Chapter 1: Clearing Things Up

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, but the storyline is mine.

Author's Note: I had some trouble uploading the last one, and ended up loading the non-spell checked version, so I apologize for the dumb spelling errors. Hope it didn't interfere with anyone's reading! And thank you to those who reviewed! You're all awesome. :- ) I hope you keep reading. Anyway, enjoy this chapter!

Last time: He leaned in closer and gasped when he saw what was hanging there. "Kagome…..no……." he murmured, as he reached out to pull the string from the nail that it hung from. There at the end of the string was the vile….along with the sacred jewel chards…. Kagome's only way of passing through the well…and she had left them behind.

Inuyasha stared at the vile, frozen in his tracks. His breathing had grown ragged, and his heart was pounding so loudly in his chest that he could hear it echoing in his head. Had she…..was she……gone? "No…. no…..she can't gone…no she wouldn't leave me….," Inuyasha thought to himself frantically. Maybe this time had been once too many…. Maybe she had just said to hell with it….and now…just as he was finally going to have the courage to tell her how he really felt. "Wait…" he said, thinking out loud, "Even if she somehow got back through without the chards…maybe I can still go back through since I have them." With that, Inuyasha turned and sped off toward the well. In the distance, Sango and Miroku watched as Inuyasha took off in the direction of well, knowing that he was going to retrieve Kagome. When he was out of sight, Sango turned to Miroku, and looked at him intently. Miroku felt her stare, and turned his eyes onto her face.

"Miroku….do you think he meant it? About finally choosing Kagome?" Sango asked him genuinely. Though he was lecherous, he was still a monk of great spiritual power, and could sense the true intentions of others. The monk gazed deeply into the eyes of the demon slayer that he felt so deeply for, and nodded. "Yes…Inuyasha is serious in his quest for Kagome's love. He had already chosen her long ago….but could never find the right moment to tell her." Miroku smiled slightly, but it wasn't his usual smirk that indicated he was thinking something that perhaps he should not be thinking. Sango's cheeks turned a light shade of crimson, and she turned away from the Miroku's gaze. "Well….perhaps it was hard for her to stand seeing him with another woman because she did love him so much….though she never said it…..and that's why she always became to upset over it…" Miroku placed his hand on Sango shoulder, and she stiffened at his touch. He leaned into her closely and spoke in the softest tone possible. "Well….regardless of what she thinks he feels toward another woman…," he whispered, his warm breath tickling the back of her neck, "….the fact remains that she is the only woman that he truly desires…" Sango turned to Miroku and stood silently for a long time. Before she could speak again, he took her hands in his and pulled her in close to him. They stood together, sharing a moment of unsaid passion and a love that was yet to be claimed.

At the well, Kagome sat near the edge, her body heaving from the sobs she emitted. "God! WHY! Why does she always have to show up and fuck it up? WHY do I love him? WHY CAN'T I JUST BE A NORMAL TEENAGE GIRL!?" she screamed into the empty prairie. Kagome opened her hand and revealed the slightest sliver of the sacred jewel in her palm. She knew that if she gave up this miniscule chard that it would mean that she would be separated from the Feudal Era for all eternity….and that also meant never seeing Inuyasha again. She'd left behind her vile in an attempt to show him that she was serious. Was she hoping he would be scared into not letting her go? She didn't really know why she left them….but she did know that once she heard him tell Kikyo that he loved her…that he would always love her…that her heart had shattered into a million pieces and then ground to dust. Nearly three years….3 years of her life she'd spent with him…tracking down jewel chards…trying to taken down Naraku….falling in love with him… and now….that was about to be over. Kagome thought of it all ending, and began to sob again.

Inuyasha arrived at the well, sniffing the air, trying to tell how long it'd been since Kagome was there. When he first entered the clearing, he smelled her strongly, and he smelled tears. He spun around, and finally he saw her…sitting at the edge of the well, her body shaking and shuddering as she sobbed. He ran to her, and spoke out, as gently as possible, trying to make her aware of his presence without frightening her. "Kagome??" Kagome raised her head in a flash, her tear stained face stricken with surprise. "Inuyasha? But…what are you…..you were with Kikyo….and… I…" she sputtered. Before she could go any further, the hanyou pulled her from her seat and up into a warm embrace. At first she stiffened, unsure of what to make of his actions, but then relaxed into him, and began to sob into his red hayori. "Hey….hey now…," he said gently, lifting her chin so that he may gaze into her eyes. She sniffled and hiccupped as he wiped the tears from her cheeks. "But….but…Kikyo…I heard…." The hanyou shook his head, "So that was you I heard? I should've known," he said, remembering the noise he'd heard when he was talking to Kikyo earlier that day. Inuyasha furrowed his brow and sighed. "Kagome..we need to talk," he said, lowering himself to the ground and pulling her down beside him. Kagome sucked in her breath, trying to hold back the tears.

"This is it…," she thought to herself, "He's going to tell me that he's chosen Kikyo."

He looked at her for a long time without speaking; he could smell her fear, and knew that she was thinking that he was about to say goodbye to her. Inuyasha cleared his throat and took a deep breath. "Kagome…what you heard earlier…you only hear part of…" he started. Inuyasha took her hand in his and looked deeply into her eyes. "What you didn't hear was me telling Kikyo that I couldn't be with her like I was before….that things are different now." His voice trailed off, and a look of questioning entered Kagome's eyes. There he was, about to tell her just how he felt, and he realized how much he loved her…he realized all the of the pain that he had caused her…and now he wanted to cease that from ever happening again. "I told her that…..that…..it's you…..it's you Kagome…" Kagome's eyes widened, realizing what he was about to say. Her breath was caught in her lungs, making her chest feel as though it was going to burst into a million pieces, but she couldn't breathe… the anticipation was far too great.

"Kagome….I love you…" he said, his voice scarcely above a whisper. He could feel his heart in his throat, feeling the tugging of the anxiety that pulled at his gut. He waited for her to respond, and suddenly she broke into tears again, burying her head in his chest. "Um…Kagome? I'm sorry… I wasn't trying to upset you…" She pulled away from him slightly, laughing a little. "Oh….Inuyasha…." she pulled herself close to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. She looked up at him then, her expression serious and genuine.

"Inuyasha…I love you…" she murmured. At that instant, Inuyasha felt his heart explode, but for the first time in his life, it wasn't from anger, or grief, or pain. For the first time since his mother had died, he felt accepted…whole….loved. As she looked at him, her eyes so filled with love and acceptance, he felt all of his walls crumble down. Then, without a second thought, he leaned into her, and pressed his lips to hers. She gasped slightly, surprised by his sudden movement, but was soon overtaken by the wealth of emotion rising in her body. As they sat there, arms drawn tightly around one another, the heat from their bodies radiating almost an electric glow around them, the two finally felt the completion of the connection that had built between then for so long.

When they finally broke from the kiss, Inuyasha and Kagome found themselves breathless, hearts pounding, and beads of sweat formed upon their faces. They sat there for awhile, basking in the warmth of their long awaited unity. When some time had passed, Inuyasha spoke, "Kagome…do you think we should head back to Kaede's village? The others have no idea what's going on…" Kagome sighed, and reluctantly raised her head from the spot she had nuzzled into Inuyasha's chest. "Yes…we probably should…" she nodded. "They probably think I've s-a-t you into the next dimension by now." She giggled slightly as Inuyasha scowled at the idea of being SAT so many times. "Feh," was all he mumbled in response, standing up, and pulling Kagome up with him. With that the two gathered her things, and headed back to the village. As they walked, Inuyasha reached down and took Kagome's hand in his. She looked at him and smiled, and he returned the smile full force.

Watching from the trees, not far in the distance, was Kikyo. Her emotionless eyes stared hard at the two newfound loves, and felt a stab in the pit of her gut. Though she no longer had any idea of the purpose for her existence, she still knew the faded essence of what she once was….what she once knew…what she once loved. To her, life was simply a state of existence, and nothing more. What she felt, and knew were merely shadows of her former life…but even still….she still yearned for what she felt was hers. This included Inuyasha. "This isn't the end for you and I, Inuyasha…but it is the end for her," Kikyo murmured out loud. She then turned and began to walk in the direction of the Northern Mountains….straight toward Naraku's castle.

Uh oh… is Kikyo pissed? She doesn't seem too happy about Inuyasha and Kagome…and she's headed for Naraku! What's she up to?!? And what is up with Sango and Miroku?? Is another love about to be professed? Who knows….guess you'll have to read more to find out! Thanks for reading! Please review…as always…constructive criticism is welcomed. : - )