Chapter 3

"Kagome! Honey! You're home!" Kagome's mother immediately embraced her daughter in a loving hug. Though... something was wrong. Her mother backed away. "Kagome... something's wrong." Kagome looked up at her mother with a tear-stained face.

"I left them for good. I... I left them forever!" Kagome cried as she sunk to the floor.

"What? Why? What made you do this?" her mother asked, shocked. She knew that her daughter loved that boy, that Inuyasha, and that she would do anything for him. What made her leave all of a sudden? Kagome looked up at her mother.

"I... I saw him... with Kikyo again... and he said... he said he didn't need me- not if she was there. He said he'd leave everything behind to follow her!" Kagome let the tears fall freely onto the kitchen floor. Her mother didn't know quite what to say. Neither of them spoke for a good while, until Kagome spoke up once again. "Mom... I went to see her- Kikyo. I gave her my shards, and got her to take my place." she sniffed and wiped away a few tears. "I took off Inuyasha's prayer beads so he couldn't follow me. There's no way to ever go back; there's no way he can come here. Mom... mom it hurts." Kagome's tears kept falling into a pool on the floor. "It hurts so badly. I know I should be angry with him... but... but I just can't! Why can't I mom? Why? He took my heart and ripped it into a thousand pieces! He always said he'd protect me... but the one thing he couldn't protect me from was himself!" Kagome slumped even further into the ground. Her mother's eyes were welling up with sympathy for her daughter.

"Kagome... I know it hurts. It will hurt for a long time- but in time, the hurt will go away. I know you want so badly to be angry at him; to make it easier for you- but you love him. When you love someone, it's through thick and thin- no matter what happens. That's why you aren't angry- you value his happiness and well-being above your own. Look- why don't you let me draw you a bath, and then you can lie down for a bit of shut eye. How's that sound?" she said as she held her daughter.

"Alright, mom. Thanks." Kagome looked around the house. The hurt will go away? Maybe it will... but it sure feels like it's not going to. Inuyasha... if you can hear this... I miss you.

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Inuyasha's eyes fluttered open. Sniffing the air, he deduced that the others were cooking breakfast. As he got up he thought over last night's events. He loved Kikyo... but still he couldn't help but wonder if he'd be able to go through with his promises. She was dead and bitter. Shaking his head at his thoughts, he hopped over to eat, but stopped dead in his tracks- he couldn't smell Kagome. Had she gone home? Not again... He looked around at everyone- why were they all so sad? He could smell the salt in their tears. He could've sworn he smelt Kikyo too. Nah, can't be her. She'd never come here. Inuyasha made his way towards the group.

"Oi! What're you all sulking about?" he asked. Sango and Miroku looked up at him with such ferocity and such hatred in their eyes that he jumped back and growled. "Eh! What was that for!" he yelled. He noticed that Sango had broken into tears again; Miroku trying to comfort her- smack!- Miroku's face now painted with a red handprint. "What's going on?" Inuyasha asked. As if planned, Kikyo emerged form the woods with firewood to boil some food. Inuyasha's jaw dropped to the floor. "Wha-wha-wha-wha?" was all he could manage. He looked at the others. "Where's Kagome then?" Kikyo shot him a look.

"I'm here, and still you think of her? Pathetic." Kikyo smirked. Should she tell him what Kagome asked her too? Probably not- he'd chase after the impossible if she did. "Oh yes. Kagome left us some parting gifts." Kikyo held out the shard. "Inuyasha, she also left you this." she handed him the rosary. Dumb-founded, Inuyasha took the beads into his hand.

"Why...?" Inuyasha touched his now bare neck, and looked at Kikyo, stunned. She remained emotionless.

"She saw us last night, Inuyasha. She heard that you chose me over everyone else here- that you would leave them all for me. She decided to have me take her place, and she left for home- for good." Inuyasha's face grew sadder each word, and finally he slumped to the ground at the last two- for good. He thought she didn't care about him, that he was just a burden to travel with. He thought she helped him because it was her fault the jewel was shattered. He never thought in a million years she'd be sad if he left her one day. He was just a hanyou- not worthy of her friendship. The only woman who had accepted and loved him was Kikyo. Kagome had accepted him... but... "Inuyasha? Why so sad?" Kikyo's voice interrupted Inuyasha's thougths. "I thought you loved me?" she asked. Inuyasha looked up at her.

"I... I do... but... why did she go? I don't understand... is this... is this my fault?" Inuyasha asked, still touching his neck; he couldn't believe those beads were gone. Kikyo's face still showed little emotion, but you could see a hint of sadness.

"You love me yet all you care about is... is that... that copy of me? Inuyasha, she does not even belong here! She's not from this time! It's not natural for her to be here!" Kikyo said.

"It's not natural for you to be here, dead priestess." Miroku commented. Kikyo glared at him, but did not give him the satisfaction of making her angry.

"I admit that I am dead. That I belong in the afterlife- but I cannot go until Naraku is defeated and Inuyasha comes with me to the afterlife. That is simply the way it is. Or is that too hard for you to understand, monk?" Kikyo said dryly. Miroku was enraged.

"Listen here, you clay pot! You may be important to Inuyasha, but Kagome is important to us, even to Inuyasha! He's always miserable when she's not here! She does belong here! Don't forget that if she hadn't have come here, you wouldn't be here! You have a part of her soul! Without that tiny piece to cling to you'd be dust in the wind! I know that Inuyasha loves you, but do you really have to be so bitter towards us and Kagome? What have you got against her anyways? Is it because she's your reincarnation? That doesn't mean she's just a copy! She's as real as anyone here! She's her own person! Without her, our journey will come to a quick halt and Naraku will win!" he screamed at her, not caring what Inuyasha would do to him later. Kikyo sighed.

"...and why would that be, monk?" she breathed. Miroku stepped closed to her.

"...because of her love, her passion. Her friendship. Without her, we wouldn't have Shippou here with us- she's the closest thing he has to a mother. Without her, I wouldn't be here! I followed Inuyasha because she... she... er... intrigued me... heh... anyways. Sango wouldn't be here either if it weren't for her support and friendship!" Miroku yelled.

"...and if it weren't for her, Naraku would not have been injured by her arrow, gone into hiding, and become even stronger. Strong enough to kill anyone in his path." Kikyo retorted. Miroku fell silent.

"At least she cared." Sango mumbled, poking at the fire with a branch. Inuyasha was burning with confusion; a thousand questions floating in his mind.

"Kikyo. Please... these people have all put their lives on the line for me. Please don't be too hard on them." He turned to Miroku and Sango. "I... I guess this is goodbye..." Sango and Miroku looked at him blankly.

"Excuse me?" Miroku asked.

"We cannot journey together anymore. Things will only build a larger rift between the group... we can't have that weakness." Miroku walked over to Inuyasha; stepping just inches from his face.

"How dare you, Inuyasha. How dare you. After all Kagome has done for you, after all we've been through together, you have the nerve to just get up and walk away?You may as well kiss the Shikon no Tama goodbye. Besides, Kikyo's just going to take it with her and use it to either turn you into a human, or to drag you to the underworld with her. Don't expect to see much of her there- if she falls again, the soul that leaves will be Kagome's- not hers. Kagome's soul will most likely return to her, leaving Kikyo an empty shell for you to be with. I always thought you were brave, Inuyasha... but you're really nothing but a coward. You have no idea why Kagome left, do you? How can you be so blind? You know what? I'd say this partially Kikyo's fault, but mostly yours- because you didn't listen to Kagome. You didn't understand the meaning behind all of her words. Kagome isn't like Kikyo- she has feelings. She also shows those feelings, not like you've ever cared. If you were any kind of friend at all you'd be at the bottom of that well digging 500 years into the future just to get to her!" Miroku hollered at the shocked hanyou.

"What do you mean, 'meaning behind her words'? What's that all about, Miroku? Huh? I don't understand! Why is this mostly my fault? What did I not understand that made her leave?" Inuyasha held Miroku by his robes; Miroku's feet barely touching the ground. Miroku pushed the hanyou away.

"Why don't you ask Kikyo? I'd be willing to bet that she's not telling you something." Miroku then grabbed his staff. "Come on, Sango, Shippou, Kirara. Let's go." They all nodded and walked off into the forest to continue their search for Naraku. Inuyasha turned to Kikyo.

"Inuyasha, we should be going. Naraku will soon have all the shards if we keep waiting." Inuyasha nodded, and walked beside her.

Ask Kikyo? What would she know about all of this? I don't get it...

"Kikyo?" Inuyasha called.

"Hmm?" Kikyo acknowledged. Inuyasha studied her face. She really was beautiful... and she said she loved him...

"Never mind." Inuyasha shook his head.