Okay, I know that last chappie was a little confusing, so I'll try and clear a few things up: NO, Sango, Miroku, Shippo, Kirara and Kagome did NOT die, Kaguya just made that up so that Inuyasha wouldn't find any point in fighting to keep his soul, k? Just wanted to make sure everyone was on the same page here…onward! (Uhh…did I just say 'onward?' scary)

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Kirara continued deeper into a lush forest that was caked in the scent she picked up from the curse. The further into the forest she flew, the stronger the scent became until they stopped at a great lake that seemed to be a mirror of its own. Kirara stopped at its edge as she transformed into her smaller form. Whimpering, she lay down in her owner's arms, curled up in a ball.

"We'll have to continue tomorrow, Kirara is worn out from keeping her transformation up this long. It's late, anyway. We should rest." Sango said while stroking Kirara's fur. Miroku and Shippo agreed willingly, seeing as how Shippo had become tired from transforming all day as well. Kagome was a little reluctant to stop when she was so close, but she knew the others were tired, and well, so was she. Without saying a word, everyone began to make a fire in a secluded area of the forest where they were certain that Kaguya wouldn't notice anything out of the ordinary. Kagome sat at the fire hugging her knees to herself, clutching Inuyasha's red haori and his Tetsusaiga like her life depended on it. She stared into the crimson embers, thinking about all the times that she and Inuyasha had sat together, whether in silence or talking about what was to come or just plain talking, in front of a campfire. Her heart crushed as she recalled the last time they had sat together like that, which was only moments before Kaguya revealed herself as that eagle demon they had fought. They had gotten into an argument, nothing new there, but what was new was the fact that it had ended so shortly, and Inuyasha looked so depressed…

"Inuyasha, I'm going to be leaving to my time for a while, I have some tests to make up, and-"

"No." The hanyou stated matter-of-factly as he crossed his arms and shown his trademark look, you know, the whatever-I-say-goes-and-nothing-you-say-matters kinda look. Kagome turned and glared at him, which he responded to the same way.

"We need to find the jewel shards, got it? And besides, let me remind you that YOU were the one that shattered it in the first place!" She got in his face, making him recoil slightly.

"I'm well aware of that, as you like so very much to keep reminding me."

"Well, that settles it then, you're staying."

"Keep nagging at me and I won't come back!" She spat at him. He doubled back for a second in surprise, but then said,

"Once we've got all the shards you can go back there anytime you like!" She got so angry at him at those words. Who wouldn't? It's not like he owned her life or anything, or like he could control her. Now they were each staring at each other challengingly, as if egging each other to say something.

"You want the truth, Inuyasha? Once we have all the shards I MIGHT NOT BE COMING BACK HERE!" Inuyasha froze completely, his eyes swirling with dozens of emotions at once: pain, sadness, regret, anger, shock, confusion, the list just kept going.

"Kagome…" He whispered softly, his face now absolutely broken. Realization dawned on her, as her eyes widened slightly at what she had just said.

"Inu…" She gently reached a hand out to him, but he turned, standing as he began to walk away. She stood and began to follow him.

"Inuyasha!" He stopped as he turned to her in silence, and that's when Kagome noticed his tears showing in the pale moonlight. She reached a hand out to him, gently touching his face with her fragile fingers.

"Inuyasha…" She said softly. He jerked his head away from her hand, looking away and hiding his eyes with his bangs.

"Is that…is that how you really feel? Is that what…what you want?" He whispered only loud enough for her to hear. She was shocked that he was being like this, so…sensitive. He NEVER cried before. She opened her mouth, but thought for a second. Was that what she wanted? Was that the way she wanted things to be?

"I…I don't really know, Inuyasha. I honestly don't know…" He squeezed his eyes shut tightly as another tear rolled down his face. He turned to face her, but couldn't bring himself to look her in the eye. Instead, he shrugged past her and said,

"I can't change the way you feel." She turned and reached her hand out to his back, but he kept moving.

"Inuyasha…" She whispered. She returned to the fire to see him sitting Indian style, staring into the flames with pained, bloodshot eyes. She sat down next to him, but he turned his head away from her. She looked into the fire and said nothing for a moment, but after some thought, decided enough was enough.

"Inuyasha?" He turned to her, but refused to make eye contact with her. She sighed lightly.

"When I said…what I said…I-"

"No, Kagome…I get the hint." He refused to so much as turn his head in her direction, lest she see his tears had returned. Kagome looked down at her lap, utterly heartbroken that she had just hurt her hanyou…HER hanyou.

She was about to explain herself, but there was a shrill cry above them as a huge shadow emerged from the darkness. Inuyasha pulled out the Tetsusaiga, whispering to Kagome,

"Kagome, no matter what happens, no matter what you choose, never forget me." She could only nod and reply that she never would before he leapt into the air, ready for combat.

Kagome choked back a sob as she recalled the pain in his eyes, his voice. Didn't he see that she loved him? Didn't he know by now? She hugged herself and began to breathe in Inuyasha's scent from his haori, thinking back to the last time he held her. He smelled strongly of pine and forest, which didn't bother Kagome one bit. Matter of fact, she figured she might as well come out and tell him everything once he was back. With that thought in mind, she drifted off into a somewhat restless sleep.

(Meanwhile, in the castle…)

Kaguya walked over to the still frame of Inuyasha, smiling at the thought that now that he was out of the way, nothing was going to stop her from absorbing that miko's powers. The baka hanyou had actually believed the wench to be dead. Keh. She gazed into her mirror as it showed Inuyasha's soul slowly beginning to lose its fight with the darkness.

"Excellent, half-breed…" She turned to Inuyasha's limp body, playing with his bangs as she brushed them aside to reveal his gently shut eyelids to the coming dawn's sunlight. She walked back to her mirror as there was a crash outside the doors leading to her chamber. She chanted into the mirror as it showed her that the hanyou's five friends had arrived after all. Grinning, she pointed at the door, causing the mirror to swivel in that direction. She disappeared and then reappeared at the front door of her dream castle. The door burst open as Kagome released her arrow upon the mirror. Kaguya smiled, chanting as the arrow was absorbed into the mirror's surface.

"So wild and reckless for a priestess…"

Kagome expected that, for she knew that it could only absorb one of her holy arrows at a time. She quickly drew another while the first was being absorbed. Releasing it, she watched it hit its mark, cracking the mirror. Kaguya didn't seem phased at all, but instead charged at Sango and Miroku, who had just jumped off of Kirara. Sango whipped her Hiraikotsu at Kaguya, who caught it with her sword, throwing it back at her. Miroku stabbed Kaguya in the back with his staff, but had to end the attack quickly as she turned and whipped a red tentacle out of her arm, which he just barely managed to dodge.

"Kagome, go on ahead and find Inuyasha! We'll take care of Kaguya!" Sango shouted as her Hiraikotsu sliced through Kaguya's stomach. Kagome nodded and pressed on further into the castle. She ran down a dark hallway, somehow it seemed all too familiar to her.

"That's strange…it's like I've been here before. But how is that possible? When Kaguya captured me, I only remember that main chamber with that water circle." She whispered to herself. She hoped that she was getting closer, for she felt so open, so vulnerable; no wonder she always stuck so closely to her friends, even in her time. The silence that had settled only made her more paranoid as she went deeper and deeper into the castle. She came to a stop in front of two HUGE doors that seemed to be made of thick bamboo. Pushing one of the doors with her shoulder didn't do anything, so she relied on Inuyasha's number one method: if you come do a dead end, break stuff.

She drew an arrow and shot its purified powers at the doors, making them fly open in pieces. She shuddered at how very much like Inuyasha that was…a scary thought.

"INUYASHA! WHERE ARE YOU!"

(Meanwhile, by Inuyasha's soul…)

He felt himself fall deeper and deeper into the darkness. His eyes were shut lightly as his hair and sleeves whipped around behind him. Wisps of darkness lashed out at him, taking hold of his body and pulling him deeper into the never ending darkness.

"Inuyasha…" He opened his eyes to see the one person he would have personally not wanted to see…EVER…again.

"Ki…kyo…" He whispered as the undead priestess floated beside his now floating frame.

"Come with me, Inuyasha…come with me into eternal night, where nothing will disturb us…" She coaxed with her cold voice. He shook his head with any ounce of strength that he could find in his body.

"It…wasn't…our destiny to…be together. I no longer…love you…even if I did…my love was…always unrequited." He stared coldly at the priestess, who had stared in shock.

"I always loved you!" She protested. He shook his head slightly again.

"Not…me. What you wanted me…to be. I don't desire you…anymore." He felt his strength leaving him quickly, his vision beginning to blur as the tragic priestess Kikyo returned to darkness, finally at peace. He knew that, whether he liked it or not, they would be together in hell…any second now. He shut his eyes as he cried out tears that he knew held empty wishes that he was with-

"INUYAHSA! WHERE ARE YOU!" His eyes shot open as he heard her voice.

"Ka…gome…?"A bright light had emitted from his chest as he felt an upward tug. The light glowing in his chest spread throughout his body, encasing him and his surroundings. He felt something pang in his chest as he was jutted out of an eternal curse that damned him to everlasting darkness.

(Meanwhile, by Sango and Miroku…)

Sango whipped her Hiraikotsu at the mirror, painfully reminded of the two cracked ribs that she had obtained whilst in the battle against Kaguya. Miroku threw three sutras at Kaguya's open wounds, which could not heal themselves because the Celestial Robe had been destroyed in Mt. Fuji's crater. Kaguya chanted quickly as a ring of fire encircled Sango and Miroku. It was all over for them unless there could be a miracle.

"Maybe the ring will just disappear and we'll be okay…?" Miroku suggested unsurely. Sango shook her head as she was standing back-to-back with the monk.

"That couldn't happen, that only happens in the really dumb legends and tales from ages ago, then once the 'heroes' are spared, something romantic and gushy happens." She said sadly. The ring of flames closed in on them as they began to scoot closer together until their backs were touching. Suddenly, Kaguya's mirror began to glow a bright blue, then showed Inuyasha's soul, a white glowing aura emitting from it. The mirror shattered as the ring of fire disappeared, leaving Sango and Miroku perfectly fine. They looked at each other awkwardly for a moment and just decided not to comment on that one…

(Meanwhile, by Inuyasha…)

He cringed as he opened his eyes about a quarter of the way, trying to get used to the feeling of being solid again.

"Ka…" He whispered as he heard someone approach the doors to where he was being held. The next thing he saw was someone he had wanted to see for what seemed like centuries, someone Kaguya had claimed to be dead.

"Kagome?" He opened his eyes all the way as he raised his head to see directly in front of him. She knelt beside him, throwing her arms around his neck, burying her face into his hair. He nuzzled the back of her head with the side of his as the chains disintegrated, allowing him to embrace her tightly.

"Kagome…you came…?" He whispered into her hair incredulously. She sobbed into his hair.

"How could I just leave you? I would never forgive myself!" She cried more. He took in her scent deeply, finding that it was making his strength return. He loosened his hold on her to look her in the eyes.

"Come on, let's get outta here." She smiled and nodded.

"Here's your haori, and the Tetsusaiga." He grinned his trademark grin as he put the haori on and slid the Tetsusaiga into his hakama belt. They both stood, Inuyasha kneeling in front of Kagome so she could climb onto his back. Once he made sure she was ready, they took off, promising silently that Kaguya was going to PAY.

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Ta-da! Hope ya liked it! It will be a little longer, but not much. R & R!