Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, as you all know.

Chapter Two

Inuyasha opened his eyes abruptly, his heart racing. It took him a second to realize that he had been sleeping, and to orient himself. He was still in the forest. In a tree, to be exact. He hadn't gone back to the village in two days.

Maybe he was overreacting. Maybe he could give them another chance.

And what will another chance do? He thought. Nothing will change.

And so he stayed in the tree.

He remembered a time when he actually wanted to defeat Naraku. A time where he spent everyday agonizing over that demon, a time where it was his ultimate goal to get revenge.

But now, he'd give anything to bring Naraku back.

If Naraku was alive, then perhaps Kagome would be sitting next to him right now, instead of sulking in her time, or Kami knows what. If Naraku was alive, then he would still have a reason to live. Now he was just…existing.

He jumped when he heard footsteps beneath his tree, but he knew who it was even before he looked down.

"Kikyo." He breathed. He hadn't seen her in years.

She looked up at him, her dark gray eyes both sad and bitter. "Inuyasha." She said softly.

They were both silent for a moment. A cool breeze tousled Kikyo's loose hair, blowing it gently to one side. The leaves whispered to each other, shaking in the wind, as the silence between them grew.

Inuyasha found himself holding his breath as they locked eyes. He knew she was trying to tell him something, and he could feel the importance of it weighing heavy in the air.

Finally, she spoke, her voice almost a whisper. "Inuyasha…I have something of great importance to ask you." Inuyasha nodded in encouragement for her to continue, feeling as though his vocal cords were frozen.

Kikyo looked at the ground and took a deep breath, then once again looked him in the eye, her eyes hard. "Inuyasha—I am going to die. But this time, I am not being cheated of my life; I have chosen death." Inuyasha involuntarily inhaled sharply and felt a jab in his throat; a lump was forming.

"There is nothing left for me, Inuyasha. And I now feel that my time is passing." Inuyasha jumped down from the tree, feeling that he could finally speak again.

"Kikyo, I'm here for you!" He said, but she shook her head sadly. "You're here, but not for me."

Inuyasha growled in frustration. "Don't do it, Kikyo. I'm here!" He insisted.

Kikyo frowned. "Don't make this harder for me, Inuyasha." She said in a threatening voice.

Inuyasha sighed and was quiet. Then, he darted forward. "What do you want from me?" He asked, grabbing her elbows.

Kikyo looked uncomfortable. "I…I want you to make me a woman." She said, not meeting his eyes.

Inuyasha furrowed his brow in confusion. "What?" He asked, not understanding.

Kikyo flushed a little, and Inuyasha almost laughed in surprise at seeing her so vulnerable. Then he got it.

"Oh." He dropped her elbows. "Uh…

"Please don't refuse me!" Kikyo broke out crying suddenly, then turned around to hide her tears, gasping. Inuyasha tried to put his hand on her shoulder in comfort, but she pulled away, embarrassed.

He awkwardly stood there as she cried, her back to him. Eventually, she began to quiet down. "I haven't done that in so long." She said it so quietly Inuyasha thought he wasn't meant to hear it.

"Kikyo…I won't refuse you. So stop crying." Inuyasha pulled her close to him. "It's just a little…surprising." He said, searching his mind for words to comfort her. To tell the truth, he was scared. He had never seen her like this before.

Then again, she had never decided to die before.

He felt the lump reappear at the memory of why she was here anyway. Still, he didn't let it show.

Kikyo sniffed a little, trying to regain her composure, and looked up at him. "Inuyasha…what about Kagome?" She asked. Inuyasha felt his stomach drop in both guilt and worry. He had forgotten about Kagome.

"She's…gone." Inuyasha said. "And she's never coming back." He hoped Kikyo would assume that meant she was dead.

And it seemed like she did. She nodded, sniffed one more time, then looked up timidly at him. Inuyasha hated seeing her like that. It wasn't the Kikyo he knew…and loved.

Very quickly, before he could change his mind, he bent down and kissed her. Kikyo welcomed the kiss, and she stayed with Inuyasha until the next morning.

A/N: Bet you liked that chapter, eh? Actually, I'm pretty worried about how that one went. Too much fluff? So much drama it was ridiculous? Argh, please tell me what you think. I went through a lot of emotions as I wrote this chapter though, and I really hope you could feel that. Anyway, please review this one, I'm desperate to know what you think.