A/N: Oh...my...gosh. So, I've have gone through like the worst writing dry spell of my life. I'm so sorry for not updating in like three months but now I'm back on track...I know what's coming next and it'll be up by next week. That's a promise. Please let me know how you like it!

Chapter 9: Back to the Beginning

Shadows of night cast over Mimiko's face as she lie awake under her blankets. Normally she would be asleep like everyone else but weariness would come to her tonight. So, she stared out into the blank wall beside her letting her mind travel where it may.

She had only been in the feudal era for four days but they had been the most blissful and memorable four days of her entire life.

First of all, she had found her father. That was the biggest thing. He explained so many things in her. Her demon traits for one. She had his eyes and a sudden and unexpected burst of pride washed over her. She'd never been proud of her eyes before. Now she lie there in the dead of night thinking about how this man's eyes made her special. How these eyes connected them. But eyes weren't the only thing they shared. She had inherited his recklessness; his inability to pay attention to details and safety. It was nice to know that she was indeed like her father in more ways than one.

Finding Inuyasha was probably the most worthwhile thing that had ever happened to her and that was no exaggeration.

Besides her father, she had also found Kie, Miroku and Sango. She had never had friends before. A warm feeling rushed through her body. It was being able to talk to Sango about everyday things, sending little smiles to each other, sharing bits of advice that sent little pinpricks that she had never experienced before jabbing at her skin giving her goose bumps.

She got the same feeling when she thought about Kie waking her up in the morning. Mimiko would open her eyes to see the light of life in his. She let a smile slip onto her face as she thought about the way Kie looked at her sometimes. He was outgoing but he had this signature 'shy smile' that he would give people sometimes. It made her heart leap when their eyes locked. There were so many things she enjoyed about Kie, and all the others, that she didn't want to live without.

Who knew that four days could make such an impact on one person? Who knew that they could make such an impact that she didn't want to go back home? No, this was home. She was home.

Those thoughts gently drifted away with the soft shuffle of footsteps. They passed her quietly, obviously not trying to wake anyone up but as they came closer Mimiko quickly shut her eyes to imitate sleep.

'Who would be up now?' She thought to herself.

As soon as she was sure that whoever was up was passed her she propped her head up to identify the person but all she saw was a glimpse of red that was swiftly replaced by moonlight.

000

Inuyasha walked quietly down the traveled path. He'd done it a million times so why did his stomach always jump when he left?

Every full moon he would wait until everyone was asleep, then he would carefully leave the hut without waking anybody. He'd done it for years so why was he always so afraid that someone would find him?

Maybe it was because he always thought she would come back and if she came back he would be in trouble for leaving in the middle of the night. If he ever left he got yelled at. Maybe by now he just expected it, even though she wasn't there.

He often hoped walking back to the hut that he would find her there

The half-demon stopped in his tracks a pain clinching his chest so hard it made it difficult for him to breath. He sat down at the base of a nearby tree and tenderly placed a hand over his chest. He exhaled slowly, feeling the source of his pain beating softly on the other side of his skin.

He loved her so much it hurt. Tears lined his eyes.

He never cried. He could count the times he'd cried in his lifetime on one had but she'd changed that. But now she was gone and she couldn't come back. All those times he'd come back from his midnight trips hoping to find her back at the hut waiting for him and she was never there; but now there wasn't even hope of finding her. She was dead.

000

"Where were you? I've been waiting." A familiar voice chimed to him.

"I was delayed okay? Why do you have to ask so many questions?" His tone was gruff as usual.

"I was just asking. You don't have to explain yourself to me if you don't want to." Deep brown locked with molten gold.

Guilt…he repeatedly felt it when he did this but tonight was worse. He knew he shouldn't be there. That it was wrong and it had been wrong since the dawn of time but he was there.

A silence settled between the two people.

The deep brown eyes could see the apology in his gold ones. He was sorry for being there and the hurt came. Their eyes simply drifted from each other both thinking different things.

"I'm leaving tonight."

"What?" He asked, making sure he'd heard correctly.

"You heard me Inuyasha. I can't stay here anymore. I've spent far to much time in a place I don't belong."

"Kikyo." He whispered his eyes rising back up to hers. She was beautiful. Her hair was down, framing her face in the way Inuyasha loved. But he didn't love her.

"Come with me…like you promised." She asked in a sad and simple tone.

His eyes widened. He'd promised…

But he couldn't. Not now. If she had asked him the last time they met he would have done it with out questions...but now? He couldn't. What about Sango, Kie? What about Miroku? What about Mimiko? They'd only just met. She was a piece of Kagome that Inuyasha never thought he'd have. He couldn't just leave all of that and go with Kikyo.

"I can't." He said quietly.

"What?" The hanyou could hear the anger in her voice.

"I can't go with you Kikyo." He turned to her with sorry eyes. "I can't leave my family."

"What family? You don't have family. I don't have family. We have each other." She explained with a poise she always had. He could see it in her face that she was enraged.

"I do have a family. I just didn't realize it until recently." He said begging her to understand.

"You promised." She breathed. "YOU PROMISED!" She grabbed an arrow and set on her bow pulling it back until it was taught.

Inuyasha just stood there. Inside he was panicking. "Kikyo, please." He tried to seem clam to her because he knew she was not. "Don't do this."

"You will come with me." The priestess said, shaking with fury. "And if this is the only way…so be it." Then she let the arrow fly.

"KIKYO!" Inuyasha heard himself yell.

"NO!" Someone screamed.

Then pink lit the sky; a deep pink that Inuyasha had only seen once before.

He hadn't felt the impact of the arrow telling him that someone else was with them.

The whistle of pink streaks whizzed every which way as his eyes darted over the terrain to find a body lying on the ground.

Mimiko was lying, crumpled, in a small pool of her own blood, pink light illuminating a wound on her right hip. On the ground next to her was the sacred arrow meant for him.

Deja vu washed over Inuyasha as he realized what was happening. His daughter had followed him and saved him from fate but in return destiny stepped in and found a way to turn back time.

The sacred jewel had found it's way home and destiny found a way to go back to where everything had began more than fifteen years ago.