Incomplete

- Chapter Fifteen -

The village was bustling with activity by the time Inuyasha returned the next morning to retrieve Sota. Heavy wooden carts rumbled slowly down the main stretch, piled high with bags of rice and freshly caught fish. Sota, Shippo and the other children were caught up in a heated game of 'soccer', easily navigating the ball between moving carts, eager shoppers and the temporary market stalls that'd been erected along the narrow street.

He watched them from a distance, with his shoulder resting against the wall of the house he'd stopped next to. It was a relief to see that the kid had got on okay without him. He hadn't planned on leaving him behind, but he just didn't have the patience to tolerate the comments and glares from the others for an entire night. They were still upset over what'd happened with Kagome, and probably would be until she returned. He didn't need their constant reminders that he'd screwed up. He was doing a good enough job of that himself.

As soon as Sota caught sight of him, he waved 'good bye' to the other children and ran towards him wearing a grin that spread from ear to ear.

"Hey Inuyasha! Is it time to go now?" He sounded disappointed to be returning home but relieved at the same time.

The half demon nodded and glanced over his head at Kaede's hut. Bending down on one knee he casually rested a hand on Sota's shoulder and looked him in the eye.

"I'm gonna take you home real soon. I just gotta talk to that old hag before we go," he explained, jerking his thumb towards the hut.

Sota nodded, "Okay!"

After a quick hair tousle he ran off to join the other kids, calling eagerly for someone to pass him the ball. Inuyasha watched him go and then made his way purposefully to the old miko's hut. He didn't bother announcing himself before pushing aside the bamboo mat that hung over the door and entering.

Kaede was seated in her usual spot, on the floor next to the fire. At his entrance she slowly stood up and went over to her collection of herbs. There she busied herself picking and sniffing from different piles before putting a few different selections into her tea pot.

"You know why I'm here I guess," he said levelly. His hands balled into anxious fists at his sides as he waited for her to respond. As much as he hated grovelling like this, he was willing to do it if it meant that he could be where Kagome was again.

Kaede didn't respond at first. She took her time walking back to the fire and spooning ladles of hot water into her tea pot. She set it aside on some hot rocks to steep and then finally turned a knowing look on him.

"Ay, I know why ye are here. As I told ye last night, Kagome must be the one to put yon necklace back around yer neck."

Inuyasha pounded his fist against the wall in frustration and angrily pulled the beads out from the inner pocket of his haori. He thrust the necklace at her, his eyes searching hers imploringly. When he didn't see any response he knelt down and braced his hands against the floor.

"Please, Kaede. I need your help. I need to see her again. I want to tell her-"

He didn't know what, but it didn't matter. He just needed to be where she was and know that she wasn't completely out of his reach. Begging wasn't his style but he was willing make an exception. He'd be as pathetic as he had to be if it meant he had another chance to see her again and explain.

"Kagome has already heard what ye need to tell her. It is up to her now to make the choice. It would do ye good to be patient for once in your life."

Inuyasha growled at her words and lifted himself off the ground. Raising his body up to its full height, he glared down at her with fire in his eyes.

"I know you put these beads around my neck the first time so you can do it again. If nothing else, do it so I can make sure the kid gets home safely."

Kaede stubbornly shook her head, refusing to give in. She tucked her hands into the sleeves of her robes and closed her eyes. Her voice sounded strained and frustrated when she spoke again.

"I have told ye already that I cannot help ye. What gave that necklace power was the connection that was formed between ye and her. When she removed the necklace that connection was broken. It can only be restored again once she decides to put it back on ye and does so."

Inuyasha snarled at her words and thrust aside the mat hanging across the door. Storming out into the street, he nearly ran over Sota who was waiting for him with his back against the wall. The boy looked up at him expectantly, but the half demon didn't have the heart to tell him the news just yet.

Tucking the beads into his pocket he knelt down so the boy could climb onto his back. With his legs tucked under his arms he told him to hold on tight and tore through the fields to the well, cursing Kaede and her stubbornness the entire way.

When they finally reached the well, Inuyasha set Sota down and the boy looked up at him expectantly.

"Are you going to come with me?" he asked.

Inuyasha threw himself down onto the ground in a huff and leaned his back against the well's ancient wooden walls. He pulled out the beads and grazed his thumb along their smooth edges. When he looked up at Sota he couldn't hide the sadness and disappointment in his eyes. The boy's face fell as soon as he realized he would be making the trip back to the modern era alone.

"It turns out the old hag was right. Only Kagome can put these beads back around my neck and I can't go through the well without them. Do you still have those jewel shards?"

Sota nodded and pulled the small vial from his pocket which contained the shining pink shards. He held them up into the light and the sun glinted off their sharp edges.

Inuyasha nodded once and stood up, "Okay that's good. When you get home, make sure you put them on Kagome's desk where you found them."

"And here," he added, reluctantly giving Sota the subjugation necklace, "take this too. It's probably best if you don't tell her you came here."

"But why can't I tell her? I'll tell her you're really, really sorry for ditching her for that other friend. I'm sure she'll forgive you then!"

Inuyasha had to smile at the boy's naïveté. He only wished he could be so optimistic. The sinking feeling in his chest told him that things weren't going to go his way this time. Kagome had given him so many chances and all he'd ever done was disappoint her.

Placing his hand gently on Sota's head, he nodded towards the well. "Thanks kid, but this is between me and Kagome. Now go on home before your mom worries about you."

He gently lifted the boy onto the well's ledge and waited while he stared dubiously into its murky depths. He suddenly turned around and wrapped his arms around Inuyasha's neck, holding him tight. The half demon's amber eyes opened wide, stunned by Sota's embrace, but he quickly hugged him back. After so many days of being shunned by everyone he knew, it felt good to know that there was finally someone on his side.

Before letting go, Sota whispered up towards one of Inuyasha's white dog-like ears,

"I'm gonna miss you."

Holding the boy tighter to him, Inuyasha closed his eyes and answered, "I'm gonna miss you too, kid."

In many ways Sota had become like the brother he'd always wanted. As a child he'd grown up alone and unwanted but Sota was always so happy and full of life. He lived the life Inuyasha had always dreamed of living as a child but was never able to experience because of his half-demon heritage.

If Kagome left for good he would lose Sota, too. They would never again have their humorous and often embarrassing man-to-man talks. Inuyasha liked the fact that he was someone's hero, even if it was only to Kagome's brother.

Breaking away from the hug he looked down the well and Sota looked with him.

"Are you ready now?" he asked softly. Sota nodded and before he could say another word he'd jumped down into the darkness. The blue glow that lingered at the bottom of the well marked his successful trip back to the modern era.

Inuyasha stared down the well for some time, unsure what he was looking for. Finally, he leapt over the side hoping that he would somehow end up in her world. When his feet landed in the soft dirt he tilted his head up and sniffed the air for her scent. He abruptly stopped when all he could smell was grass and trees.

Just as Kaede had said, he was stuck in the feudal era until Kagome returned. Feeling the frustration boil up in his chest, he struck out with his claws at the sides of the well. He clawed at the stones again and again leaving deep gouge marks in the aged rock. With his anger temporarily satiated, he slumped exhausted against the stone wall and tilted his head towards the sky.

All he could do now was wait.

oOo

The air was unseasonably warm and the sun hot against her back. Kagome sat atop the edge of the Bone Eater's Well and stared unseeingly at the grass beneath her feet. Her mind was turning as she waited with her fingers thrumming rhythmically against the aged wood.

She'd spent nearly a week in the modern era thinking over her options but she was still torn. What it came down to was the simple question - should she stay or should she go? Only, it wasn't simple at all. She still had the jewel shards to think about and there wasn't anything simple about leaving Inuyasha and the others behind.

She loved him, and had for a long time, but his feelings were so hard to pin down. She was tired of being hurt, tired of feeling jealous towards a dead woman, and really tired of living in someone else's shadow. She hated the fact that every time he looked at her with a certain softness in his eyes, a tiny voice in the back of her mind whispered that it was Kikyo's face he was seeing instead of hers. Love wasn't supposed to be this complicated.

If she stayed she would be sentencing herself to a lifetime of feeling inadequate. How could she ever be truly happy that way? He may love her and he may have sworn to protect her with his life, but it wasn't enough. She needed more and she deserved more. But saying goodbye to him…? She dreaded just thinking about it. Would she even have the strength?

Kagome looked up to find that Inuyasha had emerged from the woods a short distance away. His feet halted just inside the clearing and they locked eyes across the field. It felt like an eternity passed before he slowly came forward and stopped in front of her.

"So, have you made your choice?" he asked coolly.

His hands were balled into tight fists at his sides and she could feel the tension emanating from him. This was going to be so hard. The tears were already brimming in her eyes when she finally threw herself into his arms. He wrapped them tight around her body and held her as she sobbed into his haori.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry Inuyasha," she kept repeating over and over again.

When she finally pushed herself out of his embrace she couldn't bear to meet his gaze.

"Kagome?" she heard him ask tentatively as he tried to catch her eye. She shook her head as she wiped the tears from her face.

"I'm leaving."

The half demon took an unconscious step backwards. A look of shock washed over his features.

"What are you talking about? I thought... What about the Sacred Jewel?"

She shook her head and heaved a despondent sigh. Her legs gave out and she collapsed down onto the edge of the well.

"I'll keep searching for the jewel shards. I have a duty to collect them and fix what I broke, but I can't do this any more."

"Do what?" Inuyasha argued, knowing full well what she was getting at.

"This!" she said exasperated, and waved at the air around them. "I'm tired of feeling like this. And getting hurt. And loving someone who can't love me back. I can't do it anymore."

"So your answer is to run off to Sesshomaru? What about Sango and Miroku? Or Shippo, Kaede and Kirara - have you thought about how they might feel?" he shouted back.

"They'll understand," she snapped. And she knew they would, too. They'd seen this argument a dozen times over and it was finally time to put an end to it. No matter where she was they would always be her friends, she was certain of that. The only problem she faced now was Inuyasha and finding a way to make him understand and let go.

"What about me?"

The quiet pain in his voice left her hesitating. She didn't want to hurt him, it was the last thing she wanted to do, but this time she had to put herself first. He'd begged her to stay with him like this before and she'd always given in, but this time things were different. She'd finally reached her limit.

With a heavy heart she stood and wrapped her arms around him. He reciprocated, holding her tight to his chest. He whispered her name, his tone hopeful, and she offered him a parting kiss on the cheek. Pulling away and taking those first few steps that would separate them was the hardest thing she'd ever had to do. But she did it, first with one step and then another, until she was across the field and entering the cool embrace of the forest shade.

Inuyasha watched her go in silence. Standing alone next to the well, he didn't make a move to stop her.

She was right. What right did he have to ask her to stay? He hadn't given her any good reason to. His chest ached as he watched her walk out of his life. In a daze, he lowered himself onto the rim of the well. This time she wasn't coming back and the truth of it hurt more than he ever thought it could.