

"Will you come back?"

"…I… don't know." Inu Yasha heard Miroku sigh. "Miroku," he began, "everything here is associated with Kagome. I can't- I can't get over anything, if I keep getting slapped in the face by things that remind me of her." Miroku closed his eyes and nodded.

"I don't like it, but… I understand." Miroku stepped forward, and gave Inu Yasha a manly hug. The inu youkai was surprised at first, but settled into the hug, and patted Miroku on the back. Miroku released him, and stepped back. "Inu Yasha, you're like a brother to me. It has been an honor and a pleasure to be by your side."

"Likewise, Miroku. Tell Sango and the others that… I'm sorry, and that I'll…" Inu Yasha couldn't bring himself to finish.

"I'll tell them you'll miss them," Miroku read his friend's mind.

"Ah. Thanks."

"Be careful."

"Keh, no need for that." Before Miroku could find something to say in response, Inu Yasha turned his back. "Ja!" And with that, Inu Yasha disappeared from sight, his last word hanging on the wind.

Miroku walked back inside the hut with a heavy heart. Sango opened her eyes and looked at her husband. "Is Inu Yasha…?" Miroku simply nodded. "I see." The taijiya mother sighed and closed her eyes once more in sadness. Inu Yasha was gone.

A/N: Yay! I hope you liked this chapter! Please let me know how you think it was, and I will do my best to make sure the next chapter is good!

Reviewer Responses:

Inuyasha's Girl and Kikyou hater: haha, thanks for reviewing my mulan story! It was my first fanfic ever, from like 7 years ago! And thanks for checking out my other stuff!

Priyadarshani: not a chance for this alternate ending. It already happened in the original ending, and people weren't satisfied. So this story's outcome will be different. In a discussion with a friend, he suggested that truly "realistic" S/K fics can really only be written by IY/K shippers. Thanks for your compliment, and your time to read and review this story!

Bethany A: It's not that I don't like it- it just bothers me that people (a.k.a. hormone crazy girls) want S-dono and K-chan together just because Sesshoumaru is hot… and not necessarily for any other reason. Usually the writers make Inu Yasha out to be a jerk or something totally ooc so that Kagome has a reason to go with S-dono without looking like she's wrong for doing it. According to the anime, though, most-if not all- of their written scenarios are unlikely and ooc.

Beulah Page: Yep, there are some deep thinkers reviewing this story. Sorry about the cloaked people. Even though they probably have a story of their own, Sesshoumaru didn't find out what it was, so there's no way for the reader to know it! Oh, I got the whole "ugly baby" thing from my own experience with my sister's baby. It was... really... funny looking... and I felt bad to say it... Oh well. She's cuter, now. Phew.

Magick: the uh- original ending is complete, true to my summary. I said nothing about the alternate ending being complete. Haha! Glad you liked it though.

nitegoddess 11166: yep, they were beaten easily! This story is coming to a close, though, so there won't really be an opportunity for him to fight another enemy again. Thanks for reviewing my story!

kandy42: yep, that's what I do! This is only a "what-if" ending, thank goodness.

TakaraDaiya: heh, yep, he's a tragic character in this ending. But I'd say that those who wanted this alternate ending wished Inu Yasha's fate upon him…

destinyheart15: thanks for your heartfelt review. Hahahaha! I'm such a sucker for one-armed Sesshoumaru jokes! There have already been countless times I wanted to write jokes into my story about that… maybe I'll share some of 'em later…

Hoshiko Shinomori: haha! you're lazy! Me too, I hate it when I really want to write a review and it asks me to sign in!

inu-unnamedgirl: heh, you should've stuck to the original ending, like me!

Nilee: hehhe, you are exactly right about everything in your last review. Way to go! It makes me so happy to have you as a reviewer!

Also, thanks go out to my special reviewers: tefi2007 (take your time), EmoChicka, TracyJ, FallenAngel3691, hermonine, Granting Love 445, zookie78 (you'll see), sheenachi, duckgirl566, Nicole P, toxiclollipop, Amber Eyed, Moon's Rain, Lady Lenn, Golden-Eyed-Girl, and whimsy.