The Past:

The day it all happened, Kagome Higurashi had blamed more then one person for the occurrence.

First, she blamed herself. If she hadn't decided to leave, then perhaps he wouldn't have shown up. But, she did leave, and he did show up, so, what did it matter?

Second, she blamed the one that showed up. He wasn't supposed to be injured, that wasn't his way at all. So, what had made that day so special? Nothing at all, really.

And last, she had blamed the one that had put them in that position. He didn't have to have been there, he couldn't come some other day and attack them, but he had chosen that day, and that day it would be.

So, instead of blaming any more people (and she knew that she could), she accepted the fact that it did happen, and lived with it.

So, the day it all happened, Kagome was in Kaede's village, talking with Sango and Shippo, slapping Miroku, and sitting InuYasha. The start of the day had been rather simple, really. Kagome had finished her geometry homework; she had studied for her English test, and numerous other school-like objections that needed to be finished. Kagome wasn't really sure or not if she had gotten the problems on her multiple worksheets right, but she found that she didn't really care. Caring wasn't one of the things that Kagome should have worried about that day.

InuYasha had been sitting in a corner, effectively ignoring the others; sighing and groaning at times, but all in all, not saying anything. It was a good thing that he refused to speak, for he most likely would have said something worthy of a sit. Not that anything he didn't say was worthy of a sit anyway. So, with half-lidded eyes, he regarded the world around him in silence and Kagome found herself curious about what he was thinking.

Miroku, on the other hand, regarded the world with his hands. That wasn't particularly new, but interesting nonetheless. His hands, the right cursed one, seemed to have a mind of its own as it sneaked across the floor and towards his favorite backside. This hand was obviously the rambunctious one, wanting to know more about the world around it like some milk-starved child ready to eat an insect.

The docile one lay in his lap, twitching at times and moving the staff closer to his body. This one was the other one's twin, opposites to mind as well as appearance for this one was lucky enough not to have a nothingness hole inside of it, unlike its other half. So it made sense that this one would be quiet and more observing rather then touching. It was just the way of things.

Not that Kagome ever really questioned why things happened, just that it did. She reminded herself of White Fang, the half-dog (though truly quarter, when one thought about it) from Jack London's fabled tale. Much like White Fang, she accepted the fact that things happened, but didn't worry why it happened or if it had a reason that it should happen. She accepted this 'fact' as plainly and as lively as Kagome had accepted the fact that InuYasha hadn't chose no one.

She thought that this was weird, if not wrong, that he had flat out refused to choose at all. He had more then ample time to choose, yet he had chosen not to, thus creating a paradoxical circle of choosing and not choosing. But, she would be a hypocrite if she questioned why, so, she remained silent. She sometimes wondered if the 'there is no spoon' rule that obnoxious child (in her opinion) had stated was true or not. If it was, then the Matrix was crueler then she thought, excluding the fact of humans-into-batteries. Why else would the Matrix have flung her into Sengoku-jidai?

Kagome didn't wish to pursue that matter, so she didn't. Instead, she looked askance at the kit that had rested his head on her lap, or folded knee however you looked at it. Said kit was not as silent as the other two, purring and growling at the affections she lain on his elfin ears. His fiery red hair, from child hood days of chasing screaming mushrooms, had turned a dull orange, signifying his growing adulthood. His once olive green eyes, glinting in laughter almost every day, had turned even darker and less forgiving then they had been. Like her, he had seen too much in his early life, but not too early that he may forget about it.

Sometimes, Kagome thought still stroking the elegant curve of his ears, I wish I were like him. This wish, of course, was a curse in its own. If she were like him, then she would no longer be happy and innocent, just a normal child that forgot about the simplicity in life that cradled said child in gentle arms. Shippo had also become much like White Fang, more so then he had ever been, and he had accepted the fact that the aspiring priestess was rubbing his ears but didn't ask why.

And that was the way of the world.

"Something wrong, Kagome," questioned Sango softly. The slayer was across from Kagome, a bowl of oden in her lap. The slayer had also grown older, her hair growing coarser and thinner, dulling in its once dark brown hue. Her face held secrets, secrets that Kagome truly didn't want to know about, like anyone did. But the monk didn't seem to mind Sango's aging at all. But, he didn't really mind anything, now did he?

"Nothing, Sango, nothing at all. Just thinking…."

"About what?"

"About… about… what my family is doing at the moment," she finished lamely and by the snort from the corner, she knew that nobody believed her. Not that she believed herself, in any matter. Shippo purred loudly when one of Kagome's un-kept nails hit the shell of his ear. He snuggled closer, a clawed hand snagging into her jeans. Thankfully, college didn't require a uniform (Kagome still couldn't figure out why college taught geometry, there was no real need for it anymore). She smiled down at him, motherly like.

"Ya' okay," he asked, still having trouble pronouncing endings like 'ing'. But sense when did the ending 'ing' fit into the category of 'ou'? It never did really, so no bother. Kagome nodded, but didn't really feel okay, so, no bother. And Shippo couldn't really tell the difference, so, no bother. And neither did he repeat his question, so she had less to worry about, much like everyone else in that small hut.

Kaede was dead. Kagome and the others were the only ones that occupied the hut as of late. The old priestess died due to illness. Wow, her death was simple, so unlike her sister's. And there was no revival, so unlike her sister's. Maybe she should have been the reincarnation, but that would be redundant, for she is her own person and was already a child when Kagome was born, thus creating another paradoxical circle that has no way of completing itself in any way that is of significance. The circle will end, just not in the way she wanted it to end. If she ever wanted it to end.

Kirara was also dead. Her death was also so simple. You would have thought so too if your head had been detached from your shoulders. The cut wasn't as neat as that of a guillotine, but it was neat enough to know that it had been cut off and that no one would ever be able to put it back. So, they buried the fire cat next to the priestess, wondering if the two had a lot to talk about as they sat among the worms.

"I'm… going out," Kagome announced, gently tugging Shippo away from her. He grunted, and moved away, as she stood up. She hadn't gotten any taller, not that she wanted to, anyway. Kagome moved towards the hut opening, ignoring another snort from InuYasha. It's your fault you didn't choose, she thought slowly, stepping into the sunlight and walking just as slowly. The villagers watched her leave, watched her move towards the clearing in which the well lay. They knew, as much as she knew.

She was leaving now, slightly tired of this zoo, prison, and or reality. She wanted out, like a lion in captivity, she wanted to be free. So, trudging along the clearing, clad in an oversized pink sweatshirt and jeans, Kagome left, and didn't turn back, vaguely wondering if anybody watched her leave. She knew that no one did.

Now, as she approached the well, Kagome became restless. Her future lay in the hands of wood and demon bones and she was only a few feet away. But, did she really want to leave. Sengoku-jidai had been a fun adventure, for a few years. Then, it became tiring, an endless game that didn't want to go. She did. They still hadn't beaten Naraku, though they had destroyed the jewel, said half-demon refused to leave. Kagome finished her part of the bargain; complete the jewel. It was up to the others to finish the job.

So, like a checker piece that had been jumped out of play, she prepared to jump into the well, and to the future, her future. And like a checker piece that wanted to be a king, he showed up. Not that he had to become a king; he already had enough power to kill kings and become one. So, the lord of nothing and the king of kings approached her, a smirk on his features. Kagome tensed on the rim of the well as she watched Naraku approach.

"Leaving, priestess?"

"Yes," was her answer to his nonchalant purr as he moved closer to her. His blue eyes sparkled malevolently as he placed a hand on the well rim, much like her.

"Why?"

"Things get old, Naraku."

"True…. What about the half-breed? You still want to be with him, I can tell," he said, oozing sickness. Kagome herself was sick, moving away from him, but she couldn't escape forever.

"No, I don't. Go away, Naraku. I'm leaving, you should leave as well." She wanted him to leave, as much as she wanted to leave herself. But he had no objections to leave, so he got even closer.

"I don't to leave; I'll be staying for awhile…."

"Oh, then maybe I should go."

"Maybe you should, priestess. Maybe you should…." Kagome nodded no longer wanting to talk to the lord of nothing and king of kings. To prove her point, she swung one of her legs over the well lip, supporting her weight on both hands. Naraku smiled and turned to the village. Kagome could already feel the demons moving closer to the unprotected village, ready to devour all and everything. But Kagome wanted out, and she would get out. She wanted to leave, leave her friends, leave her enemies, and leave that half-demon….

"InuYasha," she shouted when she heard the unmistakable calling card of the Wind Scar. Naraku smile widened now and before she knew it, he had a hand on her shoulder.

"Let me go! InuYasha…!"

"But, you wanted to leave, priestess, you said so yourself," Naraku whispered as he tightened his grip. He pulled her roughly away from the darkness of the well and looked into her eyes.

"Don't worry, I'll tell him that you were going, going to leave him…."

"Why…?" And Naraku smiled, not maliciously, not angrily, and not insanely. Just a true smile.

"Hypocrite."

And he pushed her down, and she fell, the darkness taking hold of her and never letting go. The darkness accepted her like its birth child and like the mirror that repaired itself, it was sucking onto her, never letting go. Kagome fell in silence, her hands reaching up, towards Naraku as he leaned languidly against the well. She heard shouts from her friends, but she couldn't do anything, not that she wanted to anyway….

The Present:

Kagome awoke, jolting up and perspiration dripping down her neck and arms. Gasping slightly, she looked around her dark bedroom, almost like the well.

"It was just a dream," she whispered softly, leaning back down and into her pillow. "Just a dream, nothing else." Sleep didn't come easy that night, moving out of her reach just as quickly as it was put in her reach.

So, the day it all happened, Kagome betrayed her friends.

Though, it could also be called the day it all ended.

It's just the way you looked at it really.

Author's Notes: Don't ask, just don't ask. Sesshomaru/Kagome pairin', trust me.

Ja ne ICBINA