Disclaimer Part I: The characters of Inuyasha belong to Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me. Aster and Dayandhi also belong to me. As unlikely as it would seem at first glance, this is a continuation story, not AU.

Inuyasha: A Fugitive Fairytale

Chapter Thirteen

Once Upon A Time

"Wake up, kid."

Groaning, Kagome pulled her pillow closer and tried to block out the sound. There was a dream she wanted desperately to hold on to... if only she could remember what it was.

"Don't say I didn't warn, ya."

Pain exploded in her hand. Kagome yelped and sat upright. There was a little dog biting her hand! A very strange looking pug. There was something oddly familiar about him, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Before she could blink, the dog let go of her hand and sat down to stare at her. Looking a little impatient actually. Disgruntled.

"Maaaama?" When did they get a dog? Couldn't they have picked out something cuter?

"Can't stay long, kid. Just dropping off a present and saying goodbye." He stood up and jumped off the bed. Then he turned and looked at her. "Don't forget."

Kagome plastered herself against the wall, standing on her bed and shrieking. The dog talked! IT TALKED! Before she could squeak out a question it just disappeared. Slowly she sank back down onto the bed. She must still be dreaming.

"Ouch!"

Something just pierced her skin. Kagome looked down to see a single red rose lying on her bed.

"Kagome, are you alright?"

"A dog... there was a dog..."

A cool hand pressed against her forehead. "No fever. Perhaps you had a dream?"

No. That didn't seem right. But it had to be the answer. Dogs didn't just talk and then disappear. Was it really just a dream? It was so realistic though, up until he spoke. There even seemed to be the smell of dog in the air. Still... there seemed to be something important about what he said. About not forgetting. Forget what? Or who?

"What a pretty flower! Do you have a secret admirer?" As soon as her mother said the words, the woman frowned slightly, lost in thought. "You do have an admirer... I have met him? But I can't quite recall his face."

An admirer? That didn't sound right. A friend must have given her the rose, though for the life of her she couldn't figure out who. Maybe it was Hojo. He was really the only person who would give her gifts for no reason. Though a rose seemed a little too traditional of a gift for the boy. A bag of herbal remedies was more his speed. Or bunion pads.

But there WAS someone important to her.

Wasn't there?

ooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo

"Are you certain we should be leaving, monk?"

"My dear, Sango, we have supplies and our weapons repaired and ready. There is nothing keeping us from hunting Naraku."

"It just feels like we are leaving something behind."

Miroku closed your eyes, nodding as he moved a step closer to the slayer. "I, too, get that feeling."

There was a sound of barking from the woods. Sango and Miroku appeared not to hear it, but Inuyasha decided to check it out anyhow. He was restless and needed something to do anyhow. Besides, in two seconds Miroku's hand was going to reach its destination, and he didn't want to see that fool get yet another beating. Following the direction of the sound he left his friends. He didn't find a dog in distress, but he did find an odd kimono hanging in a tree. Instinct forced him to pick it up. A tingling sensation caused his nose to itch. There was a scent.

"What do you have there, Inuyasha?" asked Shippo as he leapt from Miroku's shoulder to Inuyasha's head.

"Get off me, runt."

Miroku and Sango turned to see what could have captured the fox kit's attention. His behavior all day had just been wrong. The kit cried for no reason, needing to be held, and being extra mean to Inuyasha. What was even stranger was Inuyasha's behavior. He was quiet, even refraining from retaliating against Shippo.

"He's got girl's clothes!" laughed Shippo.

"Shut up, brat." Inuyasha ignored the looks he was getting. The scent seemed familiar, but the clothes were unlike any he had seen before. It was a short blue kimono with a pink ribbon. Tucked inside the pockets were kunai. It was a gift, wasn't it? But to who? And from who? He bunched the fabric in his fist. He should just toss it away or give it to Sango. What use did he have for such an outfit? But the scent... It meant something to him, he just didn't know what.

"Don't say I never did nothing for ya," said a rough voice to his right.

Inuyasha drew his sword, but there was no one there.

"You draw your sword against me?"

Inuyasha's head began to swim. It seemed like there was too much going on. And he was missing something. Something important.

"Kikyo." He sheathed his sword and looked at her. There was something about her that he could not quite place. She reminded him of someone. But he couldn't figure out who.

"A strange spirit pulled me in this direction. Have you any knowledge of why I might have been drawn here?" she asked suspiciously.

There were eyes like hers, but warmer. A face like hers, but... smiley-er. A voice that was cheerful. A touch that was light. But that couldn't be right. There was only one Kikyo. But something about her just felt wrong.

"No. I don't know."

He turned from her and walked away. He had to find what he was missing.

ooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo

"You should be glad to be rid of that no good boyfriend," Yuki said as they parted ways and she waved goodbye.

The girls had talked about a no good boyfriend when they had stopped for a snack at Wacdonalds after school, but no one seemed to recall his name or what he looked like. She waved until her friends disappeared. The phrase 'no good boyfriend' just didn't sound right. Was he the one who gave her the rose? She pulled it out of her pack and looked at it. No, he wouldn't give her flowers. It wasn't him. But who was he? Why couldn't she remember? Instinct took her feet to the God Tree. She dropped her bag, stepped up to the tree and put her hand against it. It felt right. She felt connected. She felt like she had found a piece to a puzzle. She felt relieved. She felt a little panicked. Lost. Homesick. But that was just silly. She WAS at home. No... that wasn't quite right.

Home.

Home.

She had to get home.

She had to find her way back home.

The thought beat at her, causing her heart to race and her palms to sweat. Something tugged at her memories, but kept flitting out of grasp. She pushed away from the tree and began to pace. The more she paced the more anxious she became. She looked around frantically, but the only thing around was the tree, the house, and the old well house. The well house? But there was nothing there but a dried up old well. She wasn't supposed to go in there. Yet that is just where her feet began taking her.

Opening up the door she coughed. It was a little dusty. Though not as dusty as she would have thought it would have been. She looked around, looking for answers to questions she didn't really know. And she found... nothing. Just a dried up old well.

"Where are you?" she asked as she began to cry over the empty well and into the darkness.

Her grip on the rose became so tight that it drew blood. A single drop fell to the bottom of the well.

ooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo

Inuyasha's heart froze. There was the scent of blood. Fear overwhelmed him. And that was just stupid. He dipped his claws into blood nearly every day fighting. But this time it was different. This blood was never supposed to be spilled. Everything in his being screamed at him to protect her. Ignoring the questions his friends called out after him, Inuyasha ran. Well, flew really. He followed his nose. The scent led him to the Bone Eater's well. Someone must have fallen down it.

It wasn't his problem. Humans were just too stupid sometimes. Yet, he couldn't move away from the lip of the well. He peered down into the darkness. It felt confusing. He felt sad. Frustrated. Anxious. Lonely.

"Hey!" he called. "You okay down there?"

There was no answer. The scent of blood was clawing at him.

"You need help?"

There was no answer, and that sent his adrenaline into overdrive.

"I'm coming!"

Inuyasha leapt over the side of the well, expecting to hit the bottom and hop right back up with the hurt idiot human. However, he just kept falling.

ooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo

The well glowed for a moment. As it started dimming, a figure jumped out of it, startling Kagome. A young man with silver hair and dressed in red looked frantically around, until his eyes landed on her. Gold eyes. And... dog ears? She looked back at the eyes. The familiar eyes. Eyes that were staring intently into her own. She knew him. She KNEW him!

Visions of bloody battles, nights sitting by campfires, demons, long walks, a jewel, and piggy back rides filled her head. She knew him.

Visions of piggy back rides, smiles, tears, a shattering jewel, guarding her, protecting her, nights watching her sleep. He knew her.

Suddenly it clicked into place.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome launched herself at him.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha opened his arms and enveloped them around her, holding her close. He smelled tears, for a moment he thought they might be his.

Memories of how they met, their journeys together, the pain, the joy, the one shared kiss. The memories flooded them, making them a little dizzy. They remembered the Pokemon, the fairies, the trips through dimensions. They remembered their lives together. They remembered that moment when they thought they had lost each other for good.

"They put me to sleep, but I heard you calling for me. I couldn't wake up. I tried, Kagome. I..."

"its okay, Inuyasha. Everything is okay."

"I'll never let you go, again." His arms tightened around her. His head buried in her hair.

She smiled into his robes. Then she gently pushed away. His hands remained on her arms, reluctant to let go of the contact. She opened her mouth to speak, then he panicked and scooped her up, taking her back down the well. She let out an "Eeep!" as they fell through time. He had something important to tell her, and he wasn't saying it in a dusty old well house where her kid brother was bound to come in, or the grandpa come nosing around, or the mother. He had to say it before he lost his nerve. Whatever Kagome had to say would just have to wait. He had to tell her.

They reached the edge of the well, then Inuyasha pushed off and bounded into the God Tree. He jumped from branch to branch, higher and higher until he felt they were high enough that no one was going to hear him. Or interrupt him.

Hearts thudded loudly as they sat side by side. They smiled at each other, hands still touching.

"I love you."

Kagome and Inuyasha blushed, the words were spoken in unison.

Inuyasha bent his head, touching his forehead to hers.

"I mean it, Kagome. I love you. And I'll never let anything or anyone take you from me again."

"I love you, Inuyasha. And I'll never let anyone take you from me, either."

He chuckled at that. "No one could."

She looked up and smiled, then slowly their lips met.

ooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo

"Aw, c'mon, Az, you can't leave it there!"

Aster grinned.

"You should be grateful I let you see anything at all, Pakkun."

"Hey, you owe me for leaving those clues. It could have taken months for them to stumble on them themselves."

She put her hands behind her back and looked away. "I don't know what you're talking about, dog. I did my job. End of story."

"Yeah, right." The pug snatched the little sandwich off her plate and gulped it down. "Take care, kid. C'ya around."

With a puff of smoke the summoning creature was gone, and Aster was left alone on the balcony. She looked out at the stars and sighed. A warm presence behind her made her grin. More than anything else, she was going to miss Dayan. He had been an excellent partner, and an even better friend.

"You're missing your party."

"It's a stupid party."

He didn't disagree. He wished they were anywhere in the universe besides at the party. "You really gonna do it?"

"No choice. You know the rules. Memory wipe or death."

"Will you remember me?"

She gave a little laugh. "Dayan, I won't even remember me."

He said some pretty impressive swear words, from four different dimensions. Reaching up to her tip toes she pressed a kiss onto his cheek. She only had a few hours left. There was so much she wished that she had done in her life. It just couldn't end like this.

"I'll wipe my memory, just as I wiped the memories of Kagome's friends."

"Yeah?"

She grinned. "Yeah."

Dayan leaned close to her and whispered in her ear as she pressed her favorite hair transformer into his hand before two guards came and took her away. 'Escorting' her back to the party where she would say her final goodbyes. Then they would watch as she wiped her own memory, leaving her a shell of a human. She clung to the words Dayan whispered to her. Her thread to follow back to him. Who knows? With luck her own story would be starting when she woke up. Her own fairytale. Her own Once Upon a time. She thought about Kagome, and visions of the girl's future played through her mind. Her very happy future.

No. She hadn't made the wrong choice.

So much happiness, so much joy. So many lives saved. The lives her children would save. It was worth it. Because she knew then, that it as possible to have a

Happily Ever After.

ooOOooOOooOOooOOoo

ooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo

ooOOooOOooOOooOOoo

Author's Note:

I hope you guys enjoyed the story. You didn't really think I'd keep them apart did you?