A/N: Well, here it is: the last chapter to this very short story. I hope all of you have enjoyed it so far because I think it has gone well for a second story. Well, I am deeply sorry that it took me so long in writing this chapter. Between my personal life, homework, school, "Search for Twilight" and chores, there seemed to be no time for this one but now there is and it has come to an end. Please enjoy it.

Explanation: One of my readers pointed out that in my first chapter of this story I used the words, "A cursed life, a half life." She told me that it was a line out of Harry Potter. At the time I wrote it, I remembered the words but I did not know where they came from. Thank you for pointing it out to me and I give all the credit of that particular line to J.K. Rowling. She did it, not me. I apologize for not realizing it sooner. I did not mean to take the credit for my own.

Dedication: This fanfiction, like my last one, is dedicated to a very special friend of mine. She is my older soul sister, my best friend, the other half of my soul. She moved away a little while ago back in September, but we have kept in touch since then and now are closer than ever. It has been tough to not have her by my side, though each day I remind myself that I am living and surviving every day for her. She brought me out of my shell and for that she will always be in my heart and soul. By the time that this story is posted she will have already gone back to Fresno and will be even farther from me... But hopefully someday she will be able to visit and for that I look forward to the future though it holds many uncertainties. "Blissful Suffering" is dedicated to Shoni for all that she has done for me and all that she has been to me. I love you lots, sweetheart! May you soar above adversity always on the winged flight of angels.

We are drifting away from each other now. We have not spoken in days, seeming to be weeks to my worn heart. My soul cries out to her and I desperately await the time when she will once again begin to talk to me. But for now, this will be the last dedication I make for her. It feels empty without her and this too awkward for me. I hope that she knows I will always be waiting for her, whether it be in my dreams, on the road, or in my soul.

Thank You: A special thanks to the following people for reviewing thus far: Black Betty, mysterygal02, Kawaii-CherryWolf, akarimiko, Fanficluv7Inu, forever-inuyasha-kagome, butterflywinds, XoXoPosterGirlXoXo, Wolf Blossom, Kenshrix, priestessmadi, Forest Sentry Koneji, mysterygal02, Kagomechic14, Moonlight Hanyou, Black Betty, DarkHanyouLover, She-Demonstriss, LadyKagome215, Renee Anime

"Kind words can be short and easy to speak but their echoes are truly endless." -Mother Theresa

Disclaimer: As you know from my other story, I don't own Inuyasha or the characters affiliated with him. They belong to the remarkable mind of Rumiko Takahashi and any one else that might have rights to them.

"All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream." -Edgar Allen Poe

Other than Dreams

There was a rustle of leaves in her path then a shadow loomed over her. Overbearing. Frightening. Nostalgic. Kagome stopped before him and glanced up because she simply could not resist. He was in her path and she wanted to pass. Going around him seemed like too much of a hassle and Kagome believed that she did not have to. For one startling moment, she could not breathe again. For one breathless moment, she was flooded with each and every emotion that had dwelled within her over these passed seven years. Tears came swiftly and silently so that they melted down her skin with their saltiness and the moonlight bounced off their sheen with illustrious beauty.

"Inuyasha..." she half gasped, half sighed. And his mere name came out as a blessed caress that the night was anxious to take from their ears. Her voice drifted away on the wind and left the two standing there, captivated by the sight of each other. They dared not touch, in fear that the slightest brush might shatter this perfect dream.

He stood watching her for what seemed like an eternity's passing. Kagome would have liked for him to stare longer because it would have been her chance to drink her fill of him, but alas he bounded away in as streak of red. Just like that. Inuyasha's presence around was all of a sudden snuffed out like a candle would be in the face of a gusty wind. It had no hope of rekindling.

No, that could not be! She refused to allow it to end like this. Not now. Not like the last time. Kagome's voice sounded harsh even to her ears as she called out, "Wait! Inuyasha, please!"

Why was he running from her? But more importantly, why was he here? Midoriko had made it clear that she was not to see him ever again and that alone caused her heart to clench once more with the sheer absurdity of those words. Kagome not see Inuyasha once again! Very quickly, she took off after him, her form as much as a blur as he was. But Kagome, somewhere in the back of her mind, saw that he was not running as fast as he used to. His form was not the crimson blur that seemed to stain the very air that it touched when he glided across the ground or flew through the trees as though graced with wings. This was far slower, paced almost. And that, above all else, even the call of her own heart, was what drover her to run and increase her pace.

She found herself being led deeper and deeper into the dark forest that she had been walking next to but as the logical reasoning of her mind screamed at her to stop the more persistent beat of her heart urged her on with its own gentle whisper. Follow him. Call to him. And she would. Kagome would follow him to the ends of the Earth if she had to. It seemed that way now, at the very least.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome cried out once more. "Inuyasha!" The trees reached out to brush her clothing, sticking in her hair and tearing at her skin almost as cruelly as the sight of Inuyasha's body running away from her did. It hurt. Everything hurt so badly that she could not hope to cope with it any longer. Why did he have to run! Kagome's foot hit a rock and it sent her tumbling across the ground with a small thud. Momentarily she had the wind knocked from her body so that she lay stunned. Her cheek had been slammed into the harsh dirt and tears leaked from the corners of her eyes. Her lungs labored for air, her muscles cramped from so much running and distantly she felt a sliver of blood flow from a wound in her knee.

Kagome pinched her eyes closed from the flood of droplets that came from her azure eyes. Gone. She had lost him again. Whenever she tried to get closer to Inuyasha, he always seemed to drift farther away. He never stayed where she needed him and that ripped through her body stronger than any storm, than any torrent or typhoon. The worst pain and because of it, her shoulders heaved in shaking sobs. Her fist slammed repeatedly into the dirt, anger sweeping into each pound she inflicted on the floor. He had been another figment of her imagination. Just like all of the others. She would never have him. Damn it! Why would no one allow her to be happy?

Kagome. The name brushed at the corners of her mind, soft as the wings of a butterfly. The raven-haired beauty stilled. Had she imagined it? Had that really been Inuyasha's voice? That thick sexy voice laced in so much arrogance that it either made her laugh or her irritation grow. Very slowly, Kagome lifted her face from the leave-covered ground and her azure eyes trailed the line of the trees in an attempt to see the one person that meant more to her than anyone. She saw the crimson of his haori and the silver of his hair long before she saw the hard contours of his face.

Inuyasha stood there in all of his glory, the moonlight streaming over him as though he were more seductive apparition than living, breathing man. He made no move to help her up but he did not mock her as he usually had done when she fell behind. He was… waiting for her. Kagome's heart began a fearful rhythm in her chest. It hammered and beat in an unstoppable song that called out to Inuyasha's. He stood with the wind ruffling his hair, but his eyes held the same hunger as Kagome's heart and body did. The raw ache to be held, to be swept away. To be loved.

"I'm coming," she whispered in a small voice, barely audible even in the midnight silence. Kagome staggered to her feet ungracefully, her ebony curls tumbling over her shoulders to coat her dress, and each of her limbs felt like many weights were added to them. They pressed upon her back, upon her spine and lungs. It had become so hard to breathe for her now. "I'm coming!" Her voice rose up another level, ringing loudly around them. It was more for Kagome's sanity than for Inuyasha. She knew well enough that those adorable little silver ears could hear anything that they wanted to, no matter how small or insignificant.

Inuyasha waited until Kagome had fully risen to her feet before turning his face away to stare into the darkness. It was as if her beauty was too much for him to handle. He denied himself that raw ache that they shared and the pleasure of continuing to watch her as she moved, blinked, ran, breathed. When the sound of her footsteps coming nearer was heard, that was when Inuyasha finally turned his whole body to face the other way. He leapt out of sight and into the looming darkness once more.

But no matter how far that he went or how far that Kagome fell behind, Inuyasha would always stop to make sure that she continued to follow him. Breath coming in laborious puffs, her lungs and side aching from running that she was doing, Kagome had to fight to keep up. Every step was a living agony and she hoped that her mind was simply not playing a horrible trick on her. Inuyasha glowed against the night sky, a living shadow that glided over the ground as though he had sprouted wings. At that moment, he was the most beautiful thing that Kagome had ever seen.

"Please, wait," Kagome choked out. Why did he have to run from her? Was this a dream? Had she possibly drank too much at her own party and this was something that she was conjuring up because her soul simply had had about all that it could take?

Her feet pounded out the same rhythm that her heart did: they both slammed irrevocably in her mind. The sound pierced her temple like jagged glass. It was the worst she had ever felt, second only to the sorrow that she locked away into her heart all of these years.

Inuyasha's form darted to the right all of a sudden and Kagome had to double back in order to catch him. She refused to lose sight of him now. She had come too far and be this dream or not, she had to live it through to the end. No matter the consequences that she knew would befall her if she were to drag on.

"Have any of you seen Kagome?" Hojo demanded after he had combed through the whole night club. It had been nearly an hour since she had disappeared. At first, they had allowed her to leave, thinking that she just needed a little time to herself. Kagome had always been a little wary of being in a crowd with so many people. It had become such a problem ever since they had seen her seven years ago.

Was it simply because she could not stand to be around people? No, that could not be it. Kagome was the most social person that they knew. Or thought they knew. She had come up to them and said a hello accompanied with a sweet smile. It had won their hearts over. What else could be done but love her? Nothing. Simply nothing.

Setsuna was the one to answer when everyone else looked away in shame and disappointment. "No, we've searched everywhere and we still cannot find her." The worry was etched so clearly into her voice that it caused the concern of everyone else to increase. Self loathing racked their forms because they could not find Kagome. But where could she have gone so late at night? And… what had happened to her, if anything?

A shiver ran down their spines at the notion. It was unthinkable! But… The girls looked at each other, guilt written all over their faces. They had made Kagome wear that outfit. It alone could draw unneeded attention to her out there in the twilight hours, not to mention her seraphic beauty. No matter how much the group tried to tear their thoughts from that forbidden path, they found that they could not. It was too… close…

Eerie clenched her fists and cast glares at all of them. "Then why are we just standing here? We have to spread out further!" she spat, moving around them with quick, precise steps. Her small hands shoved their backs, pushing them forward with a force that belied her slender form. "Come on! We can't waste any time."

The group- Hojo included –was grateful for the guidance. It seemed that they bodies had become paralyzed from the shock and the fear that was quickly enveloping them. But that would not help find Kagome. Not wishing to alert any of the other guests as of yet, the lot of them slid into the night air, cool and breezy. If they could find Kagome on their own, it would not create a scene.

The wind carried voices, whispers, pleadings and calls. "Kagome!" Hojo's scream was already being added to the myriad that was carried through the night with the deceiving notion that all was well.

"Kagome! Where are you?" Setsuna's voice joined in unison with the others, each of them possessing the same tone of anguish whereas their voices were different. Some were high pitched, others low. But each called for the same person to reveal herself to them.

But she could not hear them. Kagome continued to follow Inuyasha blindly because there was little else that she could do. How long had it been? Seven years, her mind supplied. That long? It seemed like an eternity now that she had seen Inuyasha's wondrous face. How she had survived that she did not know. It must have been some sort of miracle or a lack of feeling on her part. If it was not for the pain that was splitting her side and her lungs Kagome might have laughed at that notion. Lack of feeling. Such harsh words. There had certainly been no lack of feelings on her part.

A meadow? Kagome slowed to a gradual walk when she noticed that this place looked almost exactly like the place that she had first met Inuyasha. Even that seemed so far away from her mind even though she could recall each detail vividly and with living, breathing color. Kagome tried to suck in deep breaths of air into her lungs, calm the rapid thrum of her heart as it resonated through her, but only managed small gasps that made her breasts rise and fall alluringly through the shimmering material of her outfit. Where was Inuyasha? Had she lost him somewhere? Kagome had been certain that this was the place that she had seen him come into…

"Inuyasha?" Kagome called out hesitantly. Almost instinctively her sapphire eyes drank in all that was around her, searching for danger, for any sign of something that could do her harm. A small laugh wheezed past her trembling lips. It had been seven long years and she still was wary of being by herself. What in the world was wrong with her? It was as though the warrior that she had become remained inside of her. It lay dormant, slumbering beneath the layers of defenses that she had built up, but it was there nonetheless.

"Inuyasha, come out. Please. I… I want to see you," Kagome murmured brokenly, her heart aching and voice shaking. Her slender hands clenched in front of her at how weak she sounded, drawing them over her heart in order to calm the rapid pace.

And it was that small tremor in her voice that had Inuyasha sucking in a quick breath. He had thought that she was happy here. He had wondered if she had forgotten about him and gone off with that Hobo… Homo, whatever his name was, character. But now self-loathing flowed thick trough his veins as he saw how shattered she was. It was so clear how much she had gone through and how much she had suffered. It was the same as his suffering. He had bled, cried, drowned over their separation.

Inuyasha had tried. He really had! He had tried so hard to keep up his end of the vow that they had sworn so many years ago. If Kagome had been happy then he would be able to do the same thing. But it had become so difficult. Miroku, Sango and Shippo had caught him so many times at the well, waiting and watching for any sign that Kagome would be returning. And how many times had Inuyasha jumped into that same well in hopes that he could return to her world and take her back? Too many times than he could count.

When he could no longer bare the thought of remaining there and merely watching Kagome in all of her aching beauty, Inuyasha stepped out of the safety of the shadows, into the bright moonlight. His stance was neither the confidant one he had carried, nor the one of arrogance. It was hesitant and fearful of what was to come next. Would it be rejection? Happiness? Love? Gods, how he wished it would be love!

Kagome sensed his presence immediately but could only bring herself to shift her head ever so slowly so that her ebony sky of hair cascaded over one frail shoulder. Her eyes widened then softened with tears. Tears that were shed because of so many emotions that there was no chance that she could hope to sort them out fully. They jumbled together and swelled in her heart. It might burst, she realized vaguely as she suddenly found the strength to rush into Inuyasha's opening arms. But she did not care. It could burst and she could leave knowing that she had seen Inuyasha once more, she had been held in his arms with the sweetest of embraces.

Inuyasha's heart did a small flip when Kagome's body pressed up against his. She was real; she was not some figment that he had conjured up out of the moonlight when he had come here. He clutched her to him and spun her around and around into a small circle until both of them were laughing with breathless abandon. Emotion after emotion, longing after love collided into one another inside of him so that all that Inuyasha could do was crush Kagome to his chest and hope that she still felt the same way about him.

"Kagome," Inuyasha whispered when he lowered her until her feet touched the ground softly. But she did not want them to talk. Tilting back on her tip toes, Kagome planted her lips against his with a passion that surprised him but his body was quick to respond to her. His strong arms snaked around her, shackling her to him in case that she had any notion of breaking away from him.

Kagome ran her hands and fingers through his silver tresses, the color contrasting gently with the creamy pallor of her skin. The silken strands fell through to land softly back into place, only to be disturbed by Kagome's hands once more. She could not seem to get enough of that. She could not seem to drink enough of him in. Their lips molded, suckled, drew the other's breath into their bodies to fill their lungs. Sparks as primitive as electricity arched between them, sizzling the sensitive nerves that ran underneath their skin, sending ripples of pleasure coursing through their bodies.

Kagome tried to draw it out longer, cling to him with all of her might so that they might never have to relinquish each other's lips. His were soft against hers, strong as the arms that caught around her waist but there was also warmth and gentleness, understanding and sorrow. Happiness. Above all, there was happiness. Inuyasha nibbled on her lower lip before breaking away to drag air into his throbbing lungs. She tasted so damn good! She had never left his mouth. The taste of her love and her tears had never really left his mouth even after these seven years. Inuyasha leaned his forehead sweetly against Kagome's. His mouth curved in that lopsided grin that had one fang gleaming in the moonlight and suddenly tears filled her eyes at the sight of him.

Kagome's hand replaced her lips with such swiftness that Inuyasha did not know what she was doing. Her touch was silk and fire against his already heated skin. But those tears… One single droplet made its way down the round expanse of her cheek and dismay appeared in the depths of Inuyasha's golden eyes.

"Don't," he pleaded. "Stop crying, Kagome. Anything but tears." He even tried to sound gruff with her like when they were back in Feudal Japan! It proved to bring heavier tears that plopped onto the crimson material of his haori and each one caused Inuyasha to wince slightly. No matter how many years he spent with her, no matter how long he had known her, for the life of him Inuyasha could not figure out how to make her stop weeping. It broke his heart every time for he seemed always to be the cause of them and he could not hope to stop it.

Kagome buried her face into his chest, her slender form heaving from the sobs that were torn from her. He was actually here! He really was here. Inuyasha… She thrilled when he held her tighter to his body, treating her as though she were his greatest treasure. She had always loved that about him. Always and forever. Kagome sniffled quietly, rubbing her face back and forth when Inuyasha asked her what was wrong, asked her what he had done this time. He truly did not know.

"If you are here now, then why did you not come before? Why did you leave me here all by myself? Do you know how hard it was to breathe, to laugh when everything inside of me was shattered into a million pieces?" Kagome wondered, her voice slightly muffled by his clothing. Her fist slammed against his chest with a halfhearted effort. "You jerk! You stupid, inconsiderate ass! How come you didn't come for me before now?" Her tone and voice broke at her last statement, becoming overtaken by the sorrow that was coursing through her. Her fists continued to pound against his chest in a steady rhythm that Inuyasha allowed to go one for a few more moments.

But gradually he caught her wrists gently in his hands, vaguely noting that he had forgotten just how small they were in comparison to his own hands. Indeed, he could have so easily crushed them with the slightest pressure. Inuyasha brought them to his lips and brushed a single kiss upon each of her knuckles. He lingered tenderly upon each pad of her fingers and Kagome seemed to melt beneath his ministrations until he could draw her closer to the much harder curve of his body.

"Believe me, Kagome, when I say I would have," Inuyasha whispered, pleaded. "I tried for so many years to. But I thought that you could be happy without me even when each of my days was empty and gray."

Kagome's sapphire eyes misted over with a fresh batch of tears, looking like the stormy sky that missed the light of the sun. She wept as the sky wept: sweetly and with such a heart wrenching manner that Inuyasha felt his own tears begin to prickle the backs of his eyes.

Inuyasha pressed his mouth to the corner of her eye, catching the saltiness of a tear. "I waited so long to see you, Kagome. I thought of you every minute, every hour and day." But even those words seemed inadequate to his ears. Why could he not say what was in his heart? It lay there, heavy and blessed inside of him and Inuyasha- the half demon that had defeated Naraku –could not say them to the one person that he loved above all others. The one woman that he would give his life to in a heart beat.

But to Kagome, they lightened her heart, and the tears she shed were of joy, of happiness. So he had not forgotten her. Relief washed through her almost as swiftly as the coming breeze. She longed to sag right there in his arms. Kagome knew that his arms were the only things that supported her because her legs had turned to mush. They did not have the strength to hold her up any longer.

Kagome found herself asking, "But why now? Why did you choose now, Inuyasha?" She had to know…

Golden eyes watched her, drank her in as though he were a man that had not quenched his thirst in days. Please, look at me like that a little longer, Kagome whispered into her mind.

Inuyasha knew that she deserved an answer. All of these years, he had to say it. He needed her to hear those words, needed her to know how much of his heart she held cradled in her hands and just how much of him she had healed with her compassion, her laughter and her smile. Her love.

He smirked at her before his face turned solemn, heavy-laden with what he was to say. "I realized something that day, something that I should have told you," he answered slowly as though to forestall the moment.

Kagome waited anxiously for his answer. What had he realized? Could it be…? Her breath caught in her throat so quickly that stars dappled in front of her eyes with the sweetest of dances. She welcomed that moment to inhale the coolness of the evening's air into her starving lungs. But she had only a moment's respite before Inuyasha's lips crushed hers in a demanding kiss. It held nothing of the gentleness of before. This was expressing his passion, his need and desire that she shared.

"I love you," Inuyasha said against her lips. "I have always loved you, Kagome."

And for that Inuyasha's every cell burst to life. It had taken so many years, so many battles and arguments and now he had found the courage. But still his ears fell flat against his forehead. He remained frightened. Never in his life had he been so vulnerable, so open and wounded in the most blissful of ways. He had come to Kagome with his heart in him and out of all of it he had come out with empty hands, a warmth that lived inside of his soul. He would protect that warmth with everything that he had, the same way that he would protect Kagome. Never again would he lose her.

Kagome suppressed a strangled sob from escaping her, not wanting to ruin that moment. His words… Those few and three words… She had never thought she would hear them coming from Inuyasha. She had always believed this love she felt for him would be one-sided. That she would go on to love him until the end of her days without ever knowing whether he would return it, whether he felt the same way. And he did! Kagome's heart pounded in her chest so that it reverberated through Inuyasha. His heart tried to match that dizzying beat.

Kagome's arms snaked around his neck and she buried her face into the crook of his shoulder, unable to do more than that. Inuyasha tightened his arms over her, a broad smiling blossoming on his lips when Kagome's once again muffled words carried to his sensitive ears. "I love you, too."

Finality. Solidarity. Complete. Whole. Everything that coursed through the both of them set them aflame. The world suddenly thrived in color. They breathed a new life, a new air and embraced it with all of their might. Nothing could harm them. They had each other and that was enough. It would always be more than enough. It was more than they could have ever wished for.

"Kagome," Inuyasha murmured in her ear and the warmth of his breath fanned over her skin.

"…ome. Kagome! Wake up!"

Kagome's eyes snapped open when she heard the unwelcome voice bring her out of the moment that she was sharing with Inuyasha. Her perfect world shattered into millions of pieces that she somehow knew could never be recovered. They scattered with the wind that was blowing past and taken to far off places where others would be able to hear of her anguished tale. They would know what she had dealt, suffered and survived. Barely survived.

Hojo? How had he found her and…. Inuyasha! Swiftly, Kagome shot up into a sitting position, then realized that she had been lying down. What…? Her head turned both ways, looking from one corner of the park to the other, wondering what had happened. Where was she? And, most important of all, where was Inuyasha? Why was he not here with her? Had they not…?

Turning confused sapphire eyes upward Kagome was met with Hojo's face. It brimmed in concern. She hoped that he could offer her answers to the questions that swirled around her head. But even he seemed not to notice what she was so silently communicating to him.

He was dressed in the same clothing from the party but they were far more rumpled than before. His hair fell around his face in blatant disarray but his eyes brightened with relief. Kagome was safe… And she was unharmed. As he stooped down to sit on the bench next to her, Hojo offered a grateful thank you to every god and deity that he could think of. They had been benevolent, had watched over Kagome when so many things could have happened to her.

"It must have been quite a dream for you to have been crying so much," he noted, smearing away a droplet of her tears with the back of one finger. He made no mention of how abruptly she had left them.

"A… dream?" Kagome echoed in bewilderment. No, that could not be right. But already a sick twisting had begun in the pit of her stomach. It made her want to throw up all that she had eaten in the past hours. With trembling hands she touched her cheeks, felt the obvious wetness of tears and then studied her surroundings. Please, do not let it be true.

But, alas, it was. She was no where near the clearing that she had shared with Inuyasha. There were no trees or the glow of moonlight here. There had been no path, no scrapes or bruises. There was no- Kagome swallowed audibly as her mind struggled to comprehend the thought that she was striving to finish. There was no Inuyasha.

Strangely enough Kagome did not cry with the coming knowledge of that. Not even a small mew of pain escaped her throat for it seemed to be locked tight. Her speech was temporarily strangled away from her. Someone had stolen it. Like Fate had stolen him from her. And yet there was no pain, there was no violent screams or racking sobs. There was that hole. Kagome felt it. But there existed a small flame. It flickered and danced within her soul as the brightest of all and a small smile touched her lips. A ghost of a smile.

Hojo noted her shaking form and instinctively thought that she was shivering from the pain. He was absolutely oblivious of her inner turmoil. It was better that way, Kagome decided. She crumpled the jacket that he laid on her shoulders tighter around her form.

"Let's go home, Kagome," Hojo whispered softly, drawing her hesitantly to his chest. He was afraid of her reaction but breathed a sigh when she only came willingly. He stroked back her hair but his touch was nowhere near as gentle as Inuyasha's was.

Kagome's response came clearly and as pristine as the ring of bells in the twilight hours. "I have come home. It is where the sun will rise and I must stop crying."

"Are you sure she will be alright?" Setsuna wondered, watching Kagome walk up the stairs to her apartment. She had wanted to be alone tonight. The rest of the girls had already made their leaves but Setsuna and Hojo had stayed behind to make certain that Kagome entered her home safely. She had been quiet on the ride over here.

Hojo shrugged softly. He cast his attention down at his feet for a long moment. His mind was a jumble of thoughts and each of them had to do with what Kagome had whispered to him when they were walking back to his car.

"Catch Setsuna when she falls because she will not always be there to catch you. You might wake up one day and find that she is gone. Regret. It eats at you until nothing is left but a crimson void."

Kagome had sounded so sure of that. Hojo turned around and began a slow walk, more of a snail's crawl, to his car. He stopped as though expecting Setsuna to follow him. And like Kagome had implied she did. And Hojo's heart warmed at that slightly. What if something could blossom? What would happen if he were to catch her?

"Do you think this could work?" he asked almost as soon as his thoughts had come to a screeching halt. He did not even have to say what he meant by that. Setsuna knew it as if she could read his thoughts. She came to stand beside him in all of her glory, glowing with the moon goddess' glimmering touch. Ethereal.

Setsuna's delicate features that had showed so much anguish and sorrow at times softened in a pleased smile. Thank you… Kagome. Her fingers interlaced with Hojo's almost shyly while a blush unfurled upon her high cheeks.

"It can if we are willing to try. She would want us to."

The moonlight always graced everything it touched with a new appearance. It made the darkest of hearts lighter. It was a music fit for the angels themselves. Kagome trailed her fingers over the smallest of trinkets in her bedroom. Her touch remained reverent as though it had been an eternity's passing since she had seen them or really known what they were. Or what they actually meant to her.

She knew now. Kagome padded across the carpeted floor on silent feet, so carefully that one might think that she was treading on glass shards. But her room was littered with them. No one could see them but her. They were the tears she had shed, the laughter she had flowered with, the shards of her heart that had been ripped from her by a cruel hand when no one bothered to care or collect the pieces. They were the sweetest of arias that should have been cradled in the hands of the one she loved because only he could heal them. Only he could kiss away the deep crevices in her soul and heart that ravaged her each day and through the midnight hours.

Kagome eased her slender form, clothed in a gown of sheer white gossamer, onto the velveteen cushion and threw open the large bay windows that kept her in this prison. Moonlight burst in the room stronger than any artificial light known to man. It changed everything even further. When before Kagome would have shunned it, now she allowed herself to be enveloped by it.

As Inuyasha's fingers would have done, the moon's silver rays curled over her cheeks, kissed her lips and neck without shame or inhibition. Warm tears came now when there was no one to brush them away. Kagome wanted them to fall, but this time she would not drown in them. This time would be different.

Because this time when she looked up at the full moon, the way that it rested its celestial body on the pillowy clouds, she saw Inuyasha's handsome face. When she turned her gaze at the stars she saw the golden glow of his eyes instead of the twinkling spheres that were set beyond her reach. When the moon's beams touched her it was Inuyasha's thick silver hair that she felt. He was everywhere. He had always been here. He had breathed the air into her lungs. He had set the beat of her heart and kissed the smiles to her ruby lips. Kagome had merely been too broken to notice it. But the moonlight changed everything.

With slumber calling her to its peaceful haven, Kagome rested her chin upon her folded hands and turned her eyes up to the midnight sky, her heart no longer burdened. She was still when the breeze whispered to her and her eyes fell to half-mast. The sapphire brilliance of her eyes mirrored the sky as the sky kissed the ocean to stir it awake. Not a sound came to her, not even the leaves rustled because they were in fear that she might be disturbed.

"Someday we will find each other again," Kagome murmured with soft swings of her voice. She wanted the whole world to hear her vow because she would keep it close to her heart. Now she would look for Inuyasha wherever she went. "Somewhere other than in my dreams."


A/N: I'm sorry that it has to be so sad... But then again, love is blissful suffering. Get it? I wanted this story to not one of tragedy, but of new beginnings and the realization that no matter how far your loved one is, they are standing right there beside you. It is just harder to see them sometimes. Thank you for following this story through to the end.

"Somehow, someday, you will be far away, so far from me and maybe one day I will follow you and all you do til then, send me a song."

Send Me a Song by Celtic Women