IMPORTANT: I bet you if you read the first chapter of "Shattered Innocence" or "The Other Side of the Story" you will be hooked, you heard me! Even if you're more of an Inuyasha person than a Sesshoumaru person, it doesn't matter. You will be drawn into my little web, you hear me! You'll be drawn! Hahaha! So check them out!

READ, READ, READ: Hey, this is a long heartbreaking chapter but don't allow yourself to be deceived half way through, and I mean it! It's not actually over until I say TO BE CONTINUED…and yes, this ISN'T the last chapter. Do you think it's too long? Well I've been asking forever and I only know of one person who responded and they said it's not, so I would like some feedback on the subject if enough of you think it is too long. Now remember, read the WHOLE chapter and then make up your mind whether or not you hate me and THEN read then wait for another agonizing week for me to write yet another chapter, because like I said before, it's not over until I write THE END! Okay?

Chapter 33

I don't won Inuyasha

You have to read the author's note at the top, or else you're going to be mad at me, and I don't want you to be so read the WHOLE thing or I'll…kill Inuyasha…or someone else that's not as important, so there!

Kagome ran out of her school practically jumping and screaming. "I passed! I passed!" she couldn't believe it. They were actually going to let her slide, even though she had all of those lame excuses that her grandpa made up. They actually believed all of those lies and now she could go to the 10th grade. "I'm so happy!" She calmed down and realized that Ikuto's new car was parked in front of the school and he was waiting for her. "Ikuto!" She ran to him with just as much as excitement as before. "You'll never guess what happened!"

"You passed" he smiled.

Somehow, just how he smiled, she figured out the truth. "You sly dog, you had something to do with it!"

He started giggling. "Maybe a little something."

She gave him a hug. "Do you realize what you've done for me?"

"Hey" he pulled her away "all I did was ask Suno to put in a good word for you, and he did." He smiled, and he looked just as cute as ever. "I'm happy for you Kagome."

Kagome noticed that something was wrong, but she didn't know what. "What's up? Is everything okay?"

He nodded. "Yeah, sure. It's just that...I've got a lot of stuff to do. I just wanted to make sure everything with you was set."

"Yeah, they are thanks."

"If you want a ride home then I could-"

"No, you're busy, and I was going to celebrate with my friends away. Then we've got some major finals tomorrow and everything to study for."

"If you really needed some help Kagome, then I could. I mean, I did already take and pass the classes that you have, so it's no trouble for me. It shouldn't take long."

"That would be great" she nodded. "You can swing by my house later then" she smiled brightly. 'What is he hiding from me? I wonder what it could possibly be that's got him so riled up.' "See you later."

"Yeah." 'I should stop stalling, but I can't bring myself to tell her.'

Kagome and her friends went to WacDnolds, their favorite restaurant to hang out. They order burgers, fries, and shakes to celebrate. Kagome was in such a good mood, she offered to pay. There were other students from Kagome's school in the WacDnolds, sitting in the next booth. She couldn't help but pick up on one of their conversations. "So anyway, I was in Anatomy and we were talking about chromosomes and the chromosome that carries female DNA swims faster than that of the male. So, my teacher points out that there are more females than males. So my buddy Deven points out sadly 'That means there's not a girl for every guy.'"

'That's true...' Kagome thought to herself. 'Someone's heart is going to be broken; I guess I've got to accept it sooner or later.'

The girl continued on talking. "So then my Anatomy teacher says 'No that just means that there are two girls for every guy.'" All of her friends started laughing. "Yeah, we all thought it was pretty funny. Deven thought he was a pig though."

'Deven's right' Kagome thought. 'That justifies Inuyasha loving me and Kikyou, but no way is that going to happen.' She sighed. 'I've got to make a choice.'

"Oh no" Yuka said "sounds like guy trouble to me."

"Yeah," Kagome said. "I decided that I was going to make a choice between the two and stop fooling with everyone's emotions, including mine. I've got to make a choice."

"Well," Arimi said "maybe we can help."

Kagome didn't know if that was such a good idea, but she decided to see if they could actually help her. "Okay, it's Ikuto or Inuyasha."

"And" Eri began to ask "Inuyasha is the jealous psycho boyfriend, right?"

"Yeah, but-"

"Then pick Ikuto."

"You haven't even heard me state their cases!" Kagome yelled. Everyone looked at her surprisingly, but then she calmed down. "Sorry, I didn't mean to snap. Anyway, Ikuto is cute, rich, smart, athletic, dependable, understandable, and just a good guy. Those are the pros."

"The Cons?" Yuka asked.

"He's got a lot of personal problems, but he's surprisingly worked out a lot of them. He's not sure what he wants out of his life, but he's almost to the point where he'll be too late to decide. He's about to graduate next year. He's so focused on what's somewhere else that he doesn't realize what's around him. Oh, and he doesn't exactly like Japan, and he's doesn't really believe in anything. He's a true total loner, and he's also a very extremely jealous guy."

"Sounds interesting..." Eri said.

"Sounds wonderful" Arimi commented. "So, what about Inuyasha?"

"Well, Inuyasha, he's really also cute, he's dependable, he's also been there for me, he's strong, athletic, my family seems to like Inuyasha more, he's very cute, and probably the most important thing in his life is protecting me."

"Sounds romantic!" Arimi always looked on the bright side, especially when it came to Inuyasha.

"Now" Yuka said "let's hear his cons."

"Well, he's rude, jealous, he still kind of has a thing for his last girlfriend, and he lives really, really far away."

"How far?" all of her friends asked.

"Ridiculously far." She sighed. "So guys, what should I do? What do you think?"

"That's easy" Yuka said "I think you should go with Ikuto, since he seems more like a clean cut type of guy. Besides, Inuyasha sounds like a delinquent and Ikuto will leave you financially secure for the rest of your life, if you decided to marry him."

"But he doesn't want to live in Japan" Eri said "I mean, he could leave her, or Kagome would have to leave all of her friends and family. There's no point in getting in a relationship that won't last. Long distance relationships like that never work out for the better. I say dump Ikuto, and the other guy doesn't sound like a right choice either. I think its best that you forget about Ikuto and this Inuyasha and focus on Hojo or someone nice like him."

"But Inuyasha sounds like a nice guy, and very romantic." Arimi began sipping on her shake. "Yeah, I think you shouldn't break up with your boyfriend, Inuyasha. He seems like a nice guy."

Kagome sighed. 'So one for Ikuto, one for Inuyasha, and another for dump the two of them. Well, what should I do? I shouldn't leave this decision up to my friends. They're more confused than I am.' "I've got to go. I'm going to meet Ikuto for a tutoring session at my house."

"You haven't made a choice and you're going to see him?" questioned Yuka. "Man, it seems like you've made a choice, Kagome."

"He offered, and he already passed the classes. He's the perfect person to help me with these exams." 'Besides, I can find out what he's hiding.'

"I'm home!" Kagome walked into her house and could hear yelling from what sounded like..."Oh brother, they're both here." She walked into her dinning room and sure enough, Inuyasha and Ikuto were arguing with each other. "What are you two yelling about?" She rolled her eyes. "Forget it, don't even explain. Just give me a half hour to settle down, and then we can study."

"Sure" Ikuto said.

"Why don't you two go hang out with Souta or something? I need a little me time." Kagome walked away to her room and Inuyasha and Ikuto just started glaring at each other until Souta finally came to the two of them.

"Hey, do you guys want to play a video game with me?"

"Video game?" Inuyasha asked. "What's a video game?"

"I haven't played a video game since I was eight" Ikuto admitted. "Do you have Nintendo?"

"No, that's pretty old, Ikuto. I've got something a little more updated. How about PlayStation?" Souta started walking up to his room and came down stairs with the PlayStation in his hands and a game. "We'll play something simple like Frogger."

"Frogger?" The two bewildered men asked.

Souta rolled his eyes. 'Man, Ikuto sounds like Inuyasha. He doesn't have a clue what's going on, does he?' "Let's start."

Kagome's 'me' time was just lying in her bed, but seeing Ikuto and Inuyasha together only confused her even more. 'So what do I do? Who am I supposed to choose? They're both great guys, but I suppose the most practical thing to do is be with Ikuto.' She sighed. 'But what exactly was he hiding from me? What's the big idea?' She decided that she left the two of them alone long enough and went back down stairs to check in on them. She couldn't believe what she saw. "What are you guys doing?"

Souta was of course winning in a round of Frogger, dodging cars easily, while Ikuto and Inuyasha were being beaten by all the cars. "I don't understand. Why is this frog traveling on this journey anyway?" Inuyasha asked. "Is he a demon?"

"No, it's just a game" Ikuto said. "It's been so long since I played a video game, that I forgot how fun and frustrating they can be." Inuyasha had figured out a way to cheat and every time his frog was near Ikuto's, he would jump on top of him and wouldn't jump off until a car would come and kill him. "Will you cut that out?" Ikuto yelled angrily.

"It's just a game, besides, aren't we supposed to kill each other? How is it that you keep coming back to life?"

"You're supposed to get the flags, Inuyasha" Souta said "and when you're playing against your friends, you can come back as much as you want."

Inuyasha looked at his remote controller with bewilderment. "I don't get it." He dropped his remote, but Souta had already won for the tenth time in a row.

"You guys are really bad at this." Kagome began laughing at the two boys. "A little kid is beating you." She couldn't help but smile at the two of them. Ikuto and Inuyasha certainly were comical. She kept making the mistake of constantly comparing the two to one another, but they were so much alike. There weren't a lot of differences between the two of them. They both especially looked alike when they lost to Souta again. They were both angry and frustrated and were probably considering bopping Souta on the head and destroying the game, until they realized that Kagome was around. 'They are adorable, in a mean, insensitive kind of way.' "Hey, don't you think we should study, Ikuto?"

"Sure" he put down his remote and stood up to his feet. "I don't think I can beat your brother anyway." Inuyasha got up as well. "Don't follow us, mutt. We have work to do."

"Whatever Kagome has to do with you, she can do it with me."

"Yeah right, you don't know the first thing about math, and especially hers. She's got a ton of other subjects that she needs help on. If you don't let her study with me, she'll fail school and she'll have a good life, and it'll all be your fault!"

Inuyasha pouted and crossed his arms. "Fine, go and study. See if I care."

"Don't worry Inuyasha. You should probably even go back through the well. Finals will be hard and I've got a lot of work to do if I'm going to catch up."

"Oh really?" He turned his head away from her. "Kagome, you had better stop screwing around, or else I'm going to make you…" he trailed off once he saw how angry she was. He had forgotten for a moment that he couldn't be sat, and was frozen with unwanted anticipation. He waited, but Kagome impatiently just went up to her room with Ikuto. 'That look she gives is really scary…'

"So Kagome, what subject should we start with?" Ikuto asked walking up the stairs.

"Math, definitely math. I hate it with a fiery passion!"

"Okay" he said reaching the top of the steps and then going into her room. "Well, since you hate it with a fiery passion, I guess we'll start with that. It's no problem, I love math. You've got to know a lot with numbers and things if you're going into a business…" He trailed off. 'I guess it's already too late. I'm all ready prepped for it. I'm going to be a business man like my brother.' "So let's begin, Kagome."

"First, don't you want to tell me what's bothering you?"

Ikuto was brought to a screeching halt and a complete loss for words. What was he to say? What was he to do? 'I can't tell her the truth. I would rather not.' He looked away. "Kagome I…"

"Don't turn away from me!" she commanded. "If you do, you'll only avoid the question."

"Kagome, it's really personal and I can't say anything about it." He crossed his arms and looked at her stubbornly, never resembling Inuyasha so much until that moment. "So, are we going to study or not?"

'You jerk. That's all you've got to say to me? Well then fine! I was only trying to help.' "Whatever, let's just start with this."

"Finally" he said with a hint of irritation in his voice. 'Sorry Kagome, but it needed to be done.' They studied for hours on all of her subjects. She had started out with a great panic and couldn't remember a thing, but Ikuto reminded her to keep a cool head. Pretty soon, her mind began to open and she could focus everything once again. She felt so confident when she was with him. "So, are you good now?" he asked.

"As good as I'm ever going to be" she yawned. "Oh my, it must be late."

"Yeah, my family will be expecting me" Ikuto said. "I should probably go." He resisted the urge to embrace her and just kissed her on her cheek instead. "I think you're a very sweet girl, and I know you'll do fine tomorrow. Just calm yourself. You're smarter than you think."

She nodded. "I promise I'll give it my best shot."

"Good girl" he frowned, knowing what he had to do. "I'll talk to you…some other time Kagome. I'll be seeing you. Goodbye, Kagome." He had such pain and discomfort in his voice. Something was obviously wrong. He sounded so alone. He left out of her room and Kagome couldn't help but feel uneasy. After all, he seemed so sad.

'Whatever he's hiding, it can't be good.' She sat and pondered why he was so dazed, that she had forgotten that to see him off to the door was the most polite thing to do, but by the time she actually remembered, he was gone. 'Ikuto, what's the matter? You talked as if, you…I would never see you again.'

"That stupid kid" Inuyasha muttered "I'll show him sooner or later what I can do. I'll kill him, I swear I will." He sighed, and thought about his precious Kagome. 'Does he really make her happy? It can't be.' He caught a whiff of something and stopped concentrating on the sight of the well and tried to follow the scent. "That scent…" he looked far off into the distance, but sure enough, he saw Kikyou's soul collectors. 'She must be near by.' He decided to rave about Ikuto and Kagome later and check out Kikyou. She must have been there for a reason. 'Kikyou…'

The next day, Kagome happily walked out of her school with her head held high. All of her friends looked exhausted, except for Arimi who seemed to do well on all of her finals, but Yuka and Eri were tired. Kagome however couldn't be happier. "Aren't you guys happy? School's over and we're going into the 10th grade! Isn't this great? I mean with all the trouble I had, who would have thought that I would actually pass. My grades aren't that bad…they could be better, but they're not that horrible. Not only that, I had all of my absences excused."

"Lucky you" exclaimed Yuka.

"Now we'll all go to high school together!" Arimi cheered happily. "Won't next year be great?"

"So what are you doing over the summer?" Eri asked Kagome.

"Well" said Kagome "I'm…well, I'll probably be away for a while. I've got a lot of important things I've got to do."

"Your whole family is going on a long summer vacation? Who will watch the shrine?" Yuka asked.

"Well, it's just me. I'm visiting with my uh…well…with Inuyasha."

"That sounds serious!" Arimi pointed out.

"So you chose that Inuyasha guy" Eri said. "Wow Kagome, I didn't expect that. I honestly thought you'd pick the other guy."

"I didn't make a choice yet."

"Believe me Kagome; if you go away with this guy, then the choice will be over. You can't hang out with Inuyasha for weeks and then come to Ikuto like nothing ever happened. That's totally unrealistic."

'I guess they are right about that, but I can't exactly leave all of my friends. Kagome, Miroku, Shippo, and even Kirara are counting on me. I have to help them collect the Shikon Jewel…then again, Kikyou could always do it. Inuyasha does after all still have feelings for her. I guess I still have a lot to consider.' "I guess you guys are right. I'll decide what I'm going to do at home." When Kagome got home, she really didn't have time to think, for she had a guest waiting for her. Inuyasha was sitting on her bad, looking rather depressing about something. "Inu…Inuyasha? What's the matter with you? Is something wrong? Is one of the others hurt?"

"No Kagome, it's just that…" he turned away. 'How am I supposed to say this? I don't mean it. I really don't want her to do this.' Kikyou had come to Inuyasha once again, concerned about Ikuto and Kagome.

"Inuyasha, listen to me when I say this. I am not simply trying to get rid of Kagome, even though she does not belong in this world. As long as Kagome stays in this world, your reincarnation will flock to her" she was so serious, and yet so heartbroken "just as you would flock to me."

"What's so important about that darn kid? Just tell me already? What is he?"

"He's a living end to all things, and he'll bring destruction to this world, if not his own as well. If you continue to let the two of them stay in this world together, than all things shall perish, and this is no idol threat."

"If he's really that dangerous, then maybe I should get rid of him now."

Kikyou closed her eyes and chuckled. "Oh Inuyasha" she opened her eyes, but still kept her smile "you still try to act so strong and cruel, and yet I can see in your eyes that you have changed. I know that you would never harm your reincarnation, at least not in Kagome's presence." All serious returned. "Inuyasha, the boy, he cannot die. You will be unable to kill him. He is too powerful, Inuyasha. You had best leave him be, and make him as well as Kagome stay in her own time, or all will be lost, including Kagome's life."

'Oh Kagome, what should I do?' "Kagome" Kagome knew it wasn't going to be good news how his ears fell "I think its best that you do stay in your own time."

Kagome's heart skipped a beat and she stopped breathing for a short amount of time. She was so shocked that he'd say that again. "But Inuyasha…why? I don't understand, I thought we just went through this!" Even though it would have made things much easier for her as far as her choices, she couldn't understand. "Inuyasha…"

"Kagome, don't bite my head off. I know we just went through this, and believe me when I say that I…I don't want you gone." He put his head down so he wouldn't see her face. "Kagome, I saw Kikyou yesterday and-"

"And what?" she asked angrily. "You made yet another deal with her about my well being or did you simply just decide to renew the last deal, because if you did, I'm not interested in what you have to say, Inuyasha!"

"Kagome, it's not about that!" he yelled, deciding to face her. "Kagome, it's not even about you! Kikyou isn't trying to get rid of you!" He lowered his voice, but he was still angry. "Kagome, this is about Ikuto. As long as you're with me, he'll eventually come back into the Feudal Era. Kikyou knows why he's different, but she refuses to tell me. She said it could mess up everything. Kagome, Ikuto will bring destruction and an imbalance to time if he ever comes back to my time. He'll ruin everything, because of some power, some power that not even he knows about. He's a living end to all life, if he ever comes back, and if he does, it'll all be over."

Kagome didn't say anything at first, which worried Inuyasha. He couldn't read her expressionless face. She finally spoke to him with unbelief. "You hate him that much to believe all of that?"

"Kagome it's true! We all know that there's something about him!"

"You just hate him, Inuyasha!"

"Yeah, you're right, but why would I try to keep him as an excuse to keep you away? You know I love you Kagome!" Kagome and Inuyasha calmed down, and they both started blushing with embarrassment. Inuyasha didn't mean to say that, but it did get Kagome to believe him. "Look, he may be in his time for now, but he'll follow you. I know it, because I keep following Kikyou wherever I might see her…" he stood to his feet. "Kagome, I wouldn't say this unless it was for your best interest. You know you still need to find those jewel shards and-"

"I know" she wrapped her arms around Inuyasha. "I uh…I'm really going to miss you, Inuyasha. Just promise me one thing though."

He wrapped his arms around her as well. "Just tell me what."

"Don't spy on me Inuyasha, just wave or something, and then go. Don't live in secrecy." She began sobbing. 'I didn't think saying goodbye would be this painful.' "I had made a choice that I was going to be with today. Do you want to know who, Inuyasha?"

He surprisingly shook his head. "Don't even breathe a word of it Kagome. I would rather not know."

"Are you serious?" she asked furiously. "Are you telling me that you're not the slightest bit curious?"

"I am, but why would I want to know. Either way, I'll either be upset because you picked that bozo or upset because I let you go. Either way, the choice for you has kind of been made." He tried not to choke on his tongue. The thought was absolutely sickening. 'It's hard enough to let him win. Why does she want to torture me in the process?' "Kagome, I'm not going to let him accidentally destroy you because of something he doesn't know. Just promise me that you'll be safe and…" he blushed again "well, happy."

She hugged him tighter. "Yeah, I promise you Inuyasha, just don't forget about me." 'Ikuto's dangerous? I can barely believe it, but Inuyasha does, and that's what's important. He's trying to keep me safe.'

"I could never Kagome, never." They just embraced each other for a long time, trying to say goodbye. If they didn't let go, then they wouldn't have to say goodbye, but they did eventually, and they embraced each other again. Inuyasha hated losing to Ikuto, but it was the best thing for Kagome. 'Be safe Kagome, and I will be keeping an eye on you and that boy. I still don't trust him.'

After her long and painful goodbye to Inuyasha, Kagome knew what she had to do, and as soon as Inuyasha reluctantly left Kagome's house and went through the well into his own time. Kagome decided to give Ikuto a call, so they could meet somewhere and talk.

"Hello?" Came from what appeared to be Sarah's voice on the other end. "This is the Kazasami residence, this is Mrs. Kazasami speaking. How may I help you?" She said it so proudly. She was still excited about being married.

"Uh, may I please speak to Ikuto? This is Kagome!"

"Oh Kagome…" she trailed off, feeling absolutely awful. "You mean Ikuto didn't tell you?"

Kagome's stomach fell. "W-what do you mean? He hasn't told me anything. What's wrong? Where's Ikuto?"

"Well dear, he's on his way to the airport. He was leaving for a summer program at an American university. I'm very sorry. I would have thought he would tell you such an important thing."

Kagome tried to hold in her tears. 'Ikuto…why?' "Uh…so he's going to be gone, for three whole months?"

"Yes, I'm sorry, Kagome." Sarah could hear the sorrow in Kagome's voice and she could sympathize. She knew what it was like to be heartbroken. She could still remember when her first husband died…"Kagome, we could still catch them if we hurried. I'll pick you up in a bit, if you don't mind. You could say goodbye."

Kagome forced herself not to cry and said "Thank you. I'll be ready."

"Well this is it." Ikuto looked behind him where the line was forming for passengers to get on the plane. "It certainly is strange. I've talked about going for so long, and now that I am, I'm kind of missing Japan, and I'm really nervous."

"You didn't tell the girl, did you?" asked Suno. "I can tell by the look in your eyes that you failed to do so."

He frowned. He hated his brother's ability to read expressions, but Ikuto did deep down inside want to talk about it. "Suno, I chose not to do it, because I didn't know if I could do what I needed to if I saw her again. This is important to me and my future; besides, I think Kagome wants some space to think."

"You know, it's futile for her to try to have a relationship with that dog demon from the past."

"I know that, and I even think they both know that, but Kagome's determined, abut even though there's probably no way to make it work, Kagome would try to find a way. She's really strong."

"I noticed." Suno stretched his hand toward his little brother. "You certainly were a little bother, brother."

"Yeah, and you certainly were a pain, brother." He smirked. "But I've realized a lot about myself, and I'm glad that we were able to work through a lot of things. You weren't as bad as I thought."

"You were though" Suno pointed out with an actual smirk forming "but it was nothing I couldn't handle."

Their hands parted and Ikuto prepared to say goodbye. "Well Suno, it's been-"

"Wait!"

Ikuto's body froze up with the sound of Kagome calling. 'No way!' He looked over Suno's shoulder and saw Kagome running his way. "Kagome?" he asked surprised. He suddenly began to doubt everything that he was about to do. "What are you doing here?"

Kagome had to catch her breath. She had run for such a long distance. The airport was absolutely huge. "Ikuto…I don't want you to leave!" Ikuto gave his brother a glare and he could take a hint. He walked away quite a distance so he couldn't ease drop, not that he actually wanted to though. "Don't leave! I know you're going because of me!"

"What?"

"You're still mad about the kiss thing, I know, but it was an accident, and I love you Ikuto, I really honestly do."

"No, no, no Kagome, I'm not leaving because of you." He grabbed her arms. "I had always wanted to go, it's just that this year really changed me a lot, and I think it's for the better." Even though seeing her again was ripping his heart apart, he could still smile. "Kagome, so much has changed for me. I mean, I think I'm a much better person than who I was before. I…I mean I never really took responsibility for myself and I…" his smile went away, and if he had doggy ears, they would have dropped, just like Inuyasha's. "You see, I realized something about me, Suno, and my father. You see, I inherited a lot of my father's money. Suno had a lot, but only really enough for bills, the company, and only a few items that he might want. My father must have known that Suno would be able to take care of himself, and rise to the occasion. He could make his own money and he'd do my father proud. My father wasn't too sure about me. Even though I was eight years old, I can only blame myself for how he felt. I was weak, and he gave me money as a way to protect myself, and anyone else I might want to spend the rest of my life with. There's virtually no way that I could blow all of the money that my father gave to me, so I would be secure for forever. That should make me happy, but in a way it makes me disappointed in myself." He smiled again. "I want to be strong now; I want to do my part. Everything I do, how I think, I how live, is business. I'm going to be a business man Kagome, I've reached that conclusion."

"But why? I thought you wanted nothing to do with that type of life!"

"I was hiding from what I secretly always wanted. Even how I tried to win you from Inuyasha was in a business manner. It's how I live, and what I actually like. I tried to hide from it because I always had a rough time with Suno and wanted to be nothing like him. Now, the two of us are actually getting along. The other reason why I didn't want to be in the business world was because I secretly always was mad at my father for dying, and…" Ikuto put his head down, trying to contain his emotions. "I blamed him for my mother dying. I was always upset that he couldn't save her."

"Oh Ikuto…" She had no idea that he felt this way. Kagome did actually believe that it was all her fault.

Ikuto grabbed her hands. "Kagome, I just want you to know that I've always cared for you, and you've changed my life so much. I, I haven't been this happy in a long time, and even though we won't see each other for three months, I can't be sad, because you've changed my life more than just simply finding someone else to love. I've never had a better relationship with my brother, since my parents died, and I actually found out the source of my anger towards my old man…" he smiled "I mean father."

"But Ikuto…I-"

"When I said our relationship was over, I analyzed myself and found my weaknesses. I wanted to make myself stronger, and that's what I decided to do. I think this is the best choice for me, and maybe you to."

"You're so stupid!" she yelled. "You tell me to make a choice and then you decide to leave? Inuyasha told me to stay in my own time, I was going to be with you, and then I was told you were leaving!"

"Kagome, life changing decisions don't take two or three days, they take longer than that."

"Why does it matter so much what I do now? We're just kids!"

"No Kagome, I graduate next year, and then it's time for me to become someone. My time has run out. I've got to make a choice on what my future is going to hold for me." He embraced her, and held her tightly, until she was holding him back. "Kagome, you're the best thing that ever happened to me, and I'm sorry that you've been through so much. I want you to take care of yourself while I'm gone, because once summer is over, I'll be back."

Kagome couldn't stop herself from crying. "Oh Ikuto, what if something happens to you? Are you sure we'll see each other again? Are you certain that you won't forget about me ever and find someone else?"

"Of course I wouldn't find someone else. I loved you from the first time I laid eyes on you, Kagome. You're my lovely Kagome, and nothing can take that away from you." He kissed her on the forehead. "I'll be back in a while, so don't forget about me."

"I promise I won't." She had worked so hard trying to make a choice and did make it, and now neither of them would know it. "Do you at least want to know who I was going to choose?"

"No Kagome, it's not worth knowing." He let her go and kissed her quickly on her lips. "I'll be back for the second half of the game later Kagome. Don't give up hope on me yet."

"I won't, and you can count on that."

They smiled at each other and he wiped away Kagome's tears. "Don't worry. What's the worst that could happen?" Kagome decided not to worry. Nothing really bad could happen. He'd be safe. Ikuto waved his hand to his brother, and Suno nodded his head, trying not to display public affection. "I'll see you in three months Kagome; don't give up hope on me." 'I swear I'll win the game.'

"Goodbye." As she watched him go, Kagome almost felt like screaming. Neither one of them wanted to know, nor the both of them sent her back to another man. 'Maybe, I should take some more time. They don't know what they want, even though I made my decision.' She sighed. 'I guess I'll go back to Inuyasha and spend summer in the Feudal Era. Yeah, I'll have to. There's no danger if Ikuto can't follow me. We can defeat Naraku in three months. I know we can!' She smiled and waved goodbye to Ikuto one last time. 'Oh men, they don't know what they want.'

"He needed to do this" said Suno as he placed his hand on Kagome's shoulder. "He finally got some inspiration in his life. I appreciate you giving it to him."

"You're…welcome." She could barely say that. She was so chocked up about him leaving. 'I'll miss you Ikuto.'

'How am I going to tell the other's about Kagome?' Inuyasha asked himself. 'Should I even try to explain? They'll all just say that I ran her off anyway. I shouldn't even open my mouth.' Inuyasha, Miroku, Sango, Shippo, and Kirara were in Kaede's home. She was preparing a meal for all of them, and Inuyasha was just sitting impatiently, waiting for dawn to come so they could once again start on their journey, without Kagome.

"When is she coming back, Inuyasha?" Shippo asked. "You didn't run her off again, did you?" When Inuyasha turned his head, they all looked at him with afury, especially Shippo. "How could you?" Shippo yelled.

"Perhaps it is best that you make up your mind, Inuyasha" stated Miroku.

"Don't worry, my mind is made up. No more Kagome. She's staying home. Otherwise, Ikuto would foolishly follow her, and he'll do nothing but cause trouble."

"Are you frightened for his safety?" Sango asked. "I didn't think you cared about him, Inuyasha."

"I don't, but he's got some kind of weird power. If he comes to this world, all will be lost, and I'm not joking around. It's true, and that's why Kagome can't come, or Ikuto."

"Hi guys" Kagome came through Kaede's door and Inuyasha grunted with a rage once he saw her. Even though he was happy, he hid it and decided that only anger would rule him.

"What is not clear, Kagome?"

She sighed. "Ikuto is gone." She was frowning. Her heart had just been ripped in two. "Ikuto left to go to a very far place and he's not coming back for three whole months."

Inuyasha stood to his feet, excited, shocked, and a little amused by the events that had recently taken place between Kagome, him, and Ikuto. It was all very strange, but at least Kagome could be with him, and she could be safe. "Kagome, he'll be gone for three whole months?" A smile started to slowly come on his face, but he saw how upset Kagome was, so he only glowed with a smile, but didn't let it actually appear on his face. 'That kid can't follow her down the well. All will be okay.'

"Yes, I can be with you guys for three months straight. I'm free. There's no more school for three months as well." Even though her life was insane and she was still sad, she smiled. "Why don't we find those jewel shards, Inuyasha?"

He smirked. "Yeah, first thing in the morning."

Yes, it had indeed been a strange time for them all. She found Inuyasha's reincarnation, and he instantly fell in love with her, and she started to fall in love with him. She found herself in a horrible position to be, but things got even worse when Ikuto was possessed by a demon. It was then that he could actually fight with Inuyasha, something he had been dying to do for a long time. She found out so many secrets and pains to Ikuto's past, and Inuyasha even decided to trust her a little, very, very little, but at least it was something. She chose to be with one of them, and they both sent her to the other. Yes, things were indeed strange, and now she was once again, back to start. She was just in on big game of trouble, and even though it was amusing for a while, she went in a complete circle for almost nothing. 'Well, I guess it wasn't nothing . Ikuto's changed so much. I am really proud of him.' Her smile before wasn't even real, but now it was. 'Ikuto's a better person, and I'm happy I got a chance to meet him. Now my head will be clear for at least three months, when I'm not thinking about demons. I can relax. I guess life changing decisions do need more time, and I'll make sure I get what I want when three months are up.'

TO BE CONTINUED…

A/N: But who did she choose? Three whole months without Ikuto and three whole months with Inuyasha? Things could prove to be more interesting. You had better review!