Never
Part 2

By Faery Pink Sparkle

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha

Author's Note: I have finally written Part 2! It took me a while, but I got there… eventually. Let me know what you think ok?

She ran as far away as she could. As far as her legs could carry her. Because she knew that to stop would mean to face the harsh reality that she had lost InuYasha. She had lost him to her. Kagome didn't know how long she ran, but she stopped once her legs were unable to carry her any further. Her legs buckling beneath her weight, Kagome's worn out body fell against a tree. As soon as her body hit the ground, that was when it happened. She couldn't hold back her tears. So she sat there and she cried. She wished that everything she had seen was a bad dream that she would suddenly wake up from. She wished that she didn't follow InuYasha when he ran off. She wished she had stayed with the others so she wasn't alone. She wished all the pain she felt at that very moment would wash away. But above all, she wished for InuYasha's happiness. Because no matter how much she had been hurt, no matter how much it pained her to know he didn't love her, she could never hate him or wish any harm on him. Because deep inside she knew that she would never give up on him. Never.

Kagome wiped her tears away and she sniffed. That's right, she would never give up on him. Kikyo may have his love, but she still had his friendship right? Either way, I'll never give up on InuYasha! the girl resolved and she straightened herself up. Kagome began to make her way back to her friends… wherever they were. InuYasha and I have been through so much together and I'm not going to turn my back on him now. I could never so that to him. Then there's Kikyo… I never knew that an un-dead priestess would cause so much trouble. And to think that I'm her reincarnation! Mixed emotions continued to churn inside her. I'm getting all confused again! Kagome thought with a frown. She began to feel droplets of water fall upon her skin. A cold breeze picked up and it began to drizzle. Kagome shivered. The changing weather had also changed her mood; Kagome's outlook dampened further and the frown on her face grew deeper. Maybe I should go home for a few days… Just so I can clear my head, Kagome pondered as the drizzle turned into soft rain. Yeah… I'll sort out a few things and then I'll come back. I'm sure they can find a Jewel shard without me for a while, Kagome decided as she looked up at the sky. The soft rain would soon turn into a downpour… or so it looked. Not wanting to get wet more than what was necessary, she began to pick up her pace. But the slippery earth beneath her feet was not making it any easier for her. I just hope that everyone's ok, she thought and an image of a certain half-breed materialized in her mind. I hope he's ok, she thought. Looking straight ahead, she began to move forward.

Miroku, Sango, Shippo and Kirara all sat beneath a giant leaf that sheltered them from the unexpected rain. Shippo had been able to conjure the leaf with the use of his fox magic, but the chilling wind was still a problem. The little fox quivered and he edged closer to the demon slayer. He was beginning to miss Kagome terribly! Since the rain had definitely washed away Kagome's scent, the little fox had no hope of sniffing her out. So they all waited patiently for InuYasha and Kagome to return to them.

"Oh, Kagome…" Shippo whimpered.

Sango laid a reassuring hand on Shippo's head, "Don't worry. I'm sure that she's safe with InuYasha. He would never let anything happen to her. All we have to do now is wait for their return."

"Ok…" Shippo mumbled softly and cuddled up with the fire-cat.

"Since we're waiting," Sango continued to speak as she faced the monk.

"Oh Sango… This is certainly unexpected. I didn't know that you would be so willing. And in front of Shippo and Kirara, no less!" Miroku babbled on as his hand slowly made its way up Sango's leg. How dare he make assumptions like that! He didn't even let me finish speaking! Sango had more dignity and honour than what Miroku was giving her credit for. All that Miroku received was a stinging slap to the face. The monk didn't seem to mind one bit.

"My dear Sango," Miroku said with a mischievous glint in his eyes, "You look absolutely adorable when you're angry."

Sango blushed and quickly turned away with a huff, "If you had let me finish speaking, I was going to ask you to tell me the story about Kagome and InuYasha… about what happened the last time they went looking for the priestess."

"Oh yes. Of course," Miroku continued, looking serious as he became deep in thought. "Well…" he began slowly and Sango listened intently, "When InuYasha knew that Kikyo was around, he ran off to find her. Kagome, Shippo and I stayed behind." Miroku paused for a moment, "I also distinctly remember that Kagome gave me a dirty look after I had said that if I were InuYasha, I would take Kikyo back on the condition that she had changed her ways," the monk frowned for a brief second, then continued with his story, "That was when we saw Kikyo's demons. We followed them, but then we lost Kagome."

"What do you mean you lost Kagome? How?" the demon slayer inquired.

"She ran ahead of us through Kikyo's barrier. We couldn't follow," the little fox answered for the monk. Miroku nodded in agreement with Shippo.

"What did you do then?" Sango questioned further in interest.

"We waited," Miroku replied simply as he rested his golden staff against his shoulder. Sango looked at him expectantly and he continued, "I would assume that Kagome saw something happen between InuYasha and Kikyo because she came back very upset and very angry."

"Yeah!" Shippo agreed. "You should've seen the hole that InuYasha made when Kagome yelled 'sit'," the little fox snickered as he remembered.

"Serves him right," Miroku smirked. "Having two women at the same time is never easy… unless, of course, you're me," the monk said with a straight face. Both Shippo and Sango scoffed. Miroku took no offence.

"What happened after?" Sango asked as she gently stroked Kirara's fur. The fire-cat purred in content.

"Kagome and InuYasha made up," Shippo answered with a nod of his little head, his tail moving in the wind.

"Eventually," Miroku added.

The three were so engrossed in their conversation, they had failed to notice that the rain was slowly decreasing. And before they knew it, the rain had stopped.

"The rain has stopped," Miroku stated the obvious. With no more purpose, the giant leaf disappeared.

"How observant of you," Sango replied dryly.

Shippo jumped up suddenly before the monk could make a comeback, "I can smell her!" The two humans turned to the little fox-child. Shippo sniffed the air just to double check, "Kagome's coming this way!" They all stood up and looked expectantly around them.

InuYasha still held Kikyo in a gentle embrace as the soft rain began to fall upon them. The water droplets hit InuYasha's face and he was jolted from his daze under Kikyo's spell that seemed to overpower him whenever he was with her. The half-breed felt a sudden pang in his heart and an image of a girl with dark locks appeared in his mind.

"Kagome…" InuYasha whispered and he felt Kikyo stiffen in his arms. The un-dead priestess pushed him away and glared at him, her spite evident in her cold eyes.

"Kagome's hurt," InuYasha said, worry in his amber eyes.

Kikyo's eyes hardened. "I see not how it matters," she replied flatly. Still, she interferes! Kikyo thought angrily.

InuYasha sniffed the air in order to catch a whiff of her scent so he could get an indication of her whereabouts. But he couldn't smell her; the rain had washed away her scent. A frown appeared on his face. Damn it! How am I going to find her now? InuYasha's scowl deepened. He turned his back on Kikyo, decided to return to where he last saw his friends in case they were still there. A hand reached out and clutched onto his wrist, restraining him from moving forward. InuYasha turned back to face Kikyo. He looked into her pleading eyes and he felt torn. Kikyo looked so distraught. He wanted to help her, he really did. But Kagome… his mind thought.

"Stay with me, InuYasha," the girl urged him, "We can be together forever."

He loved Kikyo, even now. Or perhaps it was his unfulfilled longing of her that haunted him still. Though he felt torn, InuYasha knew that he had to do what was right by his heart. And it was then that he realized something. InuYasha pulled back his arm, almost causing Kikyo to lose her footing, "Kagome comes first." Always, he thought as he went in search for her, leaving Kikyo alone.

It didn't rain as hard she thought it would. Kagome was only partially wet before the rain stopped. The cold breeze that picked up every now and then was no help. Kagome trembled once more as she wrapped her arms around herself. Her hair now stuck to her face in places and her clothes clung to her body. She walked slowly, watching where she stepped so that she wouldn't slide on the slippery earth. Kagome could hear voices in the distance, though they sounded distorted. She looked up for a brief moment, but she couldn't see anyone. The closer she got, the louder the voices were. She recognized Shippo's voice immediately.

"I can smell her!" Shippo exclaimed, "Kagome's coming this way!" Shippo's words made Kagome smile. She reached the trees that stood between her and her friends. It served to block her from their sight, though she could see them. She watched as they searched their surroundings.

"She's really close!" Shippo shouted excitedly. The little fox began to walk in her direction while he sniffed the space around him. "She's this way!" he yelled to the others. "Kagome! Where are you?" he continued.

Kagome straightened herself and put on a brave face before she revealed herself to her friends. Walking past the trees that had obscured her from their sight, Kagome found herself facing Shippo, Sango, Miroku and Kirara.

"Kagome!" Shippo cried out with fresh tears brimming in his emerald eyes. The little fox jumped into her arms. Kagome gave them all a weak smile. She hugged Shippo tightly, welcoming the warmth that his body provided.

Miroku looked calm and collected as usual and Sango breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of her unharmed friend. Or was she unharmed? A worried look appeared on the demon slayer's face.

Kagome put Shippo down with a quick kiss on the forehead, much to his disappointment and when she looked back up, she noticed Sango's grave expression. "I'm ok," she reassured them, though pain was evident in her eyes. "Really, I am," Kagome insisted, but she knew that she didn't have Sango or Miroku convinced. But then again, perhaps Miroku was too busy concentrating on something else to look worried about Kagome. The monk's eyes had wandered to Kagome's chest where her clothes were partly transparent due to the rain. Becoming aware of his gaze, Kagome turned bright red and swiftly crossed her arms over her chest. Also noticing, Sango reacted on Kagome's behalf. In one rapid movement, Sango had managed to take Miroku's staff and whack him over the head with it.

"I couldn't help it!" the monk reasoned feebly after recovering from Sango's attack. Shippo on the other hand, was concerned about more important matters.

"What happened, Kagome? Where did you go?" Shippo asked in a small voice. I was so worried about you. And where's InuYasha?" Shippo had asked the questions that were also in Sango and Miroku's minds.

How could she answer this? She hesitated for a second. "It was the same as last time," she blurted out in one breath, hoping it would ease the pain if she said it all at once. She was wrong; the pain was still the same. Shippo frowned; he didn't know what to say or think. All he knew at that moment was that he didn't like seeing Kagome hurt.

"InuYasha?" Miroku asked in a calm voice.

"Kikyo," was all that Kagome said in return and they all knew that Kagome didn't want to talk about it anymore. A tense silence filled the atmosphere and not even the wind dared to blow.

Sango was the first to move. "We should get a fire started somehow…" the demon slayer led Kagome to where they had been waiting, "We have to get you dried up or you might contract an illness." Sango smiled warmly at her friend and Kagome smiled back gratefully as she allowed her friends to take care of her.

Where the hell is she? What's happened to her? InuYasha thought as he ran forward. Though InuYasha as getting wet in the rain, it seemed that the wind resistance caused by his swift running kept him mostly dry. All he could think of was Kagome. Why was she hurt? Why hadn't the others protected her? Damn them! InuYasha cursed, I leave her with them for a few minutes and they can't even protect her! Do I have to do everything myself? Even though these thoughts ran through his mind, he still blamed himself. I wasn't there to protect her… I left her and she got hurt… InuYasha's golden eyes blazed with anger; anger at himself. I'll never leave her alone again, he resolved. The rain was gradually stopping and Kagome's scent slowly filled the air around him. Picking up speed, the half-breed ran followed her smell; he ran to Kagome. Please be ok… InuYasha could also smell his friends with her. This eased his worries a bit. "Kagome!" he shouted just as he burst through the trees. All eyes turned to him, but there was only one person that he was focusing on. Kagome looked at InuYasha with pained eyes.

Author's note: And that's the end of Part 2. Yes, I know that it is much shorter than Part 1, but it couldn't be helped. So what did you think? Should I still continue the story or should I just turn it back into a oneshot? If I do continue this story, it will only go up to Part 3… Anyway, review and let me know what you think! All reviews are greatly appreciated!