Battle of the Shikon

Disclaimer: I do not own anything from InuYasha.

Chapter 6: Thank you, InuYasha

It had always felt cold, the gap between times. Light filled the air around her, but it didn't seem to have a source. It was simply a blue light hanging in the nothingness of time travel. Distant swirls swam further on, out of reach. She could remember how at times she wondered if those swirls were the entrance to other times, other people, other lives. It always gave her a thrill and made her stomach tie itself up in a knot when she thought of those possibilities. Still, this was her home, her passage to one half of her life. This was the last time she would touch this blissful cold light that caressed her like the push of an ocean's wave. It was her last leap into the past.

She almost thought she would regret feeling the solid ground of the well beneath her feet. That sensation was duty, destiny, and death. She wished she could remain here, hanging in time where there were no Narakus, no shards, no pressures, no worries, and no dreads. She wished she could stay in this carrying air, weightless and wandering, her mind at peace and her heart at rest.

Opening her eyes, she felt the blue light fade from her sight and the walls of the old well close around her. Weightless. That was not her destiny, that was not the choice her fate had made. Her destiny was within Naraku where her friends could be saved and her task finished. Her destiny had long been chosen. She began climbing the wooden ladder.

It was morning in the Feudal Era. The sun was warm on her cold skin and the wind was soft as it blew in sweet scents of blossoms and tall grass. Clouds of billowy white drifted sleepily across the sky. The morning beauty would be sorely missed. Kagome sighed and crossed down towards the old gravel path that wove between the forest trees for the last time. Her mind was silent. Not a single thought swam through, not a single regret or memory or hope. It was the silence of acceptance, the silence of bitter wait and preparation. Kagome knew she was ready now.

The village opened before her. Simple village folk, men and women and children, all with lives that scurried on amongst themselves. She smiled at them, a warm curve of her lips with all the life she could muster. They would live on and she was glad. She was glad that she could do something for them to live on in bliss and happiness. Naraku was just an ominous cloud hanging over their heads and she had been given the ability to save them from his terrors. That was what her destiny truly was.

Lady Kaede was the first she met. The elder woman had already been up since before dawn on miko errands of her own. The sister of the woman whom she was reincarnated from. Kagome almost felt as if Lady Kaede was her own sister. 'I always wanted a sister,' she thought with a small wave to the older woman. 'And now I have one, just in time.' Kagome gave her a warm smile as they approached one another.

"Good morning, Kagome," she greeted kindly. Her smile was affectionate, but her eyes held something behind them. Kagome thought she knew what. "Come inside," she added, taking Kagome's elbow and leading her toward the hut. "It's good you've come with a smile," she whispered to the teen, making Kagome's smile widen. She had been right.

"Kaede," she began, stopping her walk for a moment. The decision had already been made; there should be no reason for her to hesitate. Still her eyes were downcast as she fiddled with the edge of her skirt, smoothing it out though there were no wrinkles.

"What is it, child?" Kaede asked, turning to face her. Being much shorter than Kagome, she managed to draw the teen's eyes up from her skirt without much effort.

"Kaede," she muttered again. Pausing for a soft breath, she forced herself to form the words in her mind before speaking them. "After...After we defeat Naraku and the jewel becomes whole again, Miroku will give it to you. I want you to give it to InuYasha. I want him to make the wish."

Kaede watched her for a moment, her expression thoughtful. "He will wish you alive again," she said quietly, knowingly.

Kagome sighed, her eyes flowing with a pitied sadness. "He will want to, but I...I don't think he will be able to. I can't explain it really, but I just know it will be impossible to bring me back... like Kikyou was." 'When I purify Naraku, the jewel will be purified as well. My soul will be inside of the jewel then, because I will give my life for it. That's why I can't be brought back, because my soul is what will keep the jewel pure,' she thought. 'If my soul is called back, then the jewel will become tainted. Who knows what will happen then.' The thought was chilling. What could happen if the jewel became tainted again? If that happened, it would probably be destroyed along with InuYasha's wish. It would be impossible to revive her, true, but from the taint the demons battling Midoriko inside the jewel would most likely be released. They would cause even more trouble than Naraku.

'I can trust him,' Kagome thought with confidence. InuYasha was not a fool. He knew how important Kagome's choice was to her. Wishing something like that would be dishonouring, it would be like cheating. It would be better if he wished for something else like...like wishing Kikyou alive again. Her heart tensed for a brief moment, but she let it slip away from her. This was no time for sulking about things like that.

Kaede gave a small sigh and nodded lightly. "Very well, my child. InuYasha shall receive the jewel."

"Thank you, Kaede," Kagome replied, a warm, grateful smile brightening her face a little. Kaede returned the smile before the two of them turned to enter the small hut.

Miroku and Sango were inside. The taijiya was already in her battle suit and was busy cleaning her Hiraikotsu. The houshi was watching her with his staff propped up against his shoulder. Both of them seemed the centre of serenity, yet it was given away by a fierce hand-shaped mark on Miroku's cheek. The story explained itself. At the back of the hut was a small pack, probably full of Jinenji's herbs in preparation for the battle. Their smiles were identically affectionate. Not pitiful, thank goodness, but supporting and friendly.

"Good morning, Kagome," said Sango, putting down her weapon to raise herself to her feet. Miroku did the same.

"Morning," she replied back. They said nothing about her farewells to her family. Silently she thanked them. She didn't need to look around the hut to be able to tell that Shippou and InuYasha were not there. Setting down her backpack, she asked about them.

"I don't know where InuYasha is, but Shippou went out to gather a few more herbs in the forest," Miroku answered.

As if naming him had been a summon, soft footfalls erupted from outside the hut. "Kagome!" came the happy cry of the kitsune youkai as he leaped past the door and onto Kagome's shoulder. The young girl laughed as Shippou hugged her with his small arms. "I'm so happy you're back!"

"Shippou," Kagome said cheerfully as she took him from her shoulder to cradle him in her arms. "How have you been?" The sun could not hold more warmth than Kagome felt for this little child. He was almost a son, or another brother, if anything.

"Terrible," Shippou replied, face twisted in a scowl. "It was so lonely and dark yesterday. InuYasha kept running away every time I tried to talk to him."

Kagome blinked in surprise. It was no secret that the two of them had their share of disputes, but InuYasha always had some kind of reason for refusing to talk to Shippou. What was the reason this time? "Do you know where he is, Shippou?"

"Me?" The kitsune blinked. "Isn't he with you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Yesterday night he went down the well without telling anyone, but I saw him sneaking off to the forest. I thought he would come back with you," he answered.

'He came through the well?' If that was true, why didn't she see him? Why didn't he speak to her? "Don't worry; I'm sure he's here somewhere. He probably came back late last night or something." She tried to bring back that tender smile for the child kitsune.

"Still, maybe we should search around a bit. We can't leave without him," Sango added in, bending down to pick up Kirara. Straightening again, she noticed a sly smirk on Miroku's face and calmly gave him another handful around the face, just for safe measures. Amazingly enough, his only reaction was a face of 'damn, she caught me.'

Ignoring the houshi, Kagome nodded. It would be best. She was sure InuYasha was in no danger, but they couldn't just sit here and wait for him to return and they couldn't start off without him.

Soon Kagome was looking upon the old forest once more as she walked calmly down the path towards its heart. Shippou walked beside her, his small face frowning in amusing determination. Miroku and Sango had agreed that he might be at the well still, but they volunteered to continue looking elsewhere, just in case he had gone off to the village streams or pathways. Sango didn't seem to mind this, but to the irritation of Miroku, that was because Kirara had transformed into her larger version and walked between them.

"InuYasha is such an idiot. How many times is he going to run off like this?" Shippou said, clenching his small fists in front of him with a pouting face. "Do you have any idea why he's been acting like this, Kagome? I mean, he's been much quieter than usual." His fists melted as the small youkai looked up at her.

Kagome hesitated in shaking her head, but chose to stay silent. She knew very well why InuYasha was acting like this. Everyday since the plan had first been made his words had slowly dropped one by one into silence. She had recognized it immediately. InuYasha was gradually trying to accept that she would die and the only way he knew to deal with that was by detaching himself from the others, just as he had done before. Her heart felt a small stab; he was going through the same things that she was. He was feeling the same pains that she was.

'But why?' she couldn't help but wonder. InuYasha had chosen Kikyou already, didn't he? He shouldn't be showing this much emotion. He would show some, of course, but only because they were friends and because it was a depressing situation. Still, if he had already begun to accept it, why hide from her?

'Because he loves you,' a tiny voice said in the back of her mind. Immediately she felt herself blush. Trying to hide her face from Shippou, she attempted to think of other things, but it was futile. 'He loves me as a friend,' she tried to tell herself, but the possibility, the hopeful possibility, still shown with golden belief. 'I know I love him, but he doesn't love me the same way.' He loved Kikyou, not her reincarnation. Sighing, she gave up trying to push back that tiny hope and miraculously, it vanished from her thoughts.

Suddenly she realized that it was not her will that had made that wish vanish. It took her a moment to register that Shippou had stopped and when she looked up, she realized why. InuYasha was sitting on the edge of the well, his face down towards the dirt and his silver hair cascading over his red kimono. Suddenly he raised his head and locked his eyes upon them. Kagome's heart floated away.

It felt as if someone had grabbed her breath and torn it away from her. That one glance of golden eyes surrounded by silver hair was the first face she had seen when coming into this era. It was the face of her best friend, her hanyou protector, her first and only heart. She couldn't look away, not from his stare. The wish had not vanished, it had fled. He was everything she had ever hoped for. She loved him and if he didn't return it, then so be it. She'd rather him be happy with someone else than vainly trying to get him to love her. That dear hanyou, he was...

"Kagome?" Shippou's voice shattered her thoughts.

Realizing her face was on fire, she darted her hand up to try covering it by rubbing her nose. "It's nothing," she muttered back to the kistune. Without hesitation she bent down and picked him up before beginning to climb the hill towards the well and InuYasha. Desperately she tried to calm her beating heart, oblivious to the way InuYasha stared at her with distant eyes. When they reached the top, Shippou opened his mouth to speak, to scold InuYasha no doubt, but Kagome interrupted him. "Shippou, why don't you go and find Miroku and Sango and tell them we found him? There's no point to them searching now."

Shippou blinked at Kagome, but shut his mouth and nodded. Jumping down from Kagome, he reached into his vest and drew out a small green leaf. Jumping into the air, he threw it above him with a small grunt. There was a small poof and a couple of white clouds before Shippou transformed into a large pink floating ball with gigantic eyes to match. Without a word he floated away back towards the village.

Once he was gone, Kagome realized that she would have to confront InuYasha about his absence. A clear-thinking Kagome would. Taking a silent breath, she turned from Shippou's shrinking image and found herself tongue-tied once more. InuYasha was now watching Shippou float away as well with eyes to fit a dead sea. He didn't seem quieter, he seemed dead. She had never seen him like this before.

"InuYasha?" she found herself asking in a hushed voice. Instead of being pulled from his daze, he slowly sighed and turned to look at her. What had happened to those golden eyes? Why did they seem so rusted and tired? "InuYasha, what's wrong?"

He didn't answer. He barely kept his eyes on her long enough before he suddenly got up and began to circle around her. She kept her gaze on him, but he didn't stop. "InuYasha," she began while reaching out and touching his shoulder. His reaction was one that she hadn't expected. He sharply pulled away. He pulled away and didn't turn back.

"InuYasha, wait," Kagome said desperately. This was not like him. He never acted this way to her. She felt worry build higher and higher within her. "Wait." Her emotions poured out in that one word. Everything. Worry, despair, desperation, fatigue, compassion...everything. InuYasha stopped. "Please," she whispered and he gradually turned around to look at her. Well, not her exactly, but her feet.

"What is it?" was all he said. His voice was so cold, like dry ice, like winter shore waves. It was so much like his brother, Sesshoumaru. Unknowingly, she began to back away from him until she felt her heels kick the edge of the well. Automatically she dropped down on the edge and clutched the wood in shaking fists. Something was wrong with him, it had to be. This was not her normal InuYasha.

"What happened?" The whispered words slipped from her mouth. She blinked hard and forced herself to look at him. Even his face held that same stoic look.

Maybe he was simply refusing to answer or maybe he was rolling other thoughts in his mind, but Kagome knew better. He was hesitating. One scrap of the old InuYasha. She felt a little of the tension inside of her loosen, but it was only a twinge and no more. Patiently she waited for his answer. She'd wait forever if she had to.

Eventually, a stitch of the ice in his golden eyes chipped off. He turned from her, not towards the village path, but the Goshinboku. Gazing at it with, hatred? He tore his eyes away and sat down on the grass. Kagome gained a flicker of understanding. Immediately she rose from her seat to join InuYasha on the grass hillside. Circling her arms around her legs, she hugged them to her chest as she sat beside him. She watched the God Tree, examining the scar and arrow-head hole that had been InuYasha's sleeping place for fifty years. What could he be thinking? Why was he angry at the Goshinboku? She was just about to open her mouth to speak when InuYasha's voice rang through her thoughts.

"Why?" he was saying. Kagome blinked, trying to puzzle out what he meant. "Why did you have to do it?" he continued. Gently he turned his gaze from the elder tree and locked eyes with Kagome.

"I..." What did he mean, why did she do it? Was it the plan to kill Naraku he was talking about? It had to be that. "It's my job, InuYasha. I have to be the one to end this whole--"

"No, not that," he cut in, turning away from her again to glare at the scar on the old tree. He didn't seem to intend to say anything else.

"Then what is it?" she asked gently, tilting her head to look at his face, though he refused to meet her eyes again.

He hesitated again, thank the sky above. He opened his mouth, but closed it for a moment again before finally saying what was on his mind. "Why did you have to free me from Kikyou's spell?"

Kagome felt taken aback. Why did she free him? Why on earth was he regretting that? "Don't you remember? There was that demon that was attacking the village and you were the only one strong enough to kill it. You even told me to--"

"No, Kagome, that's..." he cut in for the second time, but trailed off. Taking a breath, he finished, "That's not it either. I don't mean why you freed me but...why did...I mean, what made you...oh I don't even know how the hell to say it!" Irritated with himself, he got up from his seat to storm away, but Kagome got up fast enough to lay a hand on his shoulder, stopping him from running away again.

"Please, InuYasha...I...I don't want to see you like this," Kagome said sadly. She felt him loosen slightly, but no more than a thimble.

She heard him hiss a sigh before he slowly turned around to face her, making her hand drop. He had lost that stoic face, but neither could she decipher any other emotion besides a head full of battling thoughts. She didn't want to see him like this. He seemed to be in so much pain, but it was different pain than what she was experiencing.

"InuYasha?" she whispered.

He was looking straight at her eyes with no hint of the embarrassment she was used to seeing from him. "Kagome...It's just that...I want to know why." He faced her a little more squarely, his tall figure looming over her. Despite that, his stance was gentle, almost defeated. "Why...did you free me? Why did you come here in the first place?" He gave a brief sigh and sadness flowed into his gaze. "Why did you trust me?"

Kagome watched him with wide eyes. She drank in his words, piecing together what it was he was trying to say. He seemed to withdraw slightly as if ashamed of his questions. "I should have...I should have just stolen the jewel from you and sent you back. I should never have let you stay here. But...I...I didn't, Kagome. There just has to be a reason that you're...that you have to..."

Suddenly it hit her like a wave. She felt something leap into her heart with a vengeance, but it was soothing and affectionate. "InuYasha..." She didn't even notice the name slip from her lips. It all made sense now. The way he had been acting, his detachment from the others, his following her into her time...

He wanted to know how everything had come to this. He wanted to know why the two of them had been forced to go through all of this. She had come to the past, freed him, and managed to melt some of the ice around his heart. The ice that had been there since the death of his mother and the trickery of Naraku. He had accepted the connection that had grown between them, but now that Kagome's fate was spelled out before her, he felt responsible for not stopping it earlier. His entire life he had felt the need to be strong and swift, but now he was faced against something that he could not stop. It was from this guilt he tried to rip himself away from her. Only it didn't work. He had followed her back to her time. For what reason, though? If he had wanted to separate himself from her to try and deal with her fore-planned death, why had he voluntarily followed her?

"But then, InuYasha..." she whispered, her eyes beginning to fog. "Why...did you come after me yesterday?"

He blinked in momentary surprise. "How'd you find out?" he asked in a serious tone.

Kagome didn't realize she was smiling lightly. "Shippou told me," she explained.

InuYasha furrowed his brow, but to Kagome's astonishment, he chuckled slightly. "I'll kill that damn kid," he muttered, though it was clear there was no real anger in him. After a small grunt he continued with, "No, Kagome. That's...that isn't why I came." The small curve of lips was gone from his face. The same went for Kagome.

Her breath felt tight in her chest, even though she was breathing normally. Forcing herself to blink slowly, she gently said, "Why then?"

His face began to flush, but he kept his eyes on hers. "I, um...I came because...umm..." His face was steadily growing redder. The bright morning did him no favours in hiding that. He started to grow restless as he searched for words. One hand unconsciously fiddled with the hilt of his Tetsusaiga. "Well...you've been here for so long that I...um...well, it felt...it felt...empty."

Kagome's breathing froze for a split second as her face began to redden slightly as well. His golden eyes filled her sight, refusing to let her thoughts flow freely. Finally realizing her mouth was hanging open a bit, she closed it with a snap. He had actually said...well, as close to it as he possibly could, but... InuYasha had nearly said straight out that he...

'He feels...lonely without me.' The thought echoed off the walls in her mind, only succeeding in making her flush even more until she was identical to InuYasha. For the first time ever, he had openly said that he missed her, that he felt lonely when she wasn't around. Usually he just grunted a hello at her return or came to get her without much explanation, but now...You have been here for so long that it felt empty.

"Inu...Yasha..." Kagome stuttered. At long last he had said something. On her final day, he had given her the best gift anyone could ever give her. It was small, but it was more than she had ever dreamed of. Tears began to fog her eyes even more. "InuYasha..." she repeated, taking a small step closer to him, a smile beginning to beat its way onto her face, tears or no.

At last Kagome let herself fall into the hanyou's chest, her arms clinging to his back in a tight embrace. Burying her face into his haori, she let her tears run free. There may not be any time left for crying over her fate, but there was always time to cry over the loss of her hanyou. For this final, tiny bittersweet moment of affection from InuYasha, there was all the time in the world.

InuYasha seemed to be in shock for the first few seconds, but eventually his tensed position melted until he gently laid his arms on Kagome's back, accepting the embrace. "Kagome..." she heard him whisper, all the ice it had held earlier gone alike yesterday's clouds. Kagome sniffed while giving a light giggle over feeling guilty at getting his haori stained with tears. Her lips curved in a thankful smile, she closed her eyes, letting the warmth of strong arms envelop her.

How long had it been since they had last embraced like this? The last had been when InuYasha had first tried to force her to return to her time and never come back. He had held her in his arms only to steal the jewel shards she had and push her back down the well. That had been months ago, but it felt as if years had passed since that day.

"Thank you, InuYasha," she said, her voice muffled a bit from being buried in his haori. His worry for her, his desire to protect her was the greatest gift she could have ever received in her lifetime. It meant more to her than all the birthday presents, cards, cakes and smiles she'd ever been given. She'd never forget it, and she hoped he would never forget either.

"Kagome," he whispered again and his hold on her tightened. Warmth surrounded the two of them and for those few minutes, Naraku was dead, the jewel was completed and wished away, and all their other worries were over.

After a good long time passed, Kagome reopened her eyes. The warmth was still there, but now the realities of her fate were beginning to return. Sango, Miroku, and Shippou were all waiting for them to return. The plan had to start taking action or else it would be too late. In spite of this, Kagome's smile remained and no hint of tears could be seen any longer. Pulling away from InuYasha a bit, she lovingly looked up at his face.

"We should get back, InuYasha," she said, though her voice was cheerful. He held the same smile she felt on her own face. All the ice was gone now and hopefully it would not return.

He nodded and the two of them pulled apart, but each kept one hand clasped tightly on the other's hand. Kagome never wanted to let go. Carefully the two of them ambled down the hill and made through the narrow path between the tall forest trees that led to the village.


A/N: At last I've finished another chapter! Sorry for the wait. Hehe... Anyway, this chapter was initially going to be much longer, but after I wrote up to this point, I realized it would be much too long. So now it's split in two. The next chapter will be coming shortly. Oh yes and one more thing, I realized that I had to set a time period of when this happens in relation to the rest of the series (with all the memories they are recalling) so if case anyone was curious, this is probably taking place just after the battle with the Panther Tribe. Remember to review!