Okay, this one is a doozie. It originally started as a songfic chapter, but at the last minute I decided to leave it out because there were just so many songs that would go well with the drama that I couldn't just choose one and leave the others. So at least listen to some sad orchestra stuff, if it helps you like it helps me. Please respond, even if it's bad. The next one will probably be up in two days, so stay tuned.

Oh, and this is kinda weird, but could someone remind me how Sesshoumaru got that battle cry thing for Tokijin (i think), where he says Syouryuuha or something? I don't remember quite exactly, but I think there was something about Tokijin being broken and blahblah blah. I'm lost and it would be useful to have for upcoming chapters. (wink wink)

Chapter 27: The Road to Forgetting

Fragile in strength, strong in frailty, she held onto her tears. Who could ever know how she truly felt? Could they even begin to understand? False hope led her to believe she could live this way, caught between two lives, two times. Somehow she had been wrong. It had all been so clear up till now, that this was her frailty and her strength. She needed them both. How she needed them both to survive. Her stars were already dark, even when they hadn't yet some to greet her. There was still the heat of the sun around her. Suffocating hot. The summer became ugly before her. The heat and dryness manifested itself through the air around her, the pulsing of invisible fireflies matching her heart.

She fell back beneath the pressure of the heartbreak. Her knees buckled but did not give way. A flutter of wings, or maybe it was simply air, went past her senses. Was this the world of the heart breaking?

She heard him calling, "Kagome! …… Kagome! ……"

But it barely registered. It didn't even occur to her that he was coming for her. Even in her desperate need to have him by her side at that moment, she silently was forbidding him to come and rescue her. Now and forevermore, she didn't need to be rescued. She had to forget him, just as he had to forget her. The thought alone could have driven her to scream from him, but there was nothing in her tongue. All there seemed to be now was her, alone, closed in by a lake of cream color, standing on the one dark island that felt no sunset. No more sunsets ever would cross her heart!

She heard the telling crash behind her, the wood that met his mighty fist. It snapped her out of reality, and she almost looked surprised as she turned to look at him. From across the room, he glared at her. Why now did he glare at her like she had wounded him? Even if she had, even his emotions were fast healing. Had it been Kikyo, it might have been different. Had it been Kikyo…

"Sesshoumaru temee!" Inuyasha snarled sinisterly, "I'll rip your fucking head off!"

He flexed his claws and leapt for his half-brother. Sesshoumaru stepped out of the way of the blow. Inuyasha landed in between them, coming so close as to almost land in the fire. She stared at him, "Inuyasha…"

He placed one hand on the sheath and the other on the Tetsusaiga in preparation to draw. His hard gaze never left Sesshoumaru, "Stay behind me, Kagome! Are you hurt?"

Sesshoumaru watched her face and the conflict going on within her. She looked at the ground, not even having the strength to answer him. Inuyasha got worried at the silence and he shouted back, "Kagome!"

The inu-youkai brother spoke, "Calm down, Inuyasha. The miko is just fine. Or are you stupid enough to not notice that she has no injuries."

"Shut up!" he growled, "Anyways, you think I'd actually let you get away with kidnapping Kagome? You're a dead man!"

Inuyasha hated how calm that face always looked, especially during a battle with him. It was like he was completely unmoved. It only provoked him more. His brother spoke, "Don't be stupid, Inuyasha. I have no need to kidnap the miko and hold her against her will. She came on her own settlement."

Inuyasha's eyes widened a bit, then turned back momentarily to look at Kagome. With her fingers fidgety and her face pale, she looked guilty as sin. But he wouldn't believe it. He turned back to his youkai brother, "You liar! You really think I'm that stupid! I won't fall for any traps of yours!"

"Miko… tell him," he replied.

Even for Sesshoumaru, that seemed confident… too confident. Inuyasha turned back to Kagome, and she looked up at him. The flood of tears behind her eyes was almost too much to endure. But she had to, for her sake and his. She inhaled and exhaled shakily, and Inuyasha's ears drooped. "Kagome? What's going on?"

Her clothes seemed to stick to her, become a part of her. She couldn't breathe, couldn't escape from even herself. The heart was too full to think any more, there was only the sound of it slowly breaking to numb her mind to rational thought. There could be no argument about this, she knew. For he who chided away her fears, for he for whom her soul laughed, the drug of her love had to hold out. She couldn't lose it. She had to forget.

"Inuyasha, I'm… I'm not going back with you. I'm stay… staying here."

His heart creaked to one side ever so slightly. "What are you talking about? Of course you are. Don't be stupid!"

"No, Inuyasha. You don't understand. I mean I won't go back with you."

My God, he had heard her correctly. But… no, this had to be wrong. How could it possibly be? "Kagome…"

His voice was soft, too soft for her to bear it. One tear emerged on her cheek and she cursed it with everything she had. He noticed the tear, and instinctively his hand went up to wipe it away. His hand made it as far to touch her clover skin before she jumped away. Her hands clutched together at her chest, forbidding her heart to cry out to him. She stepped some five feet away from him in the direction of the door. But her feet held out. Somehow she could go no further. She remembered well how her hands had clasped the flowers to her chest in the same way she held herself now. The smell that had permeated her senses had left her without a will of her own to speak of. Back then, her heart had been screaming that this was life, how it always should be. No more flowers now, no more life. "Inuyasha, I have to. It's what's best for everyone."

His face grew more confused and frustrated by the second, as did his tone. "What's best? Kagome, what the fuck has gotten into you? How is this best?"

He managed to come a little closer, about two feet away, but one more inch and even he was sure she would run. She didn't answer, and turned her gaze towards Sesshoumaru for a moment to help her out, even though she knew he wouldn't lift a finger. Inuyasha noticed and growled, "Did they threaten you, Kagome? Don't listen to them…"

Before she could speak or make a move, his hands grabbed onto her shoulders and he came a little closer to her. She nearly whimpered at the contact of his powerful yet gentle hands. He growled a little more as he saw some guards come through the doorway and just stand there, waiting for him to make a wrong move. He tried to make her understand, "You know it doesn't matter what the hell they say to you, I won't let them hurt you or our friends! You know that! You can't believe them!"

"They didn't threaten me, Inuyasha," she shouted as she threw his hands off her shoulders, "I wanted this!"

He grunted in painful surprise, and his own hand went to clutch the clothes in front of his heart. It was truly frightening, seeing that look about her. Her voice was angry, but those eyes were so sad it tore him apart. Forcefully, he held back the whine in his chest. The complex arose, the one of the puppy who ached for their master's return, attention, affection. Frantically, his eyes shot through her face. They were going mad. Death he didn't fear. Not even a thousand youkai. At this point, not even the painful memories of a loveless world or the loss of his mother frightened him. Her rejection… it was by far the worst. Only she could chase away that fear. Only she could chase away all his fears.

She went on, "I'm staying here because it is my choice!"

That was enough. He yelled, "I don't believe you!"

His sudden tone shocked her. "What?"

His arm grabbed a hold of her forearm, and she couldn't shake him loose, "You heard me, wench! You're lying!"

"Just let me go, Inuyasha," she tried to sound calm; it came out as anything but.

"No! You hear me? No fucking way!" he yelled nearly frantically, "I'm not giving up on you yet!"

Her lips quivered, and she looked away from him as he yelled at her, "Why are you crying if you don't want this? This isn't you, Kagome. I know you!"

"People change," her voice was almost a whisper.

"Not you, damnit!"

"And what of my family, Inuyasha?" she looked back up at him again.

His face fell, and she went on, "I want to see my family again! I want to be with them! You can't take that chance away from me! I'm begging you now to leave and forget all about me! If you can just do that for me, then I can get back to my old life in peace!"

"Kagome…"

In truth, it wasn't even her family she was thinking of anymore, but he couldn't know that. He could never know. "What I wish just isn't enough? It won't matter what I'm feeling because in the end, it's all meaningless! This is what has to happen!"

She gasped as a flood of tears cascaded down her cheeks. She didn't even know when she had stopped trying to hold them back. She tried to turn away, but his hands latched onto her shoulders. Try as she might to avoid it, his eyes sought out hers. "Kagome, what do you wish?"

Remembering his arms around her on a cool summer night, sitting beneath the stars… he had held her as she fell asleep, saying these words to her. The world was so lost to her as conscious thought was slipping away. But he was there, his warmth at her fingertips. Like that… she wished for that… to be that way forever. But it was all a lie. The night had ended, the day had broken, as did her heart.

He gasped and opened his eyes wide as the electric shock that was Kagome's kiss bore into him like a sword. The magnetic force that bound them together crashing into him hard. The spinning stars shot out in every direction as the universe exploded. A million colors came down like lightning and clashed. So sweet it wounded, and thus are all his senses feasted. Pleasure invading both heart and soul, the transport through his veins spread it further. As she grasped his haori in her fingers, her sudden shake as she exhaled declared that she was life everywhere. Everywhere… He died.

She died. It didn't matter anymore. Whether she loved him or not, whether he even cared for her in the slightest, all she had left was this kiss. The temperature rose the moment she reached for him. Perhaps it was the knowledge that it was the last kiss, the last time she would ever see him again. Inuyasha… her lost battlefield, the triumph of her years, and she would be reborn again, without him. She pressed into him as she quaked in emotion. It was when she held a pair on warm hands placed gently on her cheeks that she lost every once of her heart to him, and when her spirits finally passed away.

And it was over. Tearing herself from him, she ran. Past Sesshoumaru and the guards, past the large door and the hallway, she ran.

He didn't even register the loss. It was too shocking, too unbearable that she had suddenly left his embrace. It was when she exited the room one second later that it hit him. "Kagome!"

The strength in his knees returned, and he gave chase. It was short lived, for with a signal from Sesshoumaru, the guards reached forward and grabbed him. Their arms when in front of his path and his chest collided. They gripped him hard as he struggled against them. "KAGOME! KAGOME! COME BACK! PLEASE!"

She didn't come back.

How he pushed against them, but with each passing second, there hold grew stronger, or his strength grew weaker. And when she disappeared around the corner in the distance, the boat was taken home, or so the winds did tell. What remained of his slain heart reduced to ashes. Low and cold, he whimpered. Loud enough that even Sesshoumaru could hear it clearly. That sound nearly shocked him. And for a few moments, Inuyasha went limp as the heartbreak grew like a plague over him. He lowered his arms, and mouth still agape, he watched the hallway, hoping against all odds that she would come back. Praying that she would come back into his arms again so he could kiss her once more. No, not once more. A thousand times over and a thousand times again.

When the guards loosened their hold, Inuyasha didn't even move. Sesshoumaru came up next to him. "Don't you think you've messed her life up enough?"

No answer. "…This was the miko's choice. You should accept that."

He turned his head, but Inuyasha's voice called him back, "You don't care."

"Hm?"

"What does it matter to you whether I have her or not? Why did you…" he caught the lump in his throat, "Why did you… make her believe…"

"I did nothing to pressure her into this, baka. I know by your face and her sorrow that you are the one who forced her to stay in this world with your trickery. All I am after is the honor of the family which you and your weak mother stole away from father."

Inuyasha turned and jumped. The guards didn't even have the time to react as Inuyasha pushed Sesshoumaru against the wall. They raised their weapons, but stopped as they saw Inuyasha's claws pressed into their master's neck. One wrong move and he wouldn't think twice before killing him. Sesshoumaru made no effort to move, but glared back at Inuyasha's heart-stricken face. "Heh, pathetic. Are those tears I see, Inuyasha?"

His grip tightened slightly, and his face began to shake as he growled through the scalding salt water brimming his sight. Sesshoumaru kept going, "Honor or not, this was her choice alone. Kill me now and you'll only prove her correct to go. Why would she have wanted to stay with a mindless animal?"

The words struck deep, so much as for Inuyasha to loosen his claws and release his hold. He stared at the ground angrily as Sesshoumaru walked next to him. They stood shoulder to shoulder as he lectured, "If you really care about her that much, Inuyasha, you'll let her go. Let her live."

He gasped in sadness. "And why would I listen to you, Sesshoumaru?"

He leaned in slightly and said just about a whisper, "Because you know I'm right, baka."

Still as untouched water. His mind became the snow: hazy, cold, and deadly. Why, in God's name, did she have to kiss him? Wasn't it enough that she had left him for good for her family? No, she was never his to lose, was she. He had just been hopeful. For far too long, her loving eyes peering at him made him believe the impossible. The flowers… he had picked them for her. It was the last hope he had that she would stay by his side forever. And he witnessed them crumbling before him, her supposed imprisonment to this world finally broken. Because she loved her family… because he could never compete with that… because he was nowhere near worthy enough to even look upon her. To forget, was that what she had told him?

Out of all the memories he had, only one came into mind. His transformation at Kaguya's castle. It was perhaps the most powerful memory he had whenever he was fighting anyone. All around him he saw visions of his enemy as his greatest desire took a hold of him. He had fought against the pain in his body. It felt like he was burning alive. His human side was telling him to keep fighting, because he held his precious Kagome at his chest. Slowly, she had invaded his senses, reminding him of what he had to lose to become what he had always wanted. Then, with but a kiss, their first kiss, it all erupted. He hadn't known back then why he had come back, but later and later it became more obvious… that his own true wish, his deepest wish, had changed.

To forget…

Minutes later, he walked down the staircase, his tired feet barely able to hold himself up. At the bottom of the stairs, his friends could be seen arguing with the guards, preparing to strike until they saw him emerging. They pushed their way passed the guards and up to him. Sango was the first to speak, "Oh, Inuyasha. Thank God. With this storm in the skies, I didn't think we'd all make it here fast enough."

The winds had already picked up considerably since he had last been inside, and the rain was already falling at a good rate. He stopped only for a moment at the staircase to look at them all. They looked so relieved to see him, all of them. He just looked at them for a second, until gradually all their smiles fell away and their concerned eyes prodded him for answers. He had none to give. He doubted he ever would. Sesshoumaru, who had followed him to the top of the staircase, responded for him, "The miko will be going home with my help…"

Inuyasha started walking again, and they looked up in shock at Sesshoumaru. Shippou spoke what was on all their minds, "You mean, she's leaving us?"

Sesshoumaru just stared at them after that, and they turned to Inuyasha, who was already walking quietly out the main gate. Across the moat he went until he reached the grass, then turned to give one last lingering glance on the palace which held his heart. Then, he ran.

To forget…

………………………………………………………………………………………………

She looked out the window, and could make out his form when he wasn't blurred by her own tears. The window was open, with only a tiny ledge to crawl out onto. As such, she sat on her knees behind the small rail, staring at the man who had nurtured her more than he could ever know. No waters could have quenched her love, not even the rain that covered her hair tonight. There was only he.

Her face by this point was drenched in tears, and looked to the moon to dry them. But it was blocked mercilessly by clouds. Earth had been summoned to mourn for her, for them. It brought her no comfort this time, to know that she wasn't alone in all this, for she never felt more alone in her life. She wanted to scream for him to come back, she wanted to kiss him again. To be in his arms until she could feel no more cold, that was all she had wished for. That is why she had kissed him, because if anything in the world could be hers to cherish, at least she could have that one; not Kikyo nor anyone else.

Saku spoke from behind her, "Remember, you must let go of your feelings. Take as much time as you need. I'm sure Sesshoumaru will let you stay…"

She leaned forward slightly and whispered into her ear, "Let him go and you too can be free."

Some door closed behind her; she had not the care to find out which. Her eyes fell to Inuyasha as he sprinted away, faster than she had ever seen him. She followed his disappearing form, until finally she could see no more, and she wept. Burying her face into her arms perched on the rail, she let herself cry completely. Low how the tides came in to wash away her pain. But the tides, no matter how powerful, would never let her forget.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

He sat on a rock, waiting for the others to come after him. Would they even be able to find him? Did it even matter to him?

Thunderous sounds roared stronger than ever, and he looked up as the rains intensified. But instead of turning away to hide, he closed his eyes and breathed it in. Lightning slashed around him and thunder shook the earth, but he was unmoved. The rustle of trees and grass were hidden by the sounds of the storm. He just sat there, kissing the rain and remembering her. His heart, the human part of him that called to her, was still singing to her. Could she hear the words that weren't even there? What he had there beneath his chest had no words for him to say. That his spirit would always shield her from harm or fear. That he would warm her with his thoughts. That any life he had left went out to her. Something, anything, he pleaded scream to her in words she could know.

His troubled mind came through as he saw Kagome's face. He couldn't ignore that he was still angry she had left him, but even now, his anger didn't matter. With the kiss she had given him, he couldn't be mad right now, and unless he saw her again, he doubted he ever could be anything but sad again. With that kiss, his fate had been marked in stone, and he would never forget. 'Never will I forget, Kagome. I can't… I… don't want to.'

Something, anything, he pleaded scream to her in words she could know. 'Set me as a seal upon your heart… A seal upon your heart.'

To be continued…

I'm so pathetic. I was crying by the end of this chapter. Well, sort of… teary-eyed, but it's kinda okay with me cause I know what's gonna happen. Anyway, blah blah blah, very emotional, and…. RESPOND PLEASE!

Kawaii-CherryWolf: I'm sure this chapter wasn't any better than for your little heart, but for the record, I am dying to get to the lovey dovey greatness coming up soon. So, best friend, huh? Yeah, that's what I thought. (hugs)

kamira: Yeah she is dumb. But she makes up for it when she kicks butt. Haha, moonwalk? Proceed! (hugs)

Star+Robin: Ugh, you have no idea how I've dreamed of that. I wish I could sooo much. Get me an interview with our favorite producer and we'll see. Haha! (hugs)

HelikaAkileh: Conflict! Gotta love soap opera style. Haha! Ooh, and I have no idea what lmao of lmfao means. I'm so behind on internet lingo. I'm just assume it was good. (hugs)

Jenn-silent breed: You know, I keep promising myself I'm gonna read your story, but I'm just like…. Argh, I forget too much. Gonna do it though. Someday, when there is nothing to do with my crazy life. Haha, and you can be loony with me. It'll be fun. (hugs)

NeuroticallyDignified: Haha, yeah you are. And once again I spoil you like the nice person I am, if you can even call this chapter nice at all. (hugs)

Kagome018: You haven't! Shame, shame! Oh well, I forgive you. No worries. Thanks for loving my story. (hugs)

RobinRox13: Yay, indeed. Hurray for me! And I'm only updating early these two chapters because you all have spoiled me enough, so you have yourselves to thank for that one. Haha! (hugs)

MoonKitii: Well I felt generous this weekend. Can't guarantee this always of course, so don't get quite too cozy with the daily updates. Thanks a bunch. (hugs)

InuyashaGal: I'm glad it works for you. It's gonna be hard though getting in all that info in just a few chapters. But there's no good break between them so they'll be long. Hurray, long. (hugs)

Nekoxlove: Favorite? Garsh. You honor me to much, sweetie. But thanks all the same. (hugs)

Murasahki-chan: …… OMG, you're awesome. That has to be the most informative thing I've ever heard from someone on this sight, and me being so into language and such, I'm so grateful that you've cleared that up for me. I can kinda understand how they could mess that up now, so thank you lots for that info. Hurray, ex-editor! Hurray! (hugs)