Quick Note: I know I know, you probably want to kill me for not updating my other fics before putting this up here but I explained why I did this at the bottom so read that if you're upset.

Story Title: That Pain of Time

Summary: Inuyasha finally gets up the courage to ask Kagome to be his mate after Naraku's defeat, and she's accepted! But then why did she run away? And why the hell did she seal the well? Will Inuyasha lose the one person who excepted him completely as he was, or will fate be kinder to the soul mates that are seperated by time once more? (I'll probably go more indepth when I'm not so tired lol.)

Pairings: Haven't decided for sure, might be surprising how ends up together… then again could be right in front of your face. Just have to see where my mood takes me.

Disclaimer: I unfortunately do not own any of the Inuyasha characters but I do own my ideas.. most of the time… Including now…

Genre: Romance, Angst

Ages: (All in human years, I'm not so good with demon years) Kagome: 22 – Inuyasha: 23 – Sango: 24 – Miroku: 26 (Might add some later as the story goes on.)

Italics is flashbacks or thoughts. Thoughts will have the 'text' around them.

Regular is well… regular. Talking will have quotation marks around it as such "text"

Chapter 1: The Inevitable Meeting Between Hanyous

"I love you Kagome."

"I love you too Inuyasha… with all my heart."

The two lay in each others arms, tired but happy, with their clothes resting on the grass around them. It was just a few hours ago that Inuyasha had asked Kagome to become his mate… and she had agreed. Only a month before, he finally admitted his feelings and began courting her but she couldn't have been happier when he asked. They both loved each other and wanted to be with each other for the rest of their lives. Naraku was out of the picture now that he was finally dead and the nearly complete Shikon no Tama rest around Kagome's neck. The only shards left were those in Kohaku's back and Koga's legs, but Kagome couldn't bring herself to kill Kohaku and Koga flat out refused to return the shards after learning that Inuyasha had been courting 'his woman'. Not that any of that matter now that they were finally together. And together they fell asleep in each other's arms, just content with being near one another.

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It was only a few hours later when a sudden chill swept through the area, awakening Kagome from her peaceful slumber. Looking to where her new mate should be she only found a patch of padded down grass. Hurriedly searching about the area after redressing she still found no sign of him… that is… until she ran into Kikyo's barrier. It wasn't very far from where they had been the night before, only 5 minutes or so, and she knew… just knew, that that's where he was. Perhaps he was just telling her that he had chosen to be with Kagome? It's not that he didn't want to before, he just hadn't seen her until now right? But then why was he kissing her!

A sharp pain ran through her heart at the sight and she was barely able to stay standing. Her mate was kissing someone else.. The person she had given herself to fully was in the arms of another woman! Gathering as much sense as she could, Kagome immediately turned the way she had come, only bothering to stop off at Kaede's hut to grab her large yellow packback. While there though she quickly spoke to Miroku and Sango, all while trying to hold back more tears, and telling them to tell Inuyasha that she was sealing the well and not coming back. Only leaving a heartfelt hug and soft goodbyes with them she left knowing they would do everything in their power to take care of Shippo. Without a second glance back when she had made it to her destination she, for once, listened to her mind instead of her heart and jumped into the well… Maybe she would have... could have, listened to her heart… if it hadn't been broken in some many pieces that instant. And as the well's magic dragged her back to her own time she swore she heard it brake even more.

Jumping awake Kagome realized, not for the first time, that the memories of 5 years ago still would not leave her alone. It had been 5 years now since she had returned for good, and it had been 5 years that the pain ate away at her heart.

It took only another minute to realize that something, rather someone, was shaking her shoulder while somehow also pulling on her arm as well. Looking down to the little girl beside her a smile instantly grew on her face.

"Mommy! I'm hungry! Pwease get up!"

Letting the oh so familiar dream drift to the back of her mind Kagome scooped up her young daughter and tickled her mercilessly. "Is that any way to wake up your mother, Mikomi? For that I might just have to tickle you until you give up." Clearly that was just what she planned to do since she was already tickling her.

For the next few minutes the only sounds in the room were the laughter coming from Kagome and her little girl, Mikomi. But a soft knocking on the door drew them back to reality and the fact that they could smell breakfast already cooking.

"Come in, Mama."

As soon as Kagome's mother entered the room Mikomi was latched firmly to her left leg smiling happily "Mornin' Nana!"

"Good morning you two. Breakfast is almost ready so get up and get dressed. Mikomi you have to get ready for your trip to the zoo with Uncle Souta, remember?" Ah, that's just what the little girl needed to get her extra hyper.

With an overexcited "YYAAYY!" she was off leaving the other two left in the room. Noticing the familiar glint in her daughter's eye Kagome's mother sat herself down upon the bed and looked her square in the eye.

"I know I've said this before but I'm going to say it again. Go see him. You are putting yourself through unnecessary pain by keeping yourself from him. You need him and Mikomi needs to at the very least know her father. Kagome, you don't even talk about him to her. Pretty soon she's going to start asking questions and you will have to answer them if you want your daughter to stay happy."

Kagome's only response, as usual, was to pull herself from her bed and move to the closet to find clothes for the day. Once her mother had finally left the room after giving up in their normal morning ritual Kagome let herself drift back to her thoughts of those in the Feudal Era… mainly her mate. As a image of Inuyasha entered her mind she couldn't help but rest her hand on the mark he had left just between her neck and shoulder five years ago. 'It has been so long… Mikomi does deserve to know her father… But her father doesn't deserve to know her! He is the one that left to Kikyo the very night after we were together! He has no right!' And with that thought she readied herself for the day ahead, only stopping on her way out the front door to grab a piece of toast, kiss her daughter and mother goodbye, and she was gone. Off to another day at the community college. She had to go to college to find a job with good enough pay to support her daughter after all. It was a miracle she had even been able to go to college, what with her already failing high-school grades when she suddenly returned only to be greeted with an unexpected pregnancy.

'Not that I mind now though. I love Mikomi and am so happy I had her… I just wish sometimes she didn't have those adorable ears that always remind me of him. At least their not all silver though… Only the tips… So I guess they're not that much like his…' In truth Mikomi had been blessed with her mother's gorgeous raven locks, though with silver tips all around. Along with her deep black hair came two matching adorably cute doggie ears on the top of her head. The only part of her appearance, besides the ears and wisps of silver, fangs and claws (but those are beside the point now aren't they). The only part that proved where some of her blood came from were her magnificent golden eyes that seemed to pierce the very soul.

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"Hey Mikomi! I just gotta grab my stuff and we'll go alright?" Souta called from somewhere upstairs. "Can you make sure Buyo's back inside for me?"

"Okey dokey Uncle Souta!" came her reply. And off she was once more on a mission. The sooner she brought the cat in the sooner they would leave for the zoo right? Right. Now all she had to do was find that silly feline. "Here Buyo. Here kitty-kitty-kitty!" Knowing only to stay on the shrine grounds and not go any further, Mikomi searched as many of the small buildings there as she could. As soon as she entered the well house, someplace she knew she shouldn't be, she heard a soft 'meow' from somewhere inside and decide to investigate. Hearing another call from the cat as she neared the well itself she was almost sure that's where it was coming from. Doing her best to pull herself up to look over the edge she only saw darkness, even with her advanced vision.

"MEEEEEOOORRRWW"

Scared out of her wits as the fat tabby landed on the well's lip beside her the only thing she registered was it yawning as she tumbled down into the darkness she had been staring out only a moment before… But suddenly it wasn't so dark… What was that odd blue light and where was it coming from?

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Inuyasha sat in the same place he has been for the better part of the last 5 years. In the higher branches of the Goshinboku. He had convinced himself from the start that if Kagome really loved him she would come back to him. Though he still had no clue as to why she left in the first place…

'Wait… That scent…! It's Kagome!' That was the only thought running through his mind as he raced off to the well hoping beyond everything he knew that his mate had come back to him. As soon as he reached the clearing another scent made its way to his sensitive nose. 'Salt water… she's been crying. No wait, she's still crying. But why?' "Kagome!" At once the crying stopping only to be replaced by little soft sniffles every few seconds. As Inuyasha cautious made his way over to the well he swore anybody in a 5 mile radius could hear his heart pounding painfully in his chest.

When his eyes settled on the bottom of the well he felt his heart breaking all over again. For it wasn't his dear, sweet mate Kagome, only a little girl looking as if she had somehow fallen down and got trapped in the old well.

It was only a second or so after his mind registered that it wasn't his mate that a pair of bright tear-filled golden eyes looked back up at him and widened in surprise. Only a second more and a lopsided grin broke out on the young girl's face as her eyes found his twitching white doggy ears so similar to her own. "Hello mister."

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I've seen this plot around in a few different ways but I wanted to try it out. It's been bugging me for a while now and I sort of got inspired to do it after watching What a Girl Wants again (so there might be some factors from there in here) and tadda! You have a storeline… sorta… Anyway, I know I promised WALBBF Ch2 would be done this week, well actually last week I think but I've actually started school again and things have been so hectic with everything else that I'm barely getting 6 hours of sleep now -- I work on my stories when I'm not working on homework or sleeping or trying not to have a mental breakdown. But I AM working on them! Oh and I work on them at school during lunch sometimes lol. So there.