The sun was setting, the horrible day was through, but its contents still made me shake, I could feel myself trembling all over.

He was dead, after all the times we were tormented by that Naraku, He was finally dead. But so was Inuyasha, and that's the reason why I shook. That, and the fact that even though I possess the now fully restored Shikon no Tama, I am but a slave. A slave to whom? None other than that cold heartless taiyoukai of the Western Lands, Sesshomaru.

Do you want to know how it all happened? Do you want to know what happened next? I'll tell you… but I can promise you, you'll be shocked.

We had been tracking Naraku's sent for three days and we knew we were getting close. We had lost Songo yesterday; she had seen her brother, Kohaku and had run after him; Miroku followed her, worriedabout her safety... so he was gone also. It was just Inuyasha, and I. We had been arguing that night, so he was up in the tallest tree around, and I was resting at the foot of it, unable to stay away from him even though we were mad at each other.

"Inuyasha won't you talk to me now?" I'd holler up.

"Nothin' doing," was his only reply.

We sat like that for a couple hours as the sun set and night began to take hold...

"Inuyasha won't you talk to me?"

"Nothin' doing"

I allowed this to continue, every ten minutes or so yelling up at him, until I had had just about all I could take. We were alone, so I had no one to talk to, no one to help me figure out what to do, so I just cried. I cried silently, into my knees that were pulled to my chest; hoping, praying that he wouldn't figure out what I was doing, that I was crying, or the reason for it. But then again he was Inuyasha, and I knew that would find out.

"What's wrong Kagome?" came a whisper next to my ear; I hadn't even heard him come down. He was eased up against the tree, Tetsusaiga resting in the crook of his arm, with a gentle breeze playing with his silver hair.

"I'm scared." I whispered not sure if he heard me, I didn't even hear it myself.

"So am I Kagome, So am I. This time we are so close to defeating him; we know his moves, his strategies, and his incarnations; this time one of us will die." Inuyasha voiced with conviction.

It terrified me, hearing the truth in his voice and the set look of determination on his face, somehow I knew one way or the other I was going to lose him... "No Inuyasha! I won't hear you talk like that! That will never happen, you will not die, I won't let you! Ever! No mater how many people want you to, I would stand in the way of a hundred blades."

"Kagome," he started, turning his face towards mine, "I wouldn't want you to."

"Quit talking like that Inuyasha, you know I will! For you to live I'd die a thousand deaths." I was just desperatly trying to convine him to live; to tell him in a way, that I love him.

"Kagome there is so much I long to say," he face told me he understood, but his voice hurt, "this has to wait Kagome."

"Why Inuyasha?" I cryed.

"I don't know who will survive this last confrontation, and If I don't…

"Don't talk like that!"

….I don't want you to wait for me. To hold-back on living your life. Even if I'm not there to live it with you."

He had thought this over, it wasn't just empty words he was telling me. "But you have to be if you arn't…. I won't know what to do."

"Yes you will." He lightly laughed, smiling a lazy, easy smile, "I'll leave someone to take care of you once I'm gone. I already talked to him."

"Who? Who is it?"

Inuyasha didn't answer me, he stood up instead and he surveyed the landscape. I got up with him and stood beside him, anxous, "What's wrong?"

"Get on my back," he wispered urgently, "we have to leave."

I ran quickly back to the tree and grabbed my bow and arrows, anticipating the battle that I knew was soon to come

"Hurry Kagome he's coming closer. We need to get out of this spot..."

"He kows we're here."