Chapter Five

But, but but…

Kagome sighed and shook her head. It was time. She had to go. She had to leave. If she didn't now…

Shippo was clinging to her leg and she half limped her way to the well. Finally, she managed to pry him off. "I'm sorry, Shippo-chan, but I HAVE to go home… It almost killed me to leave before… If I don't leave now, I never will…"

The young kitsune looked up at her through teary emerald eyes. "So?" he asked indignantly. "Is that so bad?"

Kagome felt her heart melt and the sad smile she had worn fade away. "I… No, of course not but…" She searched for the words to justify her leaving the poor kit for the second time. "I belong in… in my era."

She placed him in Sango's arms and hugged her best friend quickly, moving to Miroku. Luckily, he knew not to touch her this time. Just hug.

Swallowing, she kissed Kirara on the forehead as the fire yokai in her transformed state roared sadly and nuzzled her.

Turning away, she fixed her eyes with InuYasha who promptly dropped his golden eyes and gazed down at the earth. He was surprised when he suddenly smelled salty tears coming at him and felt Kagome crash into him, hugging him gently, her arms hooked under his and holding him close to her.

"Gomen, InuYasha," she whispered. "I…"

She HAD to stop talking. She had to go. If she didn't, she felt like she'd spill everything. So, now matter how much she didn't want to, Kagome detached herself from InuYasha.

It was as though something warm and dear to him was leaving him, and InuYasha watched Kagome turn away, tossing her long raven hair over her should. "Say-Sayonara, mina," she called, swallowing the lump that had begun to grow in her throat. She turned back to the well.

'This is it then,' she thought sadly, taking a deep breathing and pushing herself onto the edge of the well. 'This is goodbye…'

"KAGOME!!!!!"

She turned and tilted her head to the side. "Hai, Shippo-chan?"

The young fox kit had broken away from Sango's hold and had bounded over to Kagome. "Don't go," he whispered as he reached her, vaulting himself from the ground and smushing himself into Kagome's shirt.

Kagome sighed. "I'm sorry, but I told you… I belong in my era and you in yours. It's the way it should've always been…"

Shippo looked up into her eyes. "But what about us? We all want you to stay…"

She looked away. "Not all," she muttered softly.

Shippo growled and whirled around to Sango. "You want her to stay, don't you?" he demanded in a very uncharacteristic voice, his anger, determination, and fear spilling into it. She nodded. "You?" he demanded of Miroku and Kirara. A small "Of course and a roar came from the two.

He whirled around to face InuYasha who was still looking at the grass. "What about you, InuYasha?" Shippo growled. "Don't YOU want Kagome to stay!?" Silence.

Kagome sighed. "I… I guess that settles it… Not everybody wants me to stay, and again, it's just right for me to go back." She was using the fact that not everybody needed or wanted her here to help her leave. It would cool her conscious and let her go at the same time.

Placing Shippo on the ground gently, she stood above the well. Taking a deep breath, she got ready to jump.

"Yeah, I do."

She paused and turned back. "Yeah you do what, InuYasha?" she asked, her brows knitting together in confusion.

He finally looked up, his eyes speaking volumes to her. He didn't want her to go. He didn't want her to leave and never come back. And he didn't know why.

"Yeah, I do want you to stay… Kagome."

She started. He had said her name, to him, for the first time. Kagome realized how wonderful her name sounded in his lips. How musical and wondrous as the most beautiful tune ever. But it was more the fact that he had taken…

Kagome cried out as Shippo jumped back onto her, full of energy and happiness. "SEE!!!! Everybody wants you to stay! You just CAN'T leave now!"

She looked from Shippo to Miroku, to Sango, to Kirara, and, finally, to InuYasha. They were all looking at her pleadingly. Taking a deep breath, she let it out slowly and shook her head.

"I… Fine."

Shippo practically screamed in her ear, flying from her and whirling about in happiness. "BUT!" He stopped, one foot still in the air, balancing on the other. "I can't stay forever… you guys know that. And I'll have to go back to my time to grab materials and stuff… I stay, but get to leave for my time every now and then. Deal?"

Shippo nodded vigorously and yipped, "DEAL!" before beginning to dance again.

Everybody looked relieved and Kagome sighed. 'Stupid stupid stupid,' she thought angrily, longing to hit her forehead in frustration and anger, but a part of her was dancing along with Shippo.

It was now a week since she had agreed to stay behind. She had told her mother everything, and Jii-chan was back with inventing strange and rare 'illnesses' that were supposed to plague Kagome. Of course, running from yokai wasn't much better.

Everything had gone back to the way it once was; sits galore, yokai as far as they eye could reach, fighting and yelling. Ah… Kagome hadn't realized how much she had missed this…

Stretching, she yawned and shook her head, her ebony hair flying around her. It was slightly longer than everybody in the Sengoku Jidai had remembered. It flowed around her waist and she wore less… revealing clothing.

She had explained everything to her friends, not including InuYasha (Kagome imagined if he'd known they had been talking about anything without him, he wouldn't have been very pleased… especially something like this.), and told them not to tell him anything under ANY circumstances! Shippo had told her that it had explained a lot, but that Miroku and Sango had figured it out, and that Sesshomaru had told them. Everything he had said had only done to confirm their fear; that Kagome wasn't coming back.

"So… where's the next village at?" she asked, looking around the group. "And why do they need out help?"

"Keh. Typical woman," growled a certain annoyed hanyou, thrusting his dog nose into the air. "Never listens to a thing I say…"

"Ahem," Miroku cut in, increasing his paces so he was level with InuYasha. "Excuse me, but I believe it was I who told her-"

InuYasha hit him over the head and growled, "So?"

Kagome sighed. "InuYasha…"

He looked up, unsure of what that half sickly sweet, half exasperated tone was meant for, but he could guess. "WHAT!?'

"Osuwari."

They continued to walk as if nothing had happened, leaving their hanyou friend, rear end up, his face pushed into the dirt.

"What was that about?" Kagome asked, sighing and scratching her cheek in a dismayed way, a small blush appearing.

Miroku shrugged and Sango said sadly, "He's been acting like that a lot, ever since you came back. He's been more irritable, been staring off into space a lot more, and has been more eager to say anything around you." Kagome blushed as Sango continued. "Maybe he-"

"COULD YA GUYS NOT TALK ABOUT ME BEHIND MY BACK!!!!!!????????" InuYasha shouted after them, lifting his head up as best he could so it wouldn't be quiet so muffled. "I CAN HEAR YA JUST FINE OVER HERE!!!!!"

Kagome sighed and lowered her voice considerably, hoping InuYasha couldn't here her. "I… What if he's beginning to remember?"

"Is that such a bad thing?" Shippo asked, tilting his head to one side.

Kagome shook her head. "Yes… and no. True… a little bit of me wants him to remember, but if he remembers, it'll be harder for me to go back home. Why do you think I pushed so hard for me to leave? I love being here with you guys… but I can't come back and forth and back and forth ALL the time! When I get older, I'll have a job, and won't be able to do this that much."

Shippo's lower lip quivered slightly, but he finally got his bearings and looked away, not wanting her to see him cry. "Yeah, but… couldn't you just stay here?" he asked in a low voice, not looking Kagome in the eye.

Kagome sighed. "Shippo-chan, we've been over this," she growled, oblivious to the looks Sango and Miroku had exchanged or the fact that InuYasha was coming up behind them. "I can't stay! You yourself know who delicate the balance of time is! It's a miracle I'm able to come here at all! I don't want to stay here too long incase something happens in my time because I've been here for years or something! AND I'd miss my family."

InuYasha internally sighed. He was moody because he didn't understand WHY he cared at all if this stupid little girl left or didn't leave. He had been hurt beyond repair when Kikyo had died, once when she had betrayed him, and once in his arms. He didn't think he could take another person to hurt him.

'Of course, you don't love her!' he screamed at himself, sticking his arms in the sleeves of his haori as Sango asked a question, all of them still oblivious to InuYasha's presence. 'But… if you don't, then why do you think about her so much?' a little voice asked. 'If you don't, then why don't you just toss her over the side of that well and wave her farewell? You KNOW she has a Shikon shard, and how she came by it is beyond you! If you don't love her, why haven't you stolen it by now?'

Questions he could answer…

Kagome waved her hand in front of InuYasha's unseeing eyes. They had finally realized that he was there, but he was staring, unseeingly, off into the distance.

Sighing, she took a step back and growled, "InuYasha… O-su-wa-"

He jumped visibly and she smiled. "Works every time," she muttered and turned away. InuYasha still stared at her.

Kagome walked on ahead of the group, feeling all of their stares at the back of her head, making her feel self conscious. She had changed; become stronger and more independent… or so she showed everybody. Inside she was still the quivering little girl, running away from Mistress Centipede and unconscious in Hoshiyomi's arms, Akitoki Hojo and InuYasha desperate to save her. She was still the same as she had been at 15, and though they thought she had changed, she hadn't, and deep down, they knew it.

(A/N: GAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!! WHAT IS IT; ATTACK OF THE SHORT CHAPTERS AND WRITERS BLOCK!!!!!??? –le sigh- Well… I'm going to do something mean… REALLY mean… blame Lunar Chasmodai…

-gulps and takes deep breath- I'm going to wait until I get five reviews before I put the new chapter up, so please, review. –growls- Again, blame Chas…

The Kikyo Hater)