Inuyasha was perched on the side of the well, in Kagome's time, watching her reunite with her family. Naraku was dead and the jewel was gone, wished out of existence by Kagome while in the meido.

He didn't hesitate when she was sucked into the meido; there was no risk he wouldn't take to get her back. He'd followed her and fought his way through countless yokai, calling for her, telling her to wait for him. Her trust in him never wavered and she held out until he found his way to her side.

The jewel tried to tempt her, using promises of seeing her family again, of seeing Inuyasha again, to attempt to goad her into making the wrong wish. But his voice and her faith in him were all she needed and they were able to end it all with him by her side. Inuyasha couldn't help but wonder how things would have turned out if he hadn't had his wake-up call all those months ago when he was separated from Kagome.

They'd grown so much closer since the incident with the corrupted shard, both emotionally and physically. They didn't get a lot of alone time but when they did he never hesitated to tell her that he loved her, that he wanted to stay with her. Kisses and small caresses were shared when they thought nobody was looking. The monk had caught them more than once, pressed against a tree exploring new territory. They never went too far though, keeping everything over the barrier of their clothes.

That wasn't to say that everything had been perfect. He was still jealous when Koga came around, only now it seemed to piss Kagome off even more. He couldn't help it though, she was his dammit, and that stupid wolf didn't know how to keep his hands to himself. That was really the only time she ever regretted removing the power from the rosary.

Then there was Kikyo. Kagome understood why he ran to see her, on some level she'd always understood. He tried to be more open and tell Kagome before he went to her but he still fucked up sometimes. Maybe, if he'd been more careful or taken Kagome with him, they wouldn't have lost her like they did. He tried not to blame himself and he knew Kagome felt some level of guilt for her death too. They just had to remind each other that it was Naraku that killed her, that Naraku was the only one responsible, and that Naraku was the one who would pay for her death.

At least Kikyo had found peace at the end and died in the arms of someone she loved. It hurt but he found the strength to move on and Kagome was there when he was ready for her comfort. She didn't push him but she didn't leave him to suffer alone either. It was just another reason he loved her so much.

Now he could hardly believe it was all over. Their friends were undoubtedly waiting on the other side of the well for their return but right now this was where they needed to be. As much as he wanted to grab Kagome and take her somewhere private so he could kiss her senseless, he knew it would have to wait.

He heard his name and brought himself back to the present. Mrs. Higurashi was waving him over, gesturing for him to join them in their little celebration. Who was he to refuse?

As soon as his feet hit the ground next to the well he felt something: a pulse of power from the well that left the air in the well house feeling empty. He locked eyes with Kagome and she came to stand by his side.

"You felt that too?" she asked.

"Yeah. What do you think it was?"

They both looked down into the well and his hand sought hers. When she squeezed his hand he knew they were both thinking the same thing.

"Should we try it?" she asked and looked at him nervously.

He was sure it wasn't going to work. The well had always had a presence about it that let you know it held some unimaginable power and now that presence was gone.

"What if it only takes me?" he asked. "I don't know if I could stop it."

She pressed into his side and he put his arm around her shoulders in response. "I won't let you go, I promise," she said. "But we have to try. Miroku, Sango, Shippo, everyone is waiting. I don't want them to worry."

"What if it lets us through but it won't let you back?" He hated to ask but he had to know and she had to be aware it was a possibility.

"As long as I'm with you, I'll be alright."

Her answer took his breath away. They both turned and knew by the looks on her families' faces that they understood what was happening. They said a round of emotional goodbyes, just in case and nobody tried to stop them or talk them out of their decision. They understood how important their friends on the other side were.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

She nodded, once, and wrapped her arms around his waist. He pulled her close and held her against his chest, breathing in her scent, holding this moment in his mind in case the unthinkable happened. He hopped over the side of the well before he could lose his nerve and tightened his arms as they fell. No matter what, he would not let her go.

There was no magic, no feeling of falling through time, just the soft thump of his feet hitting the bottom of the well. It was closed, probably for good. They stood there for a minute, both contemplating what it would mean for them. They let out twin sighs of relief, too aware of how much another separation would have hurt them.

Kagome leaned up and kissed him, pulling him close. She pulled back from the kiss and met his eyes. "Inuyasha, I'm sor…" she started.

He shook his head to stop her. "It's alright Kagome. It's like you said, as long as I'm with you, It'll be alright." It wouldn't be easy. Her world was loud, smelly, and confusing but he could deal with it, for her he could deal with anything. They'd spent a lot more time on this side recently and she'd even convinced him to wear more of the modern clothes she'd purchased. He would manage, somehow.

They heard a new voice in the well house and Inuyasha started to growl. "You've got to be fucking kidding me!" He wrapped an arm around Kagome's waist and launched them back out of the well. "What the hell are you doing here?" he shouted at the newcomer.

"Yo, mutt, Kagome, it's been a while." Standing next to Kagome's mother was Koga, dressed in a modern business suit, looking completely human but completely recognizable. "I'm here to help you start your new life."

"How the fuck are you here? And why do you look human?" Inuyasha demanded.

"I'm a yokai, I live a long damn time. When you didn't come back through the well, your friends found me and explained where you were from, Kagome. They wanted me to find you to make sure you were alright, even though they knew they wouldn't live long enough to see you again. I've been waiting a long time for this day."

"How? Why?" was all Kagome could manage.

"I've got connections that you're going to need. Mutt is gonna need papers and a concealment charm if he's gonna start blending in here." Koga pulled out a manilla envelope and handed it to Kagome. "He's also gonna need a tutor so he can get a job at some point."

"Koga contacted us months ago," her mother added. "He made us promise not to say anything until the well closed. He's been working with us to get ready for today."

"You knew?" Kagome asked. "All this time, you knew what was going to happen?"

"Not exactly. Koga gave us very little information," her mother explained. "All we knew was that the well was going to close and you weren't going to be on the other side. There was still the possibility that you both would just...disappear. " Mrs. Higurashi's voice faltered and she had to clear her throat before speaking again. "In exchange for us keeping quiet, Koga offered to set it up so that Inuyasha existed in this time. We wanted to be ready for...for either outcome."

"Mama," Kagome said and rushed to hug her mother.

Inuyasha plopped down on the edge of the well and stared at his hands, at his claws. Everything suddenly felt very real and he felt very unprepared. How was he supposed to blend in? How was he supposed to provide for and support Kagome in a world he knew nothing about? He looked up and caught Koga staring at him.

"You're gonna be fine, mutt. We've all been ready for this for a long time." Koga patted him on the shoulder. "You're gonna have to rely on other people for a little while and it's not gonna be easy but, well, we know you'll do anything for her so…" Koga shrugged.

"We?" Inuyasha asked. "Who else knows…?" He trailed off and went back to staring at his hands, too much going through his mind to grasp one train of thought.

Kagome must have noticed his trepidation because she started ushering everyone out of the well house.

"Could you all just give us a minute, please? I need to talk to him alone."

When Inuyasha looked up again, the doors were closed and they were alone. Kagome sat down on the steps, leaving room for him to sit next to her, and started pulling things out of the envelope. He joined her and she leaned into his side.

"Inuyasha, I know this isn't what you wanted. I'm sorry you're stuck here."

He had to take a few deep breaths to calm himself before he could talk. "It is what I wanted, sort of. I wanted to be by your side, no matter what, and that's where I am. I'm just worried about what I'll do now."

"We'll figure it out. That's why Koga is here, to help you adjust and blend in. Look, all the papers you need are in here." She handed him the small stack of papers that proved Inuyasha existed in her time. "This must be the concealment charm," she said, examining an expensive-looking sports watch with a digital display. The band was a durable-looking black fabric and the bezel was a deep red. It shimmered slightly and pulsed a little in response to her spiritual power.

"I'm not worried about blending in," he lied and took the watch from her hand to check it over. "I'm worried...I'm more worried that I don't know how to provide for you on this side, how to take care of you."

She took the watch back and helped fasten it around his wrist. The effect was immediate, his hair darkening, ears moving to the side of his head, claws and fangs disappearing. "Do you feel different?" she asked.

"No, why?" He looked at his hands and noticed his claws were gone. He ran a finger over one experimentally and discovered they were still there, just hidden.

"You look human." Kagome reached up and felt around for his ears. She could still fear the furry appendage and let out a sigh of relief when it twitched against her hand. "Still there, just hidden," she assured him.

"Keh, of course," he said with more confidence than he felt. "It's not enough though, Kagome. Looking human isn't enough; I still don't know how to do anything in your world."

"You being here is enough right now, Inuyasha. We'll figure the rest out as we go. This isn't like the past where men do all the providing and women pop out babies and do laundry. Things are a lot more equal now. Why do you think going to school has always been so important to me? I never wanted to have to rely on someone else to survive."

"You could've relied on me though; on the other side I could've taken care of you." He reached over and laced his fingers with hers. "I can't do anything here, there aren't any yokai to kill, I can't hunt or fish for food, and I can't provide a place to live. What good am I?"

"Oh Inuyasha, I don't need you to do any of that. We'll find a way for you to contribute, even if it's just working around the shrine. My biggest worry would have been that you didn't exist here, on paper. But Koga took care of that and it sounds like he'll continue helping us."

Inuyasha growled, "I hate relying on wolf-shit for anything."

"Why don't we just see what he has to say before we start worrying too much, ok?" She leaned forward and brushed her lips over his. "As long as we're together, right?" she asked. "I love you, Inuyasha."

He leaned down to kiss her more firmly before pulling her into a hug and resting his cheek on the top of her head. "I love you too, Kagome. You're right, I'll be ok as long as we're together."

They held onto each other for a few minutes, enjoying the last bit of peace before they had to face what lay beyond the well house doors. Eventually, they got up and approached the door to the outside and, holding hands, they slid open the door to face their new life together.